L.A. Dead

by Stuart Woods

  "Yes, I remember."

  "The tests were conducted by a laboratory here, in Los Angeles, called Hemolab."

  "Yes, I think so."

  "I think you should know that tests conducted by this company have, in the past, been known to be… manipulated. I cannot go into any detail about this, and I cannot discuss my reasons. Suffice it to say that this information is not just my opinion, but more substantial."

  Again, Stone didn't know what to say.

  "I don't know if, in your case, the results were accurate or not, and I have no way of investigating. You might wish to have the tests repeated by another laboratory."

  "Thank you, Eduardo; I'll give that some thought." He would certainly do that.

  "I must go now."

  "I'll call you tonight to hear about Dolce."

  "Thank you; I'll be in my suite all evening. Good-bye."

  Stone hung up and sat on the bed, rattled by what Eduardo had said. He looked at the bedside clock: nearly eight; he was due at Marc Blumberg's office at nine to prepare for the hearing the following day. He shaved and dressed, then he called Dino.

  "How you doing, pal?" Dino asked.

  "I've been better."

  "What do you need?" Dino could always read him.

  "I'd appreciate it if you'd do something for me."

  "Name it."

  "Wait until midafternoon, then call the office of a Dr. Lansing Drake, in Beverly Hills. Tell him Arrington recommended him, that you're having abdominal pains, and that you'd like to see him late this afternoon. Then call me at Marc Blumberg's office and tell me what time he'll see you."

  "You want me to go and fake it with this doctor?"

  "No, no; I just want you to make the appointment, so that if he calls back to confirm who you are, he won't get me on the phone instead."

  "Okay, I can do that. Dinner tonight?"

  "Sure, if I don't have too much homework to do."

  "Talk to you this afternoon, then."

  "Bye." Stone was about to leave when the phone buzzed again. "Yes, Louise?"

  "Brandy Garcia is on one."

  Stone picked up the phone. "Yes, Brandy?"

  "Stone, what's going on with Felipe Cordova? He called me last night, and he was upset."

  "I subpoenaed him to testify at a hearing, that's all. He's at no risk by doing that."

  "Yeah, but yesterday afternoon, he got another subpoena for the same time and place, this one from the D.A. And they searched his house, too. He didn't know what they were looking for."

  Stone thought about that for a moment. "Somebody's got his wires crossed, that's all. There's nothing for him to worry about."

  "He doesn't like this, Stone. I think he might bolt."

  "Brandy, there's a thousand bucks in it for you if you can see that he shows up for that hearing."

  "What am I going to tell him?"

  "Tell him nobody's going to put him in jail; tell him anything you like, just have him there. Lead him by the hand."

  "Okay, I'll do it for the grand. What are you going to give him?"

  "I've already told him that I can't pay him to testify."

  "I could give him a couple hundred, though?"

  "Sorry, I didn't hear that; must be trouble on the line. Have him there, Brandy."

  "You got it."

  Stone sat in Marc Blumberg's office.

  "I don't like this much," Marc was saying.

  "What's the difference who he's testifying for? We know what he's going to say."

  "Do we?"

  "I think so. It might be more effective to let the D.A. get his story into the record, then bring out our points on cross."

  "Okay, I buy that. Now, let's get started."

  They worked through lunch, and at mid-afternoon, Dino called.

  "Hi."

  "Hi. I've got an appointment."

  "When?"

  "As soon as I can get there."

  "Thanks, Dino."

  "Dinner?"

  "Meet me at the studio at seven."

  "See you then."

  Stone hung up and turned to Marc. "Are we about done? There's somewhere I have to be."

  "Go ahead; I'll see you at the courthouse tomorrow morning."

  Stone looked up Drakes address in the phone book.

  "My name is Bacchetti," Stone said to the receptionist.

  "Oh, yes, Mr. Bacchetti," she replied. "Will you wait in examination room B, down the hall? And undress down to your shorts."

