1942: burglar, tooth technician, rat lover Coleman witnesses Dudley Smith killing José Diaz, sees this picture or others and locates Daddy Reynolds Loftis. 1943: Coleman, his face burned in a fire???, hangs out at SLDC rallies with his father/phony brother, talks up the big white man, nobody believes him. 1942 to 1944: Loftis’ psych file missing. 1950: killer Coleman. Was the psycho trying to frame Daddy/Reynolds for the queer murders, dressed up like Loftis himself–Doc Layman’s wig fragments the final kicker?
Buzz held out the picture. “That Coleman, ma’am?”
Delores smiled. “Rather close. What a nice-looking man. A shame I can’t remember spawning with him.”
A car door slammed; Mal got out and trotted up the steps. Buzz took him aside and showed him the photo. “Loftis, 1922. AKA Randolph Lawrence, summer. stock actor. He’s Coleman’s father, not his brother.”
Mal tapped the picture. “Now I’m wondering how the boy got burned and why the brother charade. And you were right on Minear.”
“What do you mean?”
“I called the DMV. Minear owns a white ‘49 Chrysler New Yorker sedan. I went by his place in Chapman Park on my way here. It was in his building’s garage, warm, and it looked just like the car at the Marmont.”
Buzz put an arm around Mal’s shoulders. “Gifts in a manger, and here’s another one. That crazy woman in the doorway ID’d Dudley from a picture I got. He’s the brogue man.”
Mal looked over at Delores. “Do you think Dudley copped Danny’s files?”
“No, I think he’d have faked a burglary. Coleman’s our killer, boss. All we gotta do now is find him.”
“Shit. Loftis and Claire won’t talk. I know it.”
Buzz took his arm away. “No, but I bet we could squeeze Chaz beauty. He was tight with Loftis back in ‘43, ‘44, and I know a good squeeze artist to help us. You give that lady a double-saw and I’ll go give him a call.”
Mal went for his billfold; Buzz walked into the house and found a phone by the kitchen door. He called Information, got the number he wanted and dialed it; Johnny Stompanato’s slick guinea baritone oiled on the line. “Talk to me.”
“It’s Meeks. You wanta make some money? Number-one muscle on a strongarm job, make sure my buddy don’t go crazy and hurt someone?”
Johnny Stomp said, “You’re a dead man. Mickey found out about you and Audrey. The neighbors saw you hustling her away, and I’m lucky he didn’t figure out I tipped you. Nice to know you, Meeks. I always thought you had style.”
Move over Danny Upshaw, fat man coming through. Buzz looked at Mal paying off the rat killer’s mother; he got an idea–or the idea got him. “Contract out?”
“Ten grand. Fifteen if they get you alive so Mickey can get his jollies.”
“Chump change. Johnny, you wanna make twenty grand for two hours’ work?”
“You slay me. Next you’ll be offering me a date with Lana Turner.”
“I mean it.”
“Where you gonna get that dough?”
“I’ll have it inside two weeks. Deal?”
“What makes you think you’ll live that long?”
“Ain’t you a gambler?”
“Oh shit. Deal.”
Buzz said, “I’ll call you back,” and hung up. Mal was standing beside him, shaking his head. “Mickey knows?”
“Yeah, Mickey knows. You got a couch?”
Mal gave Buzz a soft punch in the arm. “Lad, I think people are starting to get your number.”
“Say what?”
“I figured out something today.”
“What?”
“You killed Gene Niles.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Mal’s take on Johnny Stompanato: two parts olive-oil charm, two parts hepcat, six parts plug-ugly. His take on the whole situation: Buzz was doomed, and his voice talking to Audrey on the phone said he knew it. Coleman arrested for four sex murders plus grand jury indictments added up to Stefan dropped on his doorstep like a Christmas bundle. The Herald and Mirror were playing up the Gordean killing, no suspects, puff pieces on the victim as a straight-arrow talent agent, no mention of the bank money–the catching officers probably got fat. The papers made UAES the instigators of the riot the Teamsters started; Buzz was impressed with his shot in the dark on Gene Niles and believed his promise not to spill on it. The fat man was going to brace Dudley’s niece while he and Stompanato braced Chaz Minear, and when they had Coleman placed, he’d call his newspaper contacts so they could be in on the capture: first interviews with Captain Malcolm E. Considine, captor of the Wolverine Monster. And then Dudley Smith.