by James Ellroy
He’s friendly. He’s not flustered. They mention an old murder. He doesn’t clench up.
He invites them in. They all sit down. He appears befuddled— old murder, huh?
Dave and Tim start to explain. X-Man cuts them off.
That 16-year-old girl, right? I remember that. I was across the street. I was at a friend’s house.
The sister ran over. My friend was a doctor. He wasn’t in then. I ran over to help. I saw the body. The cops came. The cops shooed me out.
Oh, fuck—
He came off credible. He came off true. He smiled. He betrayed no nerves. The boom didn’t drop.
Dave quizzed him. X-Man responded. The doc and wife— alive and well. Yeah, we’re still in touch.
There’s the boom. It fell on you. Oh shit, we’re fuck—
They schmoozed up X-Man. His credibility held. They said good-bye and walked out.
They found the doctor. They braced him. They braced his wife concurrent. They backed X-Man up.
Heartbreaker/square one again/fluke fingerprint/months trashed and fucked.
Dave called and told me. He described “the worst day of my life.” I reran Pollyanna. I cued Stephanie up.
It’s over. It’s not over. It’s been a year plus. Closure is nonsense. Nothing this bad ever ends. The killer is crucial and irrelevant. He knew Stephanie for ten minutes. He never loved her. His memories are brutal and suspect.
Baby, who were you? How would you grow and who would you love? Did you know you’d touch driven men and teach them?
You’ve got torchbearers. Three detectives and one chronicler. We want to know you. It’s a pursuit. It’s a likelier outcome than justice.
We’re spinning our wheels. It doesn’t matter. We get glimpses. You’re twirling in your prom gown. Color us devoted. Color you gone.
Grave Doubt
1.
HOUSTON PD/DISTRICT 6/BEAT 6870.
DATE: 5/13/81.
TIME: 9:30 P.M.
LOCATION: 8935 NORTH FREEWAY.
PREMISES: SAFEWAY PARKING LOT.
CRIME: CAPITAL MURDER.
VICTIM: BOBBY GRANT LAMBERT/WHITE MALE/53.
SUSPECT: GARY GRAHAM/BLACK MALE/17.
INCIDENT # 035207084.
The crime scene:
The Safeway lot. Rectangular. Sixty yards deep.
Night lights. Parking lanes and slots.
A fence behind the store. Small homes adjacent. Strip malls moving north.
A frontage road. Parking-lot access. A freeway adjacent.
The beat: low-shelf. Urban blight ascendant.
Motels. Gas stations. A low-end black demographic.
Eyewits state:
The victim enters the store. The victim walks the aisles. The victim grabs items.
Three packs of lunch meat, bread, cheese, milk, cookies, Ritz crackers, onions, gloves, garbage bags, a carton of Raleigh cigarettes, a six-pack of V-8.
A cashier totals the items. The victim pays with a C-note.
The victim exits the store.
He walks twenty feet. A black male walks up behind him.
Witness Bernadine Skillern observes.
She sits in her car. Two kids sit with her. Her daughter’s in the store.
The black male accosts the victim.
He grabs his back pockets. The victim reacts.
He pulls away. He turns.
The black male grabs his collar. The black male puts a gun to his head.
Witness Skillern observes.
She fears a shooting. She tries to deter it. She leans on her horn.
The black male turns. Witness Skillern sees his face. The victim breaks free.
Witness Skillern hears a “pop” noise. The victim drops his grocery bag. The black male walks away.
Other wits observe. Their names:
Daniel Grady/white male/age 35. Wilma Amos/black female/ age 32. Sherian Etuk/black female/age 29.
The victim staggers. The victim weaves to the store.
Witness Skillern starts her car. The victim falls in the doorway.
Witness Skillern tails the black male. He’s in her headlights. He starts to run.
He runs around the store. Witness Skillern’s kids scream. Witness Skillern turns back.
Store employees call the cops. An ambulance shows. Paramedics examine the victim.
He’s DOA.
PATROL UNITS SHOWED. Homicide showed.
For Houston PD: Detectives W. W. Owen and J. W. Ellis.
They checked the grocery bag. They checked the gunshot wound.
