She laughed. “Yeah if only it was that easy. Lorenzo on the other hand was barely knocked unconscious by the blow with the shovel. What killed him was the shears severing his artery in the neck.”
“So are you saying that we’re looking at two different murderers?”
“Not necessarily. Why don’t you tell me what you know and maybe I can add to it. Help you flesh it out and give you my scientific interpretation. See if it adds or subtracts from where you’re headed.”
“Well I’m at the stage where I’m pretty sure it was a woman who killed Max. I haven’t given much thought to Lorenzo because I haven’t been employed to figure his murder out. However, I’m keen on keeping it within my field of vision because I’m thinking they could be related.”
“Well it’s interesting that you mention that Anthony. Because usually as you probably know, women aren’t gruesome violent murderers. They usually don’t bludgeon people to death or stab them to death. They’ll usually use poison or a firearm or something more discreet and less hands on. But in this case I think you could be right. Max as I said was bludgeoned to death with that Oscar. But he was bludgeoned over half a dozen times, and if it was a man who had done it there would have been a lot more damage to the bone and brain. Men are just physically stronger, so each swing with the Oscar would’ve created more blunt force trauma.
Now that is my opinion and based on experience, but couldn’t be used as hard evidence. I found the same thing with Lorenzo. That blow with the shovel if it was from an average man with a good swing could’ve easily killed him. But then it barely knocked him unconscious. It was the shears that bled him to death. Now having said all of that, it could’ve been a man and he might just not have been angry enough or strong enough, or didn’t have enough time or space for a full swing etcetera. But my hunch is that as unusual as these crimes are, they could certainly have been committed by a woman. I’d support you on that.”
I nodded and finished the last morsel of my steak wrap. We sat quietly as I chewed my food and I chewed my thoughts. I gave Emily time to eat up some of her wrap that was only about half done.
“Yeah I know. At first I was looking at all the men in his life. Max’s life that is. But there weren’t a lot and I ruled them out fairly quickly. These people had very sordid lives. Apparently they had an open relationship which was instigated my him. She, the wife, Vanessa came on board reluctantly, but certainly seemed to make up for lost time. Screwing both men and women. And then there’s the kid who’s strung up on crack and other stuff and wasting his potential. I had a talk with him. A real heart to heart and hopefully he’ll be on the clean track here pretty quick.”
Emily smiled at me. “You can’t change the world Anthony.”
“Watch me,” I smiled back. “One person at a time anyway.”
“I admire your optimism and enthusiasm. And it’s shared too.”
“Then we’re sharing more than just lunch,” I said. “As a matter of fact there’s a lot more sharing I’d like to do with you.”
I grinned at her, trying to dazzle her with my pearly whites. Maybe she really liked me, or maybe I was a useful distraction from something. Or maybe I was just having lunch with the coroner who was helping me close a case. Whatever it was, I was enjoying it.
“Your parents raised you well Anthony. Teaching you how to share.”
“Not just with anyone though. Just someone special. You’re not married or dating are you?” I had a sudden flash of realization. Something like a massive stroke I imagine. My heart leapt to my throat. I was making a lot assumptions, and I could be making a lot of assholes of people around here. Me and Emily mostly. Mostly me.
She looked at me and her mouth turned down.
“No I’m afraid not. I’m lesbian, but I’m not dating anyone at the moment.”
Maybe my jaw dropped to the floor. Maybe I saw a ghost. Or maybe all hope evaporated like morning dew on a dying orchid.
“Just kidding Anthony,” she said looking at me giggling. “You should see your face. It looks like you’ve just seen a ghost. I’m not lesbian and I’m not dating. I just wanted to see your reaction. Sorry, but it was worth it.”
I had to laugh at myself. It felt better. My heart settled back down where it should be.
“That’s okay. The kind of week I’ve been having so far I would’ve believed you if you’d said you were a trans-gendered nun.”
She liked that one and giggled some more.
“I’m glad that you get a lot of enjoyment from my misery,” I said. She nodded, still giggling, with her hand in front of her mouth. “When you’re ready, I’d like to get back to business,” I said smiling at her. Her giggles were like soap bubbles filling the space between us.
