“With digital photography anyone thinks they can pick up some cheap camera and be a professional photographer. They’re wrong.”
“I bet they are. And I bet you’re good at your job. That’s not why I’m here. As I told you, I’m looking into Carol Dickinson’s death. And I know all about your past with her.”
“She dumped me. I kind of took it hard. What is there to tell?”
“Define taking it hard.”
“I just asked her a few times to reconsider. We made a really good item.”
“How friendly did you ask her?”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means, did you threaten her in any way?”
“Hey, fuck you! I never threatened her! Are you trying to make me out to be some kind of psycho or something?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. But tell me, how did you ask her?”
“I just tried to make her see the error of her ways, simple as that.”
“I heard she thought you were stalking her.”
“Bullshit. She would have gone to the cops if she’d thought so, don’t you think?”
I shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe she was too scared to do that?”
Pryce laughed. First a chuckle, then a hearty laugh, then full, uncontrollable laughter. Kind of psycho.
“Scared? Carol was a lot of things, but scared? Never seen her like that. She was one fucking tough broad, I tell you.”
“I know she recently called you. What did she want to talk about?”
“Huh? How do you know?”
“I checked her call log. So don’t deny it.”
“Listen, I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”
I showed him my open hands. “I’m a pretty open-minded guy. Don’t worry about it.”
He sighed and played around a little with his camera. “She called me to tell me to stop e-mailing her. She threatened to go to a lawyer if I didn’t, okay?”
I had a feeling it had been about something like that. “So, what did you say to her?”
“I told her not to get upset. I didn’t mean any harm.”
“Okay, and how did she take that?”
“She told me I was doing harm and I should stop it. I kind of called her a bitch and hung up on her.”
He sounded like a kid confessing he put his hands in the cookie jar. He didn’t make the most stable impression. “Okay. That wasn’t very nice of you.”
“But that’s it! I didn’t kill her.”
“Hey, I wasn’t saying you did. What did you think when you heard she died?”
“I was pretty upset. I still loved her, you know? And I sure as hell didn’t believe that bullshit about her OD’ing on heroin. She didn’t use anything like that crap. Hardly even drank. Somebody killed her, but not me.”
“Any idea who could have killed her, then?”
He shrugged. “She was always busy working on some kind of story that might damage a star’s career. I know she was working on something really hot the last few weeks we were together. She didn’t want to tell me what exactly, though. She just said it would baffle a lot of people and could be very harmful to the star’s career.”
“Did she at least tell you if the star was male or female?”
“As a matter of fact I asked her myself once. She just gave me this very stupid grin, but didn’t tell me anything.”
“Huh, okay. Did she ever receive any threats while you were with her?”
“Some hate mail, telling her she was a meddlesome bitch and stuff like that. But never anything really, really threatening as far as I know. She told me if she stopped receiving hate mail it was a sign she was slipping.”
I grinned. “Almost sounds like my line of work.”
“Well, I have to admit you’re doing a pretty good job of pissing me off.”
“Just trying to get to the bottom of things. Speaking of bottoms… I’ll just leave you to finish up your work with that model. If you think of anything that could help me out, here’s my card.”
I handed him my business card, which he pocketed.
He called for the model to come back in. I managed to delay my exit a little so I could catch a last glimpse. As I said, sexist pigs, all of us.
TEN
It was dinnertime after my visit to Pryce. I decided to invite Minnie for some Thai food in this little place I know in West Hollywood.
She was wearing a Superman T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. She didn’t ever dress up and she didn’t have to. I was wearing a sports jacket over a Slayer T-shirt. That was as dressed up as I got these days.
“I figured I owed you an update,” I told her after a sip of Singha beer.
“I’m interested sure,” she said. “But I know you’ve been doing everything you can for me. I know you.”
“Yeah, like no one else,” I agreed. I told her about my investigation.
“A redheaded nymphomaniac and a nude model? Good thing I’m not paying your for your services or I’d feel like I was paying for your vacation,” Minnie said.
Meanwhile our food had been served. I took a bite of noodles. “Remember, I also had to fight off Ketchum’s goon.”
Minnie smiled, lighting up the room. “Yeah, and it really sounded like hard work.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, most of these guys still underestimate me. Muscle ain’t everything.”
“So, what do you think? Any one you really see as a suspect?”
“I’m not really thinking about that. That’s where I show I’m not Sherlock Holmes. I’m just still rooting around, trying to see what was going on in Carol’s life. It seems to be obvious someone murdered her because she knew too much.”
“Now, there’s a cliché,” Minnie said.
“I’m a tough guy investigator with a smart mouth. I’m a living and breathing cliché.”
“I guess. So, any idea what you do from here?”
“Well, I haven’t talked to Lia Wozciwi yet, so that’s still in the cards.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you decide to interrogate the redhead again,” Minnie chided.
“The Pad Thai is already too hot for me,” I said and extinguished the fire in my mouth with a long pull of Singha.
Minnie laughed. “Yeah, sure. You do know I really appreciate what you’re doing for me and Carol, right?”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Happy to help.”