Small caliber. The entry point: near the sternal notch.
They check the victim’s clothes. They found:
One comb. Two pencils. A lighter. Best Western motel matches. A key for room 208.
The vic’s driver’s license. Issued for Oregon State.
Coins: $2.07. Sixty hundred-dollar bills.
A botched heist. The killer got chump change. The killer missed six grand.
A tech crew arrived.
Techs shot the body. Techs shot the crime scene. Morgue men removed the body.
Patrol cops checked the lot. They found the vic’s van. They impounded it.
Owen and Ellis braced the wits.
Witness Skillern described the incident. Witness Skillern described the killer:
A black male. 18 to 20. 5′9″ to 6′.
Slim build. Slim face, clean-shaven. Close-cut Afro. White jacket/black slacks.
Witness Grady described the incident. Witness Grady described the killer:
A black male. Tall, slim, young. White sport coat. Small-caliber pistol.
Witness Amos went home. Witness Amos phoned Homicide.
She described the incident. She described the killer:
A black male. In his twenties. Short dark hair, clean-shaven. Black slacks/white coat.
Witness Etuk described the incident.
She’s working a check stand. She hears a “pop!” outside.
She looks out the window. She sees a black male.
He wears a white blazer. He wears black slacks. The window glass blurs his face.
He backs off from the victim. He backs out of sight.
Owen and Ellis hit the Best Western.
They talked to a desk clerk. They talked to a barmaid. They talked to a guard.
Room 208: registered to Ronald M. Allen.
He was from Burbank, California. He checked out at 9:05 p.m.
Owen and Ellis checked the room. They found:
Paper slips. Names and phone numbers. Cleaning receipts for Bobby G. Lambert.
One ashtray. Cigarette butts.
Two brands. Raleigh, one other.
Owen and Ellis checked the switchboard. “Allen” made 16 toll calls.
They wrote down the numbers. They drove to the morgue. They gave the numbers to a coroner’s detective.
The detective called them. He called five area codes. He hit Mrs. Ron Allen.
She said Ron split Houston. He was in Vegas now. Bobby Lambert shared his Houston motel room.
Bobby had Houston business. She didn’t know what. Bobby left his wife recently.
The detective called around. The detective traced Bobby’s van. The detective snagged a cop in Pima County, Arizona.
The cop said he couldn’t talk now. The cop said he’d call Homicide.
Owen and Ellis drove to Homicide. The cop called them.
He said he checked Lambert out. He queried a dope line. He hit positive. Lambert was dirty.
Ellis requested more data. The cop said he’d call back.
Another cop called back. He said:
Lambert was dealing. He got popped on 8/14/80.
Oklahoma City.
Lambert flies dope in. Lambert gets nabbed. Lambert’s under indictment.
Some coke. 20,000 Quaaludes.
Owen and Ellis worked all night. Detective D. W. Autrey assisted.
He drove to the impound. He checked Lambert’s van.
&
nbsp; He found:
Marijuana.
Three shotguns.
One New Mexico driver’s license. One Canadian driver’s license. One radio operator’s license. One insurance card. One draft card.
Made out to:
Billy Francis Smith—DOB 3/1/30.
Plus:
Court docket papers. Oklahoma District Court. A bail receipt for Bobby G. Lambert.
THE AUTOPSYRAN pro forma. Ditto the forensics.
The vic died from gunshot trauma. He ate one .22 slug.
The DEA called Owen and Ellis. They laid out Bobby G.
Bobby was a dealer. Bobby was an ex–carny man.
Bobby was a con man. Bobby was a sleaze.
Bobby loved to gamble. Bobby loved Vegas. Bobby hung with a cat named Ron Allen.
Ron was a gambler. Ron was a pool shark. Ron and Bobby meant grief.
Owen and Ellis hit the Safeway. They found another eyewit.
His name was Ronald Hubbard. He worked at Safeway. He offered this story:
He was shagging carts. He saw a man outside. The man hid his face.
Hubbard walked toward the store. Hubbard heard a shot. Hubbard saw the man holding a gun.
Hubbard described the man:
Black. Early 20s. 5′5″, 120–130. Short Afro, clean-shaven. White blazer, black slacks.