“Okay, okay, I’m ready,” she said trying her best to swallow her mirth. I raised my eyebrow at her and she burst forth another explosion of giggling bubbles. She waved her hand in front of her, trying to ward me off.
“Seriously. Okay, okay. I’m good. I’m ready. Stop it. Tell me what you want to say. Quickly before I have a giggling attack again.”
“Well I started thinking it could be the housekeeper Maria.” I started off slowly keeping my eye on Emily to see if she was going to dissolve into giggles again. She seemed to have a handle on it. As much as it was endearing. “Apparently Max was screwing her amongst others and she has a temper. She also found the wife standing over him with the statue in her hand, but that doesn’t mean she did it. Things aren’t always as they seem at first glance. And this case is classic in that regard.”
Emily was listening quietly and eating the rest of her wrap. I sipped on my water. My mouth was parched from all the coffee I’d been drinking.
“But then I got to thinking maybe it was that obvious with Vanessa standing over the deceased. Maybe she had been caught in the act. So I had another heart to heart, this time with her and she was very convincing in her innocence. She admitted that she got most of the estate but mentioned that even if she and Max did divorce that he’d still honor the commitment to her financially. Apparently they had a prenup that negates any financial obligation on either party if they divorce due to infidelity. Only Vanessa said it wasn’t quite that straightforward. So I let her off the hook. Then I looked at Vanessa’s lover Jane who seemed like a candidate because she wanted Vanessa all to herself. I met with her but I’m pretty certain she couldn’t have done it. Too doey-eyed and naïve in the belief of enduring love.”
“Well maybe it was Vanessa. She had the murder weapon in her hand and was found standing over the body.”
“Yes, if you’re the police that’s your best suspect. But as I’ve said it isn’t always that easy. Sometimes, but not always. Then there was this other young actress by the name of Jade who Max was stringing along it sounds like. Apparently she left all sorts of threatening messages when he broke up with her. They never kept any of them though so I couldn’t verify that. Jade denies they were anything like what Vanessa said she left. Although she admits to leaving a few messages. She really loved him and was devastated by him leaving her. Besides which she’s got a great alibi. So scratch her off the list.”
Emily nodded and finished her chicken wrap. She dabbed at the corners of her mouth. A mouth I wanted to kiss.
“Mmm Anthony. Still looks like Vanessa to me.”
“Hang on, I’m getting there. I spoke to the kid Stephen but he’s too strung up to do it, and he lacks the motivation, although his alibi is weak. The mob might have been in on it as Max had a bit of a gambling problem, but I ruled them out. He was small potatoes to them. Then I heard about this hooker Leaf, who works for an escort agency who Max liked to see. Apparently he liked her to be rough with him. She’s also got a rap sheet as long as Pinocchio’s nose. Mostly for violence. I thought I’d struck oil. Turns out her alibi is pretty solid and she hasn’t seen him for a couple of months or so. Nevertheless she was extremely helpful in shedding light on this maze I thought I was trapped in.
Turns ou
t that Max was going to divorce Vanessa and leave her with nothing. She was screwing his lawyer who at first I thought was gay. Turns out they were leaning on him to change the prenup and everything would be fine. Max had other ideas. So if I can verify that the prenup left Vanessa nothing on account of her infidelity then I think I’ve got a wrap. I’m going to see Max’s assistant after this and hopefully she’ll have some good insight for me.”
“Sounds very sordid Anthony, this whole affair. Yet as you tell it to me and as you’ve culled through a lot of the suspects already it all points to the wife. Vanessa. I’d put five bucks down on that with about two to one odds that she did it.”
“Yeah you’re right. But don’t go starting to gamble for a living these are easy bets thanks to the legwork I’ve done. It helps to voice it. Let’s me hear how it sounds. And it’s sounding pretty good.”
The waitress came by to see if we wanted anything else. Some desert perhaps. I had my fill of fake stuff. I didn’t want any fake cake. Emily declined too. I asked for the bill.
