by M. Z. Kelly
Pearl motioned toward the car, “Let’s go back to the station and research any similar killings. Maybe our guy has been at this for a while, operating out of different cities.”
We spent a frustrating afternoon, searching databases and calling local jurisdictions about similar crimes without any success. I saw Jessica packing up early and asked her if she had a hot date.
“I’m just tired of wasting my time,” she said. “We spend hours working on the murders of a couple of homeless drunks when there are dozens of other pending cases.”
Jessica had touched a nerve. “They matter. Every case matters whether it’s a drunk or a child or a mom or someone who’s here illegally. They’re all important.”
“Don’t even get me started on illegals.” She slammed her desk drawer. “I suppose you think it’s okay that we’ve got thousands of illegal aliens in this state, taking advantage of our education system and medical care.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is that if they’re victims, they all matter equally. No one victim matters more than another. Period.”
Jessica pulled her purse over her arm and stared at me. “I used to think that fat partner of yours was full of shit, but you take the cake.” She turned and stomped out of the office.
I finished my paperwork and also got ready to call it a day, at the same time turning over my conversation with Jessica in my mind.
They all matter equally.
What I’d said rang true to me. I’d spent my entire career with that single fact in mind.
The more I thought about both the wedding murders and the death of my father, I knew there was more work that had to be done. I couldn’t just walk away, take the easy way out, and forget about everything. No matter the cost to me personally, the truth had to be known.
As I drove out of the station parking lot with Bernie I made a decision. I was going to talk to Mags Warner. It was the right thing to do for China and for Michael, and maybe for my father.
***
Twenty minutes later, as I rang Mags’s doorbell I wondered how I was going to explain my actions to Lieutenant Edna. I prayed that, for the time being, he wouldn’t find out.
Mags almost jumped back when she opened the door and found me and Bernie standing there.
“I just have a couple of follow-up questions, if you’ve got a minute,” I said.
“Okay.” She hesitated. “I just thought with what happened to Harmon Sanders, everything was over.”
“I need to cover a few things so I can officially close out my files.”
Mags led me and Bernie into a family room that looked like something out of Pottery Barn. We were in an expensive area of West Hollywood and I thought I already knew how China’s sister afforded the digs.
Bernie settled at my feet as I sat on a white slipcovered sofa across from Mags and pulled out a notebook. “When we talked before, Ms. Warner...”
“Please, call me Mags. When someone says Ms. Warner it reminds me of my mother.”
“Of course. How is she doing?”
She hugged her sides. “As well as can be expected, I guess. Mother is...well, she’s got her issues, as you know.”
I smiled and went back to my notes. “The night of the wedding, we talked about China’s past relationships and you said that your sister didn’t date much.” I looked up from the notebook. “Since then, I’ve learned that China and Marvin Chauncey had a relationship.”
Mags’s brows lifted and then fell. She exhaled. “Yes. I can’t believe she saw anything in that asshole, but they did hook up for a brief time. As far as I know, it didn’t really go anywhere.”
“I also learned that China and Michael had dated in college.”
“Yes, that’s where they met. It ended after a few months. They ran into one another again and began dating about three years ago.”
“Did you know that China was dating a man named Steven Drummond before Michael entered the picture?”
Her expression was blank. “I knew she’d dated a couple of guys in college, but the name doesn’t ring a bell.” She exhaled and looked away. “Since China worked for an escort service at one time, I guess there were more than a few guys she dated.” She met my eyes again. “None of that seems to matter now, since she’s gone.”
“Why didn’t you tell me when we talked before that China worked for Discrete?”
“I guess I was naïve enough to think she was just going out on dates. I wanted to think the best of her and never really thought about her being...” Her gaze and words drifted away.
“Did you know that after they broke up, Marvin Chauncey was using China to pay off his drug debts with sexual favors to a man named, Malik Brown?”
She shook her head. “No, but I guess in some ways it doesn’t surprise me. Chauncey is scum.”
“Mr. Chauncey also set up some other dates involving China. She hooked up with both Harmon Sanders and the basketball coach, Ray Halstead.”
Mags stood up. “I really don’t have time for this, Detective. It’s obvious, with everything that’s come to light, that my sister had relationships with a lot of men. I don’t know anything more that can help you.”
“Really?” I said, remaining seated. “That’s interesting since you work for the same escort service as your sister and you once had a relationship with her fiancé.”
Mags glared at me. She walked over to the front door and opened it. “This conversation is over.”
I stood up and Bernie came over to my side. “You’re wrong. We’ve just begun to talk. We can continue this conversation here or at the station. It’s your choice.”
Mags hesitated before her eyes shifted away from me and she exhaled. She then closed the door and leaned against it, folding her arms. Her voice was subdued. “You don’t understand. If Jimmy Marcello finds out that we talked I don’t know what will happen.”
I walked over to her, Bernie trailing behind. “I’ll do everything I can to keep what you tell me confidential, but I need you to tell me the truth. All of it.”