  Stone found the room, which contained an examination table, a sink, and a cabinet for supplies. He did not undress; he sat down in the only chair and waited. A couple of minutes later, Dr. Lansing Drake entered the room, preoccupied with a clipboard in his hand.

  "Mr. Bacchetti," he said, not looking up. "Just a moment, please." He went to the sink, washed his hands, then turned around. "Now, what seems to be…" His jaw dropped.

  "I'm Stone Barrington, Dr. Drake; we met recendy at Lou Regenstein's."

  "I don't understand," Drake said nervously, looking toward the exit.

  Stone got up and leaned on the door. "I won't keep you long, Doctor. My name will be familiar to you, because a while back, you submitted a sample of my blood, along with one from Vance Calder, to a company called Hemolab, for a paternity test."

  "I don't recall," the doctor replied.

  "Oh, I think you do," Stone said.

  "Vance Calder was my patient," Drake said. "I have to respect his confidence."

  "Vance is dead, Doctor, and now you have to deal with me. You can do it here, quietly, or you can do it in court. What's it going to be?"

  Drake sagged against the examination table. "If Arrington should learn of this conversation…"

  "I don't think that will be necessary. What I want to know, quite simply, is if the tests were run again by another laboratory, would the results be the same?"

  Drake gazed out the window. "I honestly don't know."

  "Do you deny altering the test results?"

  Drake looked back at him. "I most certainly do." He looked away again. "That is, I don't know if the results were tampered with."

  "And why don't you know?"

  Drake sighed. "Vance came to me and said it was essential that the test prove that he was the father of the child. I conveyed that to someone at Hemolab."

  "So I'm the child's father?"

  "I said I don't know. I simply made Vance's wishes known. For all I know, he was the father. I suppose it could have gone either way, or there would have been no need for the test."

  "Yes," Stone said, "it could have gone either way. I want to see the original test results."

  "I'm afraid that will be impossible. At Vance's request, once the report was issued, the blood samples and the records were destroyed. The lab never knew who he was; the two subjects were simply labeled Aand B."

  "Then you knew when you saw the results."

  "No, I didn't. I didn't care, really. I wrote a letter saying that Vance was the father, that's all. I don't know if he was or not."

  "So, the test was just to have something to show Arrington?"

  "I suppose. But if you ever tell her that, I'll deny even speaking to you."

  "Thank you, Doctor," Stone said. He left the office and went back to his car.

  Dino looked across the dinner table at Stone. "Are you sure you want to know?"

  "Of course, I want to know; wouldn't you?"

  "I'm not sure," Dino replied. "In the circumstances."

  "What circumstances?"

  Dino shrugged. "The present circumstances."

  Stone thought about that. Arrington might still go to prison. In that case, he'd want to raise the boy-if he was the father. But if she were freed, then what? He and Arrington and their son would live happily ever after? That is, if the boy was, indeed, his son and not Vance's.

  "If you've got to know, then here's what you have to do," Dino said. "You and Arrington and the boy have to go together to have blood drawn, two samples
of both yours and the boy's. She sends one set to a lab, and you send them to another. Then you compare results, and you'll know."

  "Yes, I suppose we would."

  "But if the news of the test should get out, well, you'd have a tabloid shitstorm on your hands."

  "Yes, we would."

  "I think you need to do some more thinking."

  "I think you're right.

  Chapter 59

  Manolo drove Stone, Arrington, and Isabel to the courthouse, while Dino and Mary Ann followed in the station wagon. This time, they could not avoid the press, since the hearing had been placed on the court calendar, which was public. Even the underground garage was covered by the TV cameras, and it took both Stone and Manolo to keep them from following the group into the elevator.

  There was another gaundet to run, between the elevator and the courtroom, but Stone was relieved to see Felipe Cordova sitting outside the courtroom, with Brandy Garcia at his side. Brandy winked at him as they passed. Stone told Isabel to wait to be called, then he took Arrington into the courtroom, where Marc Blumberg met them at the defense table. Dino and Mary Ann found seats. Stone set down his briefcase and a shopping bag he had been carrying.

