Mortal Crimes 1

by Various Authors

  As his eyes parted, the illusion faded. Trish was three thousand miles away, not lying next to him. That would never happen again.

  He threw back the covers and sat on the edge of the bed, knowing he needed to go on a run so he could drive the memories from his mind. But in his haste to leave Cambria, he’d left his running gear behind. The only choice he had was to take a vigorous walk up Sepulveda Boulevard, where his motel was located, and hope that would do the trick.

  It was only partially successful. While he was able to put Trish and Carl back into their respective boxes, he was unable to let his mind go completely blank. The void he’d hoped to create was quickly filled by thoughts of Tooney and Elyse.

  It was obvious to Logan that there was a lot more going on than he’d been led to believe. Part of him wanted to jump in his El Camino and drive back to Cambria to find out from his father and Tooney what was really going on. But what about Elyse? If something had really happened to her, Logan couldn’t afford the time the trip would take. As it was, he’d had to force himself to find a place to sleep only because it had been too late to get anything else done.

  Now the world would soon be awake again, and he could get back to looking for her. As much as he wanted his other questions answered, they would have to wait.

  He figured his best bet was to find out more about Aaron Hughes. Logan wasn’t buying the coincidence of Aaron moving out of his place the same time Elyse disappeared.

  He stopped at a coffee shop near the motel and had a light breakfast. When it got close to seven, he grabbed his bag from his room, then went down to the El Camino and made a call.

  “Hello?” By the way Angie grunted the greeting, he could tell he’d woken her.

  “It’s Logan Harper.”

  “Who?”

  “From last night. About your roommate?”

  “Oh.” She paused. “What do you want?”

  “Just a couple questions. Aaron Hughes. Did he go to Otis, too?”

  When she answered, her tone had turned guarded. “I, uh, think he was out of school. Had a real job.”

  “Doing what?”

  “How should I know?”

  “You didn’t talk about these kinds of things?”

  “Elyse and I are just roommates. We don’t hang out. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go back to sleep. I’m on vacation.”

  She clicked off.

  Logan stared out the window for a moment. He wasn’t sure if she was just socially awkward or trying to hide something. Better to err on the side of the latter, he thought, adding a stop at her apartment to his list of things to do. It was a lot harder to hang up on someone if they were standing right in front of you.

  He called Joan next. Though he’d woken her up, too, her demeanor was considerably less annoyed than Angie’s.

  “Did you find her?” she asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “Oh, God. Maybe something really did happen to her.”

  “I’m not willing to say that just yet, but I do have a question or two, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure. Whatever I can do to help.”

  “I get the impression you and Elyse are friends. Is that right?”

  “Yeah, I guess. I mean, we don’t go and do a lot of things together. But when we’re both here, we’d hang out, watch some TV, talk.”

  “Other than this boyfriend, Aaron, who—”

  “I gotta tell you, I don’t think she was dating him. I know that’s what Angie said, but I’m sure Elyse would have told me that.”

  “Well, I was wondering if you knew of any other friends she might hang out with?”

  “Her best friend’s a girl named Lara. And then there’s this guy. What’s his name?” She was silent for a few seconds. “Anthony, I think.”

  “Last names?”

  “I think Lara’s is Mendonca. Anthony’s, I have no idea. You can check at the school. They’re both in the motion graphics program with Elyse.”

  “Thanks,” Logan said.

  “If you find her, will you please call me? I want to know she’s okay.”

  “I will.”

  One more thing for his to-do list: Contact Otis administration.

  He checked his watch. Seven-fifteen. Too early for anyone to be at the school yet. He could go pay that visit to Angie, but if she was sleeping, she’d hold for a little while. There was one other thing he could do first.

  He started his car and headed back to Venice Beach so he could take another look at Aaron Hughes’s place in the daylight, and see if there was anything he might have missed.

  On the way over, he’d started thinking about the guy who’d attacked Tooney the day before. Sure, his father had said it had nothing to do with Elyse, but just like how Logan was skeptical about the coincidence between her disappearance and Aaron’s sudden move, he was equally skeptical about there being no connection there.

  There was one way he could find out a little more information, but it meant making a call he wasn’t sure he was ready to make. He debated with himself for a full five minutes before he pulled out his phone, and punched in the number. It was already midmorning in Washington, D.C., so he knew there was a good chance she’d be there.

  “Forbus Systems International. How may I direct your call?”

  Hearing the words, he hesitated.

  “How may I direct your call?” the voice said again.

  “Uh, Ruth Bobick, please.”

  “One moment.”

  He was put on hold, and subjected to fifteen seconds’ worth of Forbus promotional propaganda, complete with patriotic music and what sounded like the crackling of fireworks.

  “Ruth Bobick.”

  He hesitated again hearing the voice of his old friend, knowing he could still hang up if he wanted to, but instead he said, “Hi, Ruth.”

  “Who is this?”

  “It’s Logan.”

  There was a long pause. “Oh, Christ. Are you trying to get me into trouble or something?”