She stood there for a moment, probably considering the options, before slowly nodding. We went back to the sofa and took seats again as Bernie settled into the corner.
Mags clutched her sides and said, “If you can promise me this conversation never happened I guess we need to start over.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
“What we discuss is just between us,” I said to Mags, at the same time knowing that wasn’t necessarily true.
She brushed the blonde bangs from her blue eyes and nodded. “I began working for Discrete when I was in college. I started out as a scheduler, hooking up clients with escorts, before the Internet came along. I learned the ins and outs of the business firsthand.
“Discrete was a goldmine. In a slow week we would bring in $75,000. The service was so successful that we eventually had to turn away girls who wanted to work for us. After a few years, I took over what the agency called their exclusives.”
“Girls who were exclusive escorts for people like Halstead?”
“Yes and Harmon Sanders, at one time, and...” She smiled. “Let’s just say that the client list included everyone from actors to politicians. There were a lot of people who no one would suspect of using an escort service.”
“Why you? How did you come to take over that list from Marla West?”
“I’m sure you know that Jimmy Marcello is the power behind Discrete. He came to me one day and said he wanted to move the exclusives from Marla to me. He didn’t give me a reason and Jimmy’s not the kind of man you ask about why he decides something. I just assumed that he had some trust issues with Marla.”
“But Sanders recently went through Marla for girls.”
“Sanders was a loose cannon—an out of control sex addict. We removed him from using our exclusive escort list. He apparently decided on his own to go back to Marla for some other girls.”
“What about China? Was she one of your exclusives?”
“
Not at first. China got into the business because she wanted to break into the entertainment industry. That’s how she got hooked up with Chauncey. One day she asked me if I would arrange some dates for her with anybody who came along that might help with her career. I wasn’t crazy about the idea, but since she was my sister, I agreed to help her out.”
“What about Michael?”
Mags tossed her hair back and laughed. “Michael...wow, where do I begin?” She paused and glanced toward the kitchen. “It’s after work hours, Detective. Would you like a drink?”
“If it’s just between us girls, sure.”
Mags brought over a bottle of pinot and two glasses. While she poured the wine, she said, “As you know, China began dating Steven when they were in college. Steven and Michael were close friends. Some people said they were like Jobs and Wozniak, the creators of Apple. They were brilliant, opinionated, and very competitive.” She paused, lifting up her wine glass. “When Steven showed up with China one night, the game was on. For a few weeks, Michael’s sole purpose in life was to steal China from Steven. He eventually got what he wanted and it ended their friendship forever.” She continued working on the wine.
“What happened then?” I asked, before sipping my wine.
“China and Michael were together for a few months before Michael cheated on her and it ended the relationship. Michael was a serial cheater. That’s how he ended up coming to Discrete.”
“You mean he started using the service later, when you were working there?”
“Michael was wealthy and powerful and ended up using our exclusive list.” She laughed and tossed down the last of her drink before pouring another. “Michael, of course, remembered me from when he dated China. One thing led to another and we had a relationship for a while…” She shook her head. “It was a mistake.”
“Did he know that China worked for Discrete at one time?”
Mags smiled, her eyes drifting away. “I’m not really sure. Michael was brilliant and not much got past him, but I don’t know if he ever knew about China’s extracurricular activities. We also kept our relationship quiet. I don’t think my sister ever knew that we were involved.”
“So when did he and China hook up again and become engaged?”
Her gaze came back to me. “Their most recent relationship went back about three years, off and on.”
I finished my wine. Mags refilled my glass before I could stop her. “Tell me about Jimmy Marcello,” I said. “I know about his ties to Discrete and Michael’s business.”
“Then you know as much as I do. Jimmy’s wealthy and powerful and scary as hell.”
“Do you think he had anything to do with China’s and Michael’s deaths?”
Mags shrugged. “I have no idea and it wouldn’t be healthy for me to speculate.”
“Do you think he was behind what happened to Marla West?”
She smiled. “Same answer.”
I decided that Mags was probably being truthful and I’d better not push the issue.
“A couple more things,” I said, setting my wine aside. “There’s been talk over the years about Discrete getting protection. Do you know anything about that?”
“On the record, same answer. Off the record, probably, but I don’t think it was coming from city hall.”
“You mean as in the mayor or Harmon Sanders?”
“Sanders’s interests were limited to what he could do to help out himself. I don’t think he had the power or the brains to arrange any kind of protection.”
“That would seem to leave the mayor or the police.”
She sat there without saying anything. Message delivered.
“One final thing, Mags. There was a police officer who was killed over two decades ago. He was engaged in an undercover investigation of Discrete at the time. Do you know anything about his death?”
She shook her head. “Way before my time, Detective. Sorry.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
I had coffee with Natalie the next morning at Joe Schmo’s on La Brea. Natalie, using nerd speak that she’d learned from Tex, turned down a dinner offer from a barista who was persistent and obnoxious.