“I haven’t forgotten about all the times you helped me out against the bullies back in those early high school years. You know, back when I was a chubby little geek with glasses. You don’t owe me anything.”
I let out a deep breath between my teeth. “Whoa, that was a long time ago. Nobody’s going to believe that now. The way you blossomed those last few high school years. Look at you now.”
She blushed a little, like she wasn’t cute enough already. “I’m still a geek, you know. I mean, I still love science. I cut open dead bodies for a living… Don’t wear a lot of make-up…”
“…have a killer body, flawless skin and a smile that could power up a rocket,” I added.
She flicked a pea at me. “Stop it! You’re making me blush. You know what I mean.”
“I know what you mean. You’ve got the beauty and the brains. Not to mention a big sense of duty. You’re a class act, baby. That’s why I’m helping you. Not just because you’ve been helping me out whenever I need an autopsy report or something when I’m investigating a case.”
“Still, you could have been spending your time on a case that actually paid something,” she said.
“I wish. I’m not that popular, you know. You’re actually doing a lot to save money. If I wasn’t working the case I’d probably be shopping around on iTunes.”
Minnie stepped over to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “You’re a prince, Noah. Never let anyone make you think different.”
Those words meant a lot to me. I still had trouble accepting my past, the days when I was beating up my dad’s enemies, sleeping careles
sly with women and thought the world turned around big money and my own gratification. My mother had to die for me to realize that I was living my life in a way that had hurt her every day. She wished I’d become something different than my dad, though she loved him. I was trying to be something different every day. Part of trying to be different was taking this case for Minnie.
I took Minnie’s hand and kissed it, holding it against my cheek. “Thanks, Mouse.”
After that, we continued eating our food and decided to just talk about movies and the latest Family Guy episode to lighten the mood a bit. We fought a little about who was going to get the check. I won because I could threaten her with a gun.
We left the restaurant together. I noticed a Taurus speeding towards us. Why was that idiot going so fast? If I had a Spidey sense, it would have been tingling.
“Get down,” I told Minnie and pulled her down with me.
The Taurus slowed down. A window opened revealing the barrel of what looked like an AR-15. A foot of hot flame shot from the barrel as the bullets pierced the Detroit steel.
I pulled Minnie along with me, crawling away, finding our way to a parked Buick that took the next salvo meant for us. The car’s alarm sounded as the bullets trashed it.
I drew my Glock and rose up long enough to fire a few rounds over the car’s roof. One of them hit the Taurus, shattering its front window. The Taurus sped off with the same speed it had arrived. I made sure I remembered the license plate, although it was sure to be stolen. I holstered my gun.
“Are you okay?” I asked Minnie.
“Yeah, yeah I think so,” she said, brushing some small pieces of glass out of her hair. “What the hell was that?”
“It might be someone not happy about our current investigation. It could also be one of a million people I pissed off, or someone out to hurt my dad by killing me. There’s a reason I always carry a gun,” I said.
“So you think those bullets were meant for you, not me?” she asked.
“Probably, but I’m going to call Tony and ask him to watch your back for a few days until we know for sure,” I told her. Tony Hawaii was an old buddy of mine, a friendly crook and the only guy from my dark past whose company I still enjoyed. He really helped me deal with my mother’s death back in the day.
“I like Tony, but I’m not sure that’s necessary,” Minnie said.
“I’ll make him promise to shower before he arrives and leave at least some food in your fridge.”
Minnie laughed. “Who am I kidding, I’m not going to talk you out of it anyway. But what about you? Won’t you need some bodyguarding?”
“I can take care of myself. I just proved that, right?”
“Maybe. But next time they might bring bigger guns. Maybe you should call Kane?”
Kane was my unofficial uncle and my dad’s personal hitman. He also taught me to shoot and fight and scared me to death. He could be pretty protective about me though. But I didn’t enjoy his company. Psychotics always make me uneasy. “I really don’t think—”
Minnie cut me short. “I will accept Tony to watch my back if you accept Kane to watch yours.”
I sighed. “Fine.”
That’s when the cops showed up. Two squad cars, four uniformed cops, guns drawn and telling us to freeze. We complied. Minnie told them we weren’t the bad guys and they asked us a few basic questions. We were told to wait inside the restaurant for the detectives to arrive.
I wasn’t surprised. I was honored with two top detectives showing up, one even a lieutenant. With my name involved, my nemesis was sure to take the call.
“Too bad he wasn’t a better shot,” lieutenant Williams told me. Williams, a black guy with a graying beard, always well-dressed, was interviewing me inside the restaurant. Outside, the crime scene techs were gathering casings and other evidence.
Minnie was sitting next to me at one of the restaurant’s tables. “Hey!”
Williams smiled. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist that one. I’m happy you’re okay, lady. I may not like the company you keep, but I know you’re a good ME.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Minnie said.
Williams hated my guts ever since I was involved in getting his partner killed, corrupt as he was. He had a hard time believing I’d gone totally legit and was always eager to find something he could lock my ass away for.
“So, who did you piss off this time, Milano?” Williams asked.
“The last half hour?” I said.