“This is my treat Anthony. For being such a good sport.”
“You sure? Because I can expense it to the studio.”
“What do you mean?”
“The studio has hired me to figure this sordid mess out. Apparently they want all of the inside info in case it turns into a PR disaster.”
She nodded. “I see. But no, I’d like to get this.”
“Okay, thank you. It was good. For being fake food. But listen, you have to let me reciprocate okay?”
“Well we’ll see. You have my number and if you want to give this another try then call me and we’ll see what we can set up. Deal?”
“Deal.”
The waitress came back with the bill and handed it to me. I graciously relinquished it to Emily. It lay printed side down. Nice and discreet. I took a mint and popped it in my mouth. Emily put plastic on the tray and left it at the edge of the table.
“You know this thing with Vanessa though. It sounded too squeaky clean from the beginning. You know being found over the body like that. I was figuring she stumbled in upon the scene. And her holding the Oscar. She could’ve just easily have picked it up in a state of shock.”
Emily nodded. “Sure. I can understand that.”
“And then crime scenes got back to me and told me that the fingerprints were a solid match for Vanessa. Thing is, they were too clean. If she’d really been striking him with that Oscar you’d expect to see the prints smudged a bit due to the force and the slipping of the weapon in the hand when it came to stop suddenly on the guy’s skull.”
“Good point.”
“So I’m thinking that she might have had time to wipe it down either before or after Maria caught her. She sent Maria off to call nine one one.”
“Yeah I think you’re right. That’s probably exactly what she did. I bet that a defense lawyer will have fun with that.”
The waitress came by and took the plastic and paper away. She slid the remaining mint onto the table for Emily. But she ignored it.
“I’m sure they will. This has been fun. Thanks for your ear and your input. It’s been very helpful.”
She smiled at me. “You’re very welcome. Maybe we’ll do this again.”
“I think we will,” I said. “I have your number and I know where you work.”
“Now you’re sounding like a stalker. Good thing you don’t know where I live.”
“But I could easily find out,” I winked at her.
“Yes, I suppose you could.”
The waitress gave Emily the paper and plastic back. She added ink to the paper and put the plastic back into a small black purse she’d brought along. No bigger than the face of a tissue box, and a third as slim. We got up and walked out together.
I walked her to her car. She was driving a very nice Toyota Prius. I might have guessed a hybrid. I watched her as she drove off and gave her a wave. She flashed me her emergency lights once, twice, three times for good measure. Someone had stung my heart with a rubber band.
I walked back to my car and leaned against it for a bit. I fished around for the piece of paper Vanessa had given me with the phone number of Sulan on it. Then I’d remembered putting it on my bedside table. I cursed under my breath. Got in my car and drove aggressively home.
TWENTY-THREE
Cruising For The Killer
IT was two fifteen when I got home. I was eating up time like I was trying to climb up a sand dune. A lot of stuff was happening but I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere. Sulan was going to be my guide home. I was betting on it. John would be calling Vanessa in anytime now. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow if I was lucky. And by then he might have a better handle on the case. He might be laying charges. And you can bet that as sure as LA had smog the media would go nuts over this. I needed to give my boy Jeff the four one one before that happened.
I walked into my apartment to be greeted by Pirate. Like a dog he always seemed happy to see me home again. He rubbed up against me, so I leaned down and scratched him behind the neck. Who’s my boy I asked him. He had plenty of food and water. I went into my bedroom and found the piece of paper where’d I’d left it. I took a moment to look at the scrawl of a killer. Vanessa’s hand was steady and the writing was neat and clean. She was no longer distraught over the murder of her husband when she wrote this. Maybe in a twisted way she was enjoying the thought of throwing red herrings to trip up me and the police. Seeing us slip and slide all over them. We’d be having the last laugh. She could count on that. It was a promise I made her as I looked at Sulan’s telephone number. I punched the numbers into my phone. I listened to the ringing on the other end. I got to counting again. Maybe I was getting a bit OCD. One, two, three…
“Maximilian Productions,” a female voice answered. The accent was American. I wasn’t sure if this was Sulan. Maybe she was born and raised American, but I was pretty sure she was Asian.