  "Okay, we've been over this," Marc said to Arrington. "You'll testify as before, unless…"

  "Unless what?" Arrington asked.

  "Unless you've regained your memory."

  She shook her head. "I don't remember anything after that Friday night, until I woke up in the clinic."

  "Just checking," Marc said.

  The judge entered, and the bailiff called the court to order.

  "I'm hearing a motion to dismiss this morning, I believe," the judge said.

  Marc Blumberg rose. "Yes, Your Honor. I would ask that the District Attorneys office present its witnesses, followed by defense witnesses."

  The judge turned to the prosecution table. "Ms. Chu?"

  The young woman rose. "The District Attorney calls Detective Sam Durkee."

  Durkee took the stand, and under questioning, established that the murder had taken place.

  When it was Marc Blumberg's turn, he rose. "Detective, you've testified that Mr. Calder was shot with a nine-millimeter semiautomatic pistol."

  "Yes."

  "Did you find the weapon?"

  "No."

  "Did you search the Calder house and grounds thoroughly?"

  "Yes."

  "How many times?"

  "Three, over two days."

  "And no weapon?"

  "No."

  "Did you search any other house for the weapon?"

  "Yes, we searched the home of Felipe Cordova, the Calders' gardner."

  "Oh? When?"

  "Yesterday."

  "I'm glad you got around to it. Did you find the weapon?"

  "No."

  "Did you search the house or grounds of Beverly Walters?"

  "No."

  "Why not?"

  "Because she's not a suspect."

  "I see. You say you searched the Calder house thoroughly. In your search, did you find a white terrycloth robe?"

  "No, but I wasn't looking for one."

  "When you arrived at the Calder house and first saw Mrs. Calder, what was she wearing?"

  "A bathrobe, or a dressing gown, I guess you could call it."

  "What was it made of?"

  "I'm not sure; some sort of smooth fabric."

  "Could it have been either cotton or silk?"

  "Yes, I suppose it could have been."

  "Could it have been terrycloth?"

  "No, I'm sure it wasn't."

  "What color was it?"

  "It was some sort of floral pattern, brighdy colored."

  "No further questions."

  The D.A. called the medical examiner and elicited testimony on the autopsy results, then, "Your Honor, the District Attorney calls Beverly Walters."

  Beverly Walters appeared through a side door and was sworn. Chu began by taking her through her previous story of having heard Arrington threaten to kill her husband, then she continued. "Ms. Walters, where were you on the afternoon of the evening Vance Calder was murdered?"

  "I was at the home of a friend, at a swimming party."

  "And after you left the party, where did you go?"

  "I went to Vance Calder's home."

  "And how did you enter the grounds?"

  "Through a rear entrance."

  "Did you ring the doorbell?"

  "No, I entered through the door to the pool and sneaked into Mr. Calder's dressing room."

  "Was Mr. Calder present?"

  "Yes."

  "Where was Mrs. Calder?"

  "She was taking a bath, I believe. That was what Mr. Calder told me when I spoke with him earlier."

  "Having reached the dressing room, what did you do?"

  "Mr. Calder and I made love."

  "In his dressing room?"

  "On a sofa in his dressing room."

  "Was this the first time you and Mr. Calder had made love?"

  "No, we had done so on a number of occasions."

  "And where did these trysts take place?"

  "In his trailer at Centurion Studios, in his bungalow there, and at his home, always in his dressing room."

  "On the earlier occasions, when you made love in the dressing room, was Mrs. Caider present in the house?"

  "Yes. We timed the meetings for when Arrington was in the tub. When they went out in the evenings, she was as regular as clockwork; she'd spend half an hour in the bath."

  "Why did you take these risks?"

  "Vance found it exciting, knowing that Arrington was in the house. He loved taking chances."

  "After you had made love that evening, what did you do?"