  When Logan had worked with Carl at Forbus, Ruth had been their main contact whenever they were out in the field leading training sessions. She and Logan had always gotten along well. When the powers that be took him down after Carl was killed, it would have been easy for him to drag Ruth along with him, but he hadn’t.

  “I don’t want to get you into any trouble.”

  “Well, you know you’re not exactly on the top ten most popular list around here.”

  “It’s been more than two years. I would think everyone had moved on.”

  “You’d think, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, some people have long memories.” She paused. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m okay. You?”

  “Fine.” Another pause. “Are you still in…”

  “Cambria? Yeah.”

  “Working at the garage?” she asked, as if the question itself was ridiculous.

  “Yep.”

  “You know, if you’re looking for something else, I’ve got friends around the industry, and could probably pull a few strings. It wouldn’t be what you’ve done in the past, but it would be better than working in a garage.”

  “I like the garage, Ruth. But thanks.”

  Neither of them said anything for a moment.

  “So, are you calling just to say hi?” she asked.

  “I’m calling because…” He paused. “Because I need a favor.”

  “You are trying to get me in trouble.”

  “It’s not a big deal. I just need a license plate checked.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Someone piss you off and you’re trying to track them down?”

  “Something like that.”

  “What’s the number?”

  Logan gave her the plate number of the sedan he’d chased out of Cambria, then told her his cell number since it was different from the one he used to have.

  “Mine’s still the same,” she said. “But don’t use it unless it’s an emergency,
and, please, don’t call me on the office phone again.”

  “In other words, don’t call you?”

  “It would be better if I called you.”

  “I understand. I appreciate the help, Ruth.”

  “You’re welcome.” She paused, then said, “I’m…I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch.”

  “I haven’t been in touch either.”

  “Yeah, but…well…sorry.”

  He could sense she wanted to say something more, but before she could, he said, “I’ll wait for your call,” and hung up.

  CHAPTER TEN

  TRAFFIC BEGAN BUILDING up on Washington Boulevard as Logan neared the ocean. It seemed strange to him. As far as he could tell, the area was mainly residential, so he figured most of the cars at that time of morning should have been heading in the other direction. But the closer he got to Pacific Avenue, the more congested it became. Then, two blocks short of where he’d been planning to turn, he came to a complete stop.

  After the car in front of him made a U-turn and headed back in the other direction, he decided to do the same, then turned on the first side street he saw and parked. From there, it was only a few minutes’ walk to Aaron’s place.

  Before he reached the intersection with Pacific, the reason for the delay became clear. Two police cars were pulled across the road, blocking off Pacific Avenue north of Washington.

  Logan felt a tingling sensation at the back of his neck, and picked up his pace. When he reached the corner, he spotted several emergency vehicles parked just down the block. He could also see half a dozen firefighters rolling up hoses and packing equipment back onto their trucks, their work apparently done.

  Like the street, the sidewalk that ran in front of Aaron’s place was also blocked, but the one on the other side only had a small area taped off directly across from the fire trucks. Some people were gathered along the part that was clear, watching the action, so Logan headed there.

  In his gut, he already knew what he was going to see, and he wasn’t disappointed. Where Aaron’s little house—his bungalow—had been, there was now a charred pile of debris. The side that had once been part of the property wall was gone, leaving a gaping hole. Logan could see the rest of the property through it. Though it looked like the fire had spread, the other buildings appeared to have received only minor damage.

  Apparently, just cleaning the house hadn’t been enough for Aaron. He’d decided to burn the place down to make sure there was no trace of him left. Logan had no proof of this, of course, but once again, he wasn’t buying the coincidence.

  Moving further down the sidewalk to get a better look, he could see that there was no part of the bungalow left untouched by the flames. If Aaron had left anything behind that could have helped Logan find Elyse, it was completely destroyed now.

  Logan’s phone vibrated in his pocket. Expecting it to be Ruth, he was surprised to see DAD on the display.

  “What?” he asked, not in a particularly talkative mood.

  “What was Elyse’s boyfriend’s address? Don’t think you gave that to me.”

  Logan’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  “Well…em…when I told Tooney what you said when you called last night, he wanted to come down and see it himself. We couldn’t talk him out of it.”

  “So you let him go?”

  “Of course not. He’s in no condition to drive. We came with him.”

  Logan whipped his head around, looking at the crowd on the sidewalk. “Where are you?”

  “Sitting in Barney’s car.”

  “Dad! Where specifically?”

  “Oh, we’re stuck in traffic on…”

  Barney spoke up in the distance. “Washington Boulevard.”

  “Washington Boulevard,” he repeated. “Down by the beach. Venice, I guess.”

  “You guys should have just stayed at home,” Logan told him.

  “I’m sorry! You tell Tooney that.”

  Logan closed his eyes for a second. “Never mind. Just…just tell Barney to pull over and park anywhere he can. I’ll meet you in a few minutes.”

  Harp’s voice became distant. “Logan’s here. Says for you to find some place to park and he’ll meet us.”