Owen and Ellis called Witness Skillern. Ms. Skillern came to Homicide. Ms. Skillern worked up a composite.
Autrey and Detective Rascoe assisted.
Ms. Skillern chose feature strips. Ms. Skillern built a face.
Facial tone: F-1-1. Nose: N-9-2. Lips: L-3-1. Eyes: E-58-2. Chin: C-26-2. Hair: H-131-2.
Autrey worked the composite. Owens and Ellis worked Lambert.
They braced the wife. They braced the DEA. They braced the Pima County cops.
They got bland shit.
Lambert was a hustler. Lambert was a sleaze. Lambert shot pool in Houston.
It vibed inconsequential. The murder vibed heist.
Autrey got a call.
The caller’s name was Wilma Mukes. She offered this story:
Her sister’s name was Florence McDonald. Ms. McDonald went to Safeway. Their sons tagged along.
Said sons:
James Mukes/black male/age 7. Alfonzo McDonald/black male/age 10. Leodis Wilkerson/black male/age 12.
Ms. McDonald goes in the store. The boys sit in the car. The boys see the shooting.
They know the shooter. They’ve seen him before. He hangs near their pad.
Autrey braced Ms. McDonald. She offered this story:
The boys saw the shooting. The boys saw the shooter. The boys saw him one day later.
He stood across the street. He stood by Judy Brown’s pad.
James Mukes saw him. James yelled at Leodis and Alfonzo. James yelled, “There’s the man that did the shooting.”
The man ran off. The boys told Ms. McDonald.
Autrey braced Judy Brown. She offered this story:
The man sounds like Curly Scott. Curly knocked up her daughter.
She had her baby. Curly came around less.
Curly was tall and skinny. Curly was clean-shaven. Curly lived at 7339 Phillips.
Autrey checked Curly out. Detective D. W. Cook assisted.
They learned:
Curly had priors. Curly had bond forfeits. Curly had warrants extant.
Curly had four recent addresses. The Phillips pad plus three.
Autrey and Cook looked for Curly. Autrey and Cook tapped out.
Owen and Ellis rigged a photo spread.
They laid in a Curly Scott mug shot. They laid in four random males.
Witness Hubbard viewed the spread. He did not see the shooter. Witness Hubbard viewed Witness Skillern’s composite. He said it resembled the dude.
Witness Amos viewed the spread. She did not see the shooter.
Witness Skillern viewed the spread. She did not see the shooter.
Witness Etuk viewed the spread. She did not see the shooter.
Owen and Ellis looked for Witness Grady. Owen and Ellis tapped out.
The Lambert job was one week old. The Lambert job was dead.
Owen and Ellis got a call. A wrecker-driver offered this story:
It’s 5/13. It’s 10:00 p.m. He’s out in his truck.
He passes Stuebner Air Line and Gulf Bank. He’s close to Safeway. He spots two black males in a Plymouth.
They look “suspicious.” He tails them. He nails their license plate.
The black males see the truck. The black males speed up. The black males vanish.
Owen and Ellis traced the Plymouth. The owner: one Linda Ann Thomas.
Owen and Ellis braced Ms. Thomas. She offered this story:
Her son drove the car. She never did. She supplied her son’s stats.
Reginald Thomas/black male/DOB 4/6/63.
Reginald Thomas called Homicide. He offered this story:
He shopped at Safeway. His girlfriend lived close. He bought their babies’ diapers there.
Owen and Ellis braced Thomas. Owen and Ellis rebraced Ms. Thomas.
Thomas stated:
He went out that night. He picked up his girlfriend. He arrived at 7:30 or 8:00.
They split. They parked off Stuebner Air Line. A truck pulled up. The driver killed his lights.
Thomas freaked. Thomas drove his girlfriend home. They arrived around 10:00.
Thomas viewed the composite. Thomas did not know the man.
Ms. Thomas said she had two more sons. Their names: Earnest and Melvin.
Melvin was in jail. The charge was Murder.
OWEN AND ELLIS made calls. Cook and Autrey ran point.
Melvin Thomas: Case 24251061.