  "When we had finished, Vance began getting dressed and said I should leave, that Arrington-Mrs. Calder-would be getting out of her bath soon."

  "And did you leave?"

  "Yes, I left through the same door I had entered by."

  "And after leaving, did you have occasion to return to the house?"

  "Yes."

  "Why?"

  "I heard a gunshot."

  "How did you know it was a gunshot?"

  "I didn't, at first, but when I peeked back through the glass doors, I saw Mr. Calder lying on the floor of the hallway. Mrs. Calder was standing next to him, holding a gun in her hand."

  "She was just standing there? Was she doing anything else?"

  "She was screaming at him."

  "What was she saying?"

  "I don't know exactly; it was pretty garbled. I did hear her say 'son of a bitch.'"

  "Was Mrs. Calder directing this abuse at Mr. Calder?"

  "Yes. There was no one else there."

  "What did you do then?"

  "I ran back to the car. I didn't want Arrington to shoot me, too."

  Stone glanced at Arrington. Her face had reddened.

  Chapter 60

  Chu turned to the defense table. "Your witness, Mr. Blumberg."

  Marc stood. "Mrs. Walters-it is Mrs. Walters, isn't it?"

  "Yes," she replied, her mouth turning down.

  "What were you wearing on this occasion?"

  "I wasn't wearing anything," Walters replied. There was a titter among the reporters present.

  "I mean when you arrived at the Calder residence. What were you wearing then?"

  "I was wearing a robe. I had removed my swimsuit in the car."

  "What sort of a robe?"

  "A terrycloth robe."

  "What color?"

  "White."

  "Did the robe have a hood?"

  Yes.

  "When you left Mr. Calder's dressing room, you were wearing the white terrycloth robe with the hood?"

  Yes.

  "Was the hood up?"

  "Yes, my hair was still wet."

  * * *

  "You and Vance Calder argued on that occasion, didn't you?"

  She looked startled. "I don't know what you mean."

>   "He was all finished with you, wasn't he? And he told you so?"

  "No, I told him we were finished."

  "And he didn't like that?"

  "No, he didn't."

  "So you did argue."

  Walters flushed. "If you could call it that."

  "No further questions," Marc said. "I ask that the witness be instructed to remain available; I may wish to recall her."

  "The witness will remain available," the judge said.

  Chu stood again. "The District Attorney calls Felipe Cordova."

  The bailiff brought Cordova into the courtroom; he was sworn and took the stand.

  "Mr. Cordova," Chu said, "you were gardener to the Calders?"

  "I cut the grass every week."

  "Were you present at the Calder residence on the evening Mr. Calder was murdered?"

  "Yes."

  "For what reason?"

  "I was looking to steal something, if I could." He didn't appear to be embarrassed by this answer.

  "Did you have occasion to approach the rear door of the house and look inside?"

  "Yes."

  "Why?"

  "I heard a noise, like a gun."

  "When you looked inside, what did you see?"

  "I saw Mr. Calder, lying on the floor bleeding, and Mrs. Calder standing there, and a gun was on the floor."

  "And what did you do?"

  "I ran. I didn't want to be caught there."

  "Your witness," Chu said to Blumberg.

  Marc stood. "Mr. Cordova, you say you saw Mrs. Calder standing next to Mr. Calder's body?"

  Yes.

  "How was she dressed?"

  "In a bathrobe."

  "What kind of bathrobe?"

  "You know, the terry kind."

  "Terrycloth?"

  "Yes."

  "What color?"

  "White."

  "Did the robe have a hood?"

  "Yes, she was wearing the hood."

  "Did you see her face?"

  "Not exactly."

  "Was she facing you?"

  "Not exactly."

  "Well, if you didn't see her face, how do you know it was Mrs. Calder?"

  "I seen her before, you know, and I recognized her shape." He made a female shape with his hands, and the courtroom tittered again.

  "Since you never saw her face, is it possible that the woman you saw was not Mrs. Calder, but another woman?"

  Cordova shrugged. "Maybe."