  “Call me when you’ve found a spot and tell me where you are.”

  Logan hung up and headed back to Washington, arriving just in time to see Barney’s Volvo make the same U-turn he had earlier. Only instead of parking on a side street, Barney pulled into the lot of a strip mall, and found a space there.

  Logan weaved between the cars and crossed to the other side. Just as he was walking up to Barney’s car, his cell rang again.

  His dad was in the front passenger seat, phone to his ear, so Logan tapped on his window. Harp turned in surprise, then smiled and hung up.

  “Hi, son,” he said as he opened his door.

  Logan gave him a quick hug.

  “Have you found her?” Tooney asked. He was stretched out on the backseat, a grimace on his face.

  “Still looking,” Logan said, wishing he had a better answer.

  “Scoot, scoot,” Harp told his son, shooing Logan out of his way so he could get out.

  Once his father closed the door behind him, Logan said, “Tooney shouldn’t be traveling. What were you guys thinking?”

  “He was coming with or without us. Better with, don’t you think?”

  “You couldn’t have done anything to stop him?”

  “He was very insistent.”

  On the other side of the car, Barney was helping Tooney get out. Harp used this as an excuse to end the conversation, and headed around the car to join them. Logan watched his dad for a moment, then followed.

  Looking out at the traffic, Barney said, “This is why Glenda and I moved out of the city. Where are all these people going?”

  “The road’s blocked up ahead,” Logan said.

  “Accident?” Harp asked.

  “Something like that.”

  A ten-year-old Cadillac pulled into the lot, and stopped right next to them. The driver’s window rolled down, and Logan could see Jerry behind the wheel and a few others inside.

  “Jesus, I thought we’d lost you,” Jerry said.

  Logan looked at his dad. “What? Did you bring everyone?”

  “Just Barney and Jerry,” he said. “The rest of those guys are protection.”

  “Just park right there,” Barney told Jerry, pointing at an empty spot two cars down.

  “Protection?” Logan asked.

  His father shrugged like it was no big deal.

  Jerry and the three guys who’d been riding with him walked over a few moments later.

  “Logan, this is Nick, Jack and Dev,” he said.

  They were big guys, tough-looking, like Hollywood’s idea of a biker gang, if the members of that gang were all over sixty. As Logan shook their hands, he said, “I think I’ve seen you guys around town.”

  “Probably,” Dev said.

  Harp leaned over and whispered, “They’re in the VFW. Marines in ’Nam. They know what they’re doing.”

  “And what exactly are they supposed to be doing?” Logan asked, not lowering his voice.

  “Later.”

  Before Logan could push any further, Tooney said, “I want you to show me where this boyfriend lived. I want to see what you saw.”

  “I’m not exactly sure he was her boyfriend.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean there’s a little confusion between her friends about that.”

  Tooney looked at Logan for a moment. “This boy, his house is near, though.”

  “Well, yeah, but—”

  “Show it to me.”

  “That’s going to be a little difficult.”

  “Why?”

  “The reason the street up there is blocked off? The house he lived in burned down sometime in the night.”

  “What?” Tooney, Jerry and Barney all said at once.

  “But you were there late last night. That’s wha
t you told me,” Logan’s dad said. “What time was that?”

  “Around midnight. A lot of hours between then and morning for someone to light a match.”

  They all fell silent, then Tooney said, “I still want to see it.”

  Logan frowned, but nodded. What choice did he have?

  He led them back to Pacific Avenue, glancing over his shoulder a couple of times to make sure he wasn’t walking too fast. They were keeping up just fine, his dad and Barney at the head of the group and Jerry at the rear. Tooney was in the middle, surrounded by the Cambria Marine Corp.

  Some of the excitement on Pacific had dissipated by the time they reached the spot where Logan had been standing earlier. Two of the fire trucks had left, and it looked like the police was getting ready to open one of the traffic lanes.

  “Don’t tell me that’s it,” Harp said. He was staring at the pile of burned wreckage across the street.

  “I did say it burned down.”

  “But you said you were inside it last night. That it was empty.”

  “What part of this aren’t you understanding, Dad? Do you see the fire engine? Do you see the police? This only happened a few hours ago.”

  “So you were able to get inside,” Barney said.

  “Do you guys think I was lying?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Definitely not,” Jerry added.

  Logan looked at his father, waiting.

  When Harp finally felt his gaze, he said, “What?”

  Logan shook his head. “Nothing.”

  Tooney hadn’t said a word since they got there, his full attention on what was left of the bungalow.

  Logan squeezed by one of the Marines, and stepped beside him. “You okay?”

  “There was nothing inside?” Tooney asked.

  “No. It was spotless.”

  “Do you think this fire could have been an accident?”

  “No way to know that for sure.”

  Tooney turned to Logan, his eyes suddenly hard. “I did not ask what you know. I ask what you think.”

  Looking back at the house, Logan said, “It seems kind of convenient to be an accident.” He could feel Tooney’s gaze a moment longer, then the older man turned away.