A gunshot murder. A .22 pistol. No weapon received.
“Another suspect” tossed it. Location unknown.
Cook and Autrey called the lab. The lab ran tests.
The Thomas slug. The Lambert slug. Let’s compare.
No go.
The Thomas slug was scarred. The comparison failed.
Owen and Autrey called Juvie Probation. They learned:
Melvin Thomas was popped on 5/12. Melvin Thomas did not kill Bobby Lambert.
Cook and Autrey rehit Safeway. The manager viewed the composite.
He stated:
It looked like a shoplifter. He popped him some months back.
He was about 19. He was 5′10″ to 6′. He was very thin.
The manager checked his records. The manager tapped out.
No file notes. No complaint report.
Cook and Autrey ran computer checks. Cook and Autrey tapped out.
No complaint listing. No numbers extant.
The Lambert job was twelve days old. The Lambert job was dead.
ROBBERY CALLED HOMICIDE. Detective J. W. Whiteley called Autrey.
Whiteley popped a kid. He resembled the composite. He packed a .22.
He was seventeen. His name was Gary Graham.
Graham was a heist guy. Graham went on a heist spree. Graham used various weapons.
His spree dates: 5/14 to 5/20.
They popped Graham on 5/20. They ran lineups. The heist vics ID’d Graham.
Graham was a heist guy. Graham was a rape-o. They popped him this way:
Gary Graham in 2002. He asked his supporters to show up at his prison “with rifles, shotguns, AK-47s, and whatever else is necessary to protect our rights.” (Copyright © Houston Chronicle)
5/20/81. About 3:00 a.m. A cabbie stops for gas.
She’s female. She’s in her cab. She’s 57 years old.
She pumps gas. Gary Graham walks up.
He says his car died. He needs a ride. The woman says okay.
Graham gets in the cab. They drive to the Tidwell exit.
Graham redirects her. They drive to an empty apartment complex.
Graham pulls a gun. Graham robs the woman. Graham gets fifteen dollars.
He’s pissed. He needs six yards. He tells her
he’s “going to make it” with her.
She says she’s too old. Graham hits her. Graham tells her not to lie.
They enter the complex. They enter a vacant unit. Graham makes the woman disrobe.
He tells her he’s going to “fuck her in the ears and the eyes and everyplace else.”
Graham brandishes the gun.
Graham rapes the woman.
Graham attempts anal rape. Graham fails to penetrate.
The woman fears death. The complex is empty. Her body will rot unfound.
She talks to Graham. She describes her apartment.
It’s comfortable. It’s warm. She might find more money.
Graham buys it. They drive to her pad.
They enter. Graham says he’s got nothing to lose. He don’t plan to get caught. He’ll burn if he does.
Graham grabs jewelry. Graham grabs other items. His movement and balance are off.
He tells the woman to disrobe. The woman tells him to go first.
Graham disrobes. Graham gets in bed.
Graham has the gun. Graham tells the woman to “suck him.”
The woman starts to disrobe. Graham starts to fall asleep.
The woman waits. Graham falls asleep. The woman grabs his gun, his clothes, and her money.
She weighs killing Graham. She decides not to. She locks Graham in her pad.
She walks to the manager’s pad. The manager calls Houston PD.
Graham pulled twelve known heists. His spree ran seven days. He used partners sometimes.
His partners: at large. His .22: in the property room.
Autrey retrieved it. The lab ran tests.
The lab concluded:
It was NOT the Lambert weapon.
The Homicide team braced Graham. He denied the Lambert snuff.
He offered no alibi. He said he might have been with a woman.
He didn’t know her name. He couldn’t peg a location.
Owen and Ellis rigged a photo spread.
They laid in Gary Graham’s photo. They laid in four other black males.
Witness Skillern viewed the spread. She said the Graham pic resembled the shooter.
But:
The shooter was darker. The shooter’s face was thinner.
Inconclusive. A nonbinding ID.
Owen and Ellis propose a lineup. Ms. Skillern agrees.
9: 00 P.M. 5 / 2 7 / 8 1 .
The show-up room/Houston PD.
Five black males. Jail whites. Gary Graham in slot 3.