Williams sighed. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”
“I just hope you’re going to treat this the way it should be treated. That is, focusing on finding the guy who tried to kill me instead of trying to find something to pin on me.”
“What are you suggesting, punk?” The younger, blond detective flanking Williams decided to play badder cop to Williams’ bad cop. I knew him from an earlier encounter. His name was Connors.
I rose. “I’m suggesting your boss is a hell of a lot more interested in nailing my ass than the one belonging to the guy trying to kill me. Fuck this shit, I’m out of here.”
Connors grabbed my arm. “Hold on. We didn’t tell you it was okay to go.”
I pushed him away. “You don’t need to. I’m not the suspect here. Come on, Minnie. We’re blowing this two-bit pop stand.”
Connors protested, but Williams told him to cool it. “Asshole’s right. Nothing to hold him on…yet.”
“That’s right. And don’t worry, I’ll find out who was behind this myself. Won’t be the first time I do the job you guys are paid to do.”
Williams pointed an angry finger at me, “Thin ice, Milano!”
I was ready to flip him the bird, but Minnie closed her hand over my fist. “Let’s just go.” We left the restaurant, passing the crime scene guys, walking over to our car.
ELEVEN
I dropped Minnie off at her place. Tony Hawaii was already waiting in front of her apartment. He was dressed in an obscenely loud flowered shirt, the kind of shirt that had earned him his nickname. A porkpie hat was canted jauntily on his head. A .357 Magnum rested in his shoulder holster. Tony’s fat. No way to sugar coat it. He’s got a bulbous nose and an affable look that reminds you of that favorite uncle of yours. Well, if your favorite uncle was a small-time crook with a penchant for large caliber handguns, that is.
“Hi guys,” he said. “Came over as soon as you called me, Noah.”
“You sure did,” I acknowledged. “Thanks.”
“Let’s get out of the smog,” Minnie suggested.
We went inside the apartment. Minnie rustled up some drinks. She stocks Coronas exclusively for Tony and me. She popped the top on a Coke to quench her own thirst.
Tony hunkered down on the couch. There wasn’t much room for anyone else. “Any ideas about who’s after you?” he said. “Is it related to something you’re working on?”
“Maybe,” I said and filled him in.
“That bodyguard guy sounds like an aggressive asshole. Do you think he’s behind it, maybe?” Tony asked after a pull of Corona.
I shrugged. “Not sure. Doesn’t really seem like his style. If he tries to get even with me, he seems to be the kind of guy to go after me with a baseball bat instead of a gun, you know? More personal.”
Tony nodded. “Sounds like the kind of macho guy for that, yeah. Maybe an old enemy gunning for you? Lord knows you pissed off a lot of mean mothers.”
“Might be.”
“Or you’re getting someone very nervous with your investigation.”
I toasted Tony with my Corona. “That’s what I’m guessing. So that means I’m on to something.”
“Which will only motivate you to investigate further,” Minnie said, sitting on the arm of the couch. “Joke’s on the bad guy.”
I smiled. “Classic mistake.”
“Looking back at the people you interviewed and leads you followed… Who do you think might be bothered by your investigation enough to want to kill you?”
<
br /> I sighed. “Everybody and no one, I guess. Ketchum, of course, seemed to hold back some secrets. Gina Walters wasn’t really happy to step into the limelight at first, as helpful as she turned out to be. The last person I visited before getting shot at was Pryce, so there might be a relation to that. All in all though, I really don’t think I learned enough to frighten anyone. Maybe I really should stick to body guarding and security work.”
Minnie sighed. “I’m not going to give you the speech again, Noah. You’re one hell of an investigator and I have no doubt you’ll find out who killed Carol.”
I got up and stretched, yawning. “Well, I’m not going to do that by sitting around here drinking beer. Got to be going I guess.”
“You go ahead and do your stuff. I’ll be looking after our little Mouse here,” Tony said.
I put my hand on his shoulder. “I know you will. Thanks.”
I gave Minnie a quick hug and kiss and went out the door.
In front of the building, a black Hummer was parked. The window opened. A man with a heavily tanned, parchment face and long hair and a goatee smiled at me from behind the steering wheel. Kane, my old mentor.
“Hi, kid. Tony gave me a call, said Minnie was worried about you. Who did you piss off this time?”
“As you know, the list gets longer every day,” I told him.
“Yeah, you’re right about that. Shit, you piss off more people now than you did when you were still an obnoxious leg breaker working for your dad. That’s quite an accomplishment.”
“Yeah, but hopefully I end up doing some good in the process these days,” I said.
“Get in the car. Tell me about your current case,” Kane said.
He opened the passenger door and I sat next to him. We drove off.
I told Kane about the investigation while we drove through LA.
“Where are we going, anyway?” I asked him.
“Just cruising, seeing the sights. Maybe stop to pick up a bottle of Jack somewhere,” he said. “But it sounds like someone thinks you’re on to something with your investigation. Not that you seem to be making a lot of progress to me. I was wondering what you found in Carol’s car, by the way.”
The Death Business (A Noah Milano Novella) Page 4
