“What’d you do?” George asked.
“It’s not what I did. It’s what I didn’t do,” I said. “He was implicated in a murder, well, not a murder, really, manslaughter is more like it. The point is I didn’t wait to hear his side of it. I just assumed he was guilty and walked out on him. I feel bad about that. I promised ‘for better or for worse’ and gave him ‘worse.'”
“So now what?”
“So now I’m trying to track him down so I can apologize. Maybe I can make amends, if it’s not too late.”
George’s face was a study in caution. “I’m not entirely clear what you want from me.”
I passed him the form, tilting my head to read the header along with him. I pointed to the relevant lines. “I think this is partly right. I’ve got two versions of this address. If yours matches this one or if you have another variation yet, I can probably determine which is correct.”
He studied the name and address. “I remember this fellow. Went delinquent on his payments. We emptied his unit and auctioned everything off.”
“That’s what worries me. I think he’s in trouble. Do you think you can help?”
I could see him vacillate. I left the clipboard up on the counter, angled in his direction. I could see his gaze retracing the lines of print. He moved to a file cabinet, scanned the labels on the drawer fronts, and opened the third one down. He pulled out a fat binder and laid it across the open drawer. He wet his thumb and began to leaf through. He found the relevant page, popped open the rings, removed a sheet of paper, and copied it, handing me the information without another word.
EIGHT.
I returned to the office, where I spent the rest of the day paying bills, returning phone calls, and taking care of correspondence. There was no message from Mark Bethel. I’d try him again if I didn’t hear from him soon. I locked my office at four-thirty, shoving my Los Angeles street map in the outer pouch of my bag. I left my car for the time being and walked over to the public library, where I checked the criss-cross for the area encompassed by the three differing Sepulveda street numbers Mickey’d listed as impossible to determine the his home address. It was best candidate from looking at a map. I was going to have to make a run down there. It was time to satisfy myself as to his current situation, maybe even time for the two of us to talk. I had a big whack of money in my savings account. I was willing to offer my help if Mickey wasn’t too proud to accept. I walked back to the office, where I picked up my car and made the short drive home. I didn’t even have the details and I was already sick about the part I’d played in his slide from grace.
I arrived at my apartment to find two gentlemen standing on my doorstep. I knew in a flash they were plainclothes detectives: neatly dressed, clean-shaven, their expressions bland and attentive, the perfect law enforcement presence on this May afternoon. I felt a spritz of electricity coursing through my frame. My hands were left tingling and the skin on my back suddenly felt luminous, like a neon sign flashing GUILT, GUILT, GUILT. My first thought was Teddy Rich had reported an intruder, that an officer had been dispatched, that he’d called for a tech who’d subsequently dusted for prints. Mine would have shown up on the inner and outer aspects of the pet door, on the edge of the desk, on the back doorknob, in other places so numerous I could hardly recall. I’d been a cop for two years and a P.I. since then. (I’d also been arrested once, but I don’t want to talk about that now, thanks.) The point is, my prints were in the system, and the computer was going to put me inside Teddy Rich’s house. The cops would ask what I was doing there and what could I say? Was there an innocent explanation? I couldn’t think of one to save me. The dog, of course, would pick me out of a police lineup, tugging at my pant leg, joyously barking, jumping, and slobbering on my shoes as they cuffed me and took me away. I could try to plea-bargain right up front or wait until sentencing and throw myself on the mercy of the court.
I hesitated on the walkway, my house keys in hand. Surely, the cops had more pressing cases to pursue these days. Why would they even bother with a crime scene tech? The notion was absurd. These fellows might not be cops at all. Maybe Teddy figured out what I’d done and had sent these two goons to crush my elbows, my knees, and other relevant joints. Somewhat chirpily, I said, “Hi. Are you looking for me?”
The two of them seemed to be approximately the same age: late thirties, trim, fit, one dark, the other fair. The blond carried a briefcase in his left hand like he was doing door-to-door sales. He spoke first. “Miss Millhone?” He wore a red plaid shirt under a tweed sport coat, his Adam’s apple compressed by the knot in his solid red tie. His slacks were dark cotton, wrinkled across the crotch from sitting in the car too long.
“That’s right.”
He held out his right hand. “My name’s Felix Claas. This is my partner, John Aldo. We’re detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department. Could we talk to you? ”
Aldo held out two business cards and a wallet he flipped open to expose his badge. Detective Aldo was a big guy with a muscular body, probably six-three, 240 pounds. He wore his dark hair slightly shaggy, and his dark eyes receded under wide dark eyebrows that came together at the bridge of his nose. His slacks were polyester, and he had a sport coat neatly folded and laid across one arm. His short-sleeved cotton shirt exposed a matting of silky hair on his forearms. He looked like a man who preferred wearing sweats. I’d heard his first name as “John,” but I noticed on his business card the spelling was the Italian, Gian, and I made the mental correction. In the flush of apprehension, I’d already forgotten the first detective’s name. I glanced down at the cards again. Felix Claas was the blond, Glan Aldo, the darker one.
Claas spoke up again, smiling pleasantly. His blond hair looked wet, parted on the side and combed straight back behind his ears. His eyebrows and lashes were an almost invisible pale gold, so that his blue eyes seemed stark. His lips were full and unusually pink. He had a cleft in his chin. “Great town you have here. The minute we crossed the county line, I could feel my blood pressure drop about fifteen points.”
“Thanks. We’re lucky. It’s like this all year long. We get a marine layer sometimes in the summer months, but it burns off by noon so it’s hard to complain.” Maybe this pertained to an old case of mine.
Detective Aldo eased into the conversation. “We had a chat with Lieutenant Robb. I hope we haven’t caught you at a bad time.”
“Not at all. This is fine. You’re friends of his?”
“Well, no, ma’am, we aren’t. We’ve talked to him by phone, but we only met today. Seems like a nice guy.
“He’s great. I’ve known Jonah for years,” I said. “What’s this about?”
“A case we’ve been working on. We’d like to talk to you inside, if you don’t object.”
Detective Claas chimed in, “This shouldn’t take long. Fifteen-twenty minutes. We’ll be as quick as we can. ”
“Sure. Come on in.” I turned and unlocked the front door, talking over my shoulder. “When’d you get up here ? ”
“About an hour ago. We tried calling your office, but they told us you’d left. We must have just missed you. ”
1″I had some errands to run,” I said, wondering why I felt I owed them an explanation. I stepped across the threshold and they followed me in. In the past few years, a number of investigations had taken me to Los Angeles. One of the cases I’d handled for California Fidelity had exposed me to a bunch of badasses. This was probably related. The criminal element form a special subset, the same names surfacing over and over again. It’s always interesting to find out what the cruds are up to.
I took a mental photograph of my apartment, idly aware of how it must appear to strangers. Small, immaculate, as compact as a ship’s interior complete with cubbyholes and built-ins. Kitchenette to the right; desk and seating arrangement to the left. Royal-blue shag carpet, a small spiral staircase leading to a loft above. I set my shoulder bag on one of the stools at the kitchen counter and moved the six steps into the living room.