“Yeah, hi, this is Tom Cruise for Max Ernst,” I said. I’m such a kidder.
“I’m afraid Max is unavailable at the moment Mr. Cruise. Can I take a message. I know he’ll be wanting to get back to you as soon as possible.” I thought I heard a slight crack in the voice. A lump in the throat maybe.
“Okay, I’ll try a different tack. How about his assistant Ms. Sulan Lui?”
“That’s me,” she said. “How can I help you Mr. Cruise.”
Very professional and very easy going. I thought it was time to fess up. I was going to try the back door. The back door being compassion. Maybe make a surprise entrance. That was my hope. Maybe piss her off playing games. Or maybe get to meet the blushing mistress.
“Listen, Sulan. I’m sorry, the name isn’t Tom Cruise. Sorry about that. I’m actually Anthony Carrick and I’m calling about Mr. Ernst. I’m sorry for your loss.”
There was a short giggle on the other end. “I didn’t think you sounded like Mr. Cruise. But I couldn’t take a chance.”
“I know,” I said. “It was very kind of you to play along.”
“Are you with the police? Did you get my message?”
“No I’m not. I’m a private investigator ma’am, and I’ve been hired to figure out who killed Max.”
“Oh.” The tone dropped a half note but then picked up again. “Listen, I think I know who did it. I was trying to call the police. I mean I did, and I left a message for a detective in homicide. His name is Roberts, I don’t know his first name. I thought you were him calling me back.”
“Listen Sulan, I know John Roberts very well. We used to work together in homicide. Are you in trouble? Can we meet for a talk?”
Hesitation. “Um, well I might be. Can you help?”
“I sure hope so. Let’s meet. Your choice. Tell me where.”
“Uh, okay. You sure you aren’t with Logan?” Bingo.
“No ma’am. I’m a private investigator. I’ve been hired by the studio to find out who killed him.”
“Okay. How about Priscilla’s on west Rivers
ide Drive? It’s a stone’s throw for me from Universal Studios. It’s just off of the Ventura Freeway by North Pass Avenue.”
“Yeah that sounds good. I’ll find it. Give me about a half hour.”
“Okay Anthony, thanks.”
“Thank you Sulan.”
I hung up. Pirate was weaving between my legs like a drunkard. I picked him up and carried him to the scratching tree in the living room that looked out the window. I placed him on the top ‘perch’ so he could watch the birds. He was fascinated. I was fascinated with the cracking sound his mouth was making as it opened and quivered.
Maybe I was teasing him. maybe he wanted to go out and do some hunting. I figured that was wasteful and unnecessary so I let him sit and watch. Sometimes I watch the cooking show. Yeah I get hungry but it’s not a hardship. I could get up and make a sandwich. Pirate could get down and eat some food too. I rubbed his head back and forth. Num nums, I said to him and smiled. I went into the kitchen and used the lint roller on my pants and shirt. I hustled out of the apartment. I needed to motor if I was hoping to get there by about three.
TWENTY-FOUR
An Heir To The Throne
PRISCILLA’S is at the top of a wedge of the block between Evergreen and Riverside. It looks like it could be the corner of an old castle. I found parking down Evergreen about a hundred yards. I was late. Hadn’t meant to be, but that’s LA traffic for you. It was three eleven. I walked into the coffee shop and it wasn’t too busy. There were a couple of tables available and a couple of spots left along the wall where some students had their laptops plugged in. I scanned the area and found a very attractive Asian woman staring back at me from the corner. I got to thinking about how the rich guys get all the good looking women. There’s probably some sociological reason for it. But I wasn’t here for a lesson in sociology. I nodded at her and she smiled at me. This could be Sulan. I walked up to her.
“Sulan?”
“Yes,” she said. I held out my hand.
Anthony Carrick Hardboiled Murder Mysteries: Box Set (Books 1 - 3) Page 26