“Do the world a favor,” Natalie said to the server as I sipped my Frappuccino and Bernie settled at my feet under the table. “Stop the attempt at inter-species dating and beam yourself back to the planet Zoltan.”
After the barista sulked away, Natalie said to me, “I suppose it really isn’t fair. After being with Tex, no other man measures up.”
I suppressed a visual. “I’ll remember that.”
“Did ya hear, the band is gettin’ a gig on Hollywood Daybreak?”
“What? You’ve got to be kidding?”
“One of the show’s producers saw our performance at the Fruit Farm from the video we posted on YouTube. She remembered Mo and me from our previous interview and wants Electric Hair to perform on their special evening show before the Oscar Awards Ceremony on Sunday night.”
“Wow, I’m impressed.”
Her mention of the Academy Awards and the thought of my mother’s upcoming, Oscars for Peace demonstration, made me begin to wonder how embarrassing the spectacle would be. But the more I thought about it, the more I decided it probably wouldn’t be any more embarrassing than watching Electric Hair on live TV.
“So, how was your date with Mack? I want all the nasties.”
I filled her in and said, “Sorry to disappoint.”
“I think you’ve jumped the shark with Jack.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“It’ll never be the same now that you know he lied to you about his ex.”
“He didn’t exactly lie.” I ran a finger around the rim of my cup. “He just didn’t provide full disclosure.”
“You sound like a lawyer. You’re making excuses.”
Natalie knows I hate lawyers. “Maybe.” I sighed. “I’m just conflicted and tired.”
“I’m a pretty fair listener.”
I’d been thinking a lot about the day my dad died and needed to talk to someone about some details that I thought I recalled. “Remember me telling you that my father was killed when I was a little girl?”
“I think you said he was shot.”
“Yes. What I didn’t know up until a few days ago is that he was investigating Discrete and the man behind the business, Jimmy Marcello, when it happened.”
“Wow, and your mum never told you?”
I shook my head, my gaze drifting away. “She told me that she just tried to move on after he died and focus on raising her children.” I found my friend’s beautiful hazel eyes again. “I was there when it happened, Natalie. I was only four years old when he was murdered, but I saw everything.”
“Was it Marcello? Was he the killer?”
“That’s the thing, I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about that day a lot. I think I remember a man moving toward us and then a loud noise. I just can’t remember what he looked like.”
Natalie’s eyes brightened. She leaned closer to me as my phone rang. “Hypnosis, Kate. If one of them hypnotists can make somebody bark like a dog, they can make you remember what your dad’s killer looked like.”
I answered the call and heard Lieutenant Edna say, “You need to get here ten minutes ago. My office.” The line went dead.
Natalie must have seen my reaction. “Problems?”
“Yeah, someone with hairy legs named Henrietta.”
***
“What part of no, don’t you understand,” Lieutenant Edna said. “No meant, no more work on the wedding murders, no more interviews, and no more investigating a fucking case that’s closed.”
Bernie settled at my feet as I took a chair across from the lieutenant in his office and tried to explain.
“Mags Warner told me confidentially that she worked for Discrete, hooking up their highest profile clients with escorts. She wouldn’t come out and say it, of course, but I think that Marcello’s behind what’s been happening.”
“We have no proof of that. You’re just speculating.”
“Unless we investigate...”
“One more time. I’ll say it one more time before I take this downtown. Do not continue your investigation. The case is closed.” His coffee-colored eyes held on me. “Understood?”
“Yes, but just for the record, Mags also implied that Discrete’s been getting protection from the department.”
“Did she give you a name?”
I shook my head.
“Then we’re moving on. I think Pearl’s got something on the homeless killings.”
I stood up. “How did you know?” Edna raised his brows. “That I talked to Mags Warner?”
“She called Captain Andrews and reported it.”
I walked back to my desk, thinking about what Edna said. If Mags had called the captain, it was probably because she was a smart girl and realized that she needed cover behind anyone finding out that she’d talked to me.
“Nice of you to finally join us,” Jessica said as I put my purse in the bottom drawer of my desk. “Pearl wants to meet in the conference room.”
I did my best to ignore her and found Pearl sifting through some paperwork in the conference room.
“How did it go?” he asked, looking over the top of his reading glasses. “With Edna, I mean.”
“Let’s just say that Henrietta was not too happy with me.” I filled him in on what Mags had told me. Jessica came in and heard the end of our conversation.
“You don’t seem to understand basic orders,” she said.
My eyes drilled into her. “And you don’t seem to understand that being a cop means you do the right thing, even when it isn’t necessarily politically correct.”
The sniping went back and forth for a few moments, before Pearl cut it off by updating us on our case.
“Last night I got a call back from Santa Barbara PD. They had a homeless murder up there about six months ago. George Elkins, age sixty-nine, was stabbed to death on State Street. I asked the detective assigned to the case if the vic was receiving social security. He confirmed that he was. I then asked him to check and see if Elkins received his benefits by debit card. I just got a call back confirming that he did and that the card’s been used up every month since the murder.”
