by Arlette Lees
She leaned forward, her smile as cold as that immoveable object that sank the Titanic. “He may be an old fool, Detective Hallinan, but I am not. He was sexually frustrated and eager. I wondered what he would be like in bed. That is all.”
There was no resisting the next question.
“And?”
“Grateful. He was grateful, Detective Hallinan.” She leaned forward and adjusted the strap on her sandal. “After Helen, how could he not be?”
“Did it occur to you that you might be breaking up his family?”
She looked surprised. “I have no interest in stealing Helen’s husband,” she said. “In six months I go home and marry Lief Jorgenson, my fiancé.” Hallinan rocked back in the chair. Was this the way the world was headed, or was he just growing old?
“How would your young man feel about your recreational diversions?”
“These things happen between a man and a woman. We don’t read so much into it as Americans do.”
“Like Helen, do you mean? Is this why Dr. Adler sedated her?”
“Between her anger with me and the dog tracks, she had become difficult. That’s Helen, making a big deal over every small thing.”
“What about the dog tracks?” he said, leaning forward.
“She saw dog tracks on the patio behind her daughter’s room, and decided they were from a coyote. Her hysterics placed her center stage, exactly where she wanted to be.”
“Did you report this to the officers when they arrived?”
“Why would I repeat such foolishness?”
“What do you think happened to Daisy Adler tonight, Miss Nordgren?”
“She is not a child who wanders off on her own. That is all I can say.”
“Thank you, that will be all for now. You need to make yourself available in case I have more questions. Oh yes, one more thing. I’ll need to hold your passport until further notice.”
“My passport?”
“Yes, your passport.”
“It’s in front of you. Mrs. Adler keeps it in the top desk drawer.”
He found it on top of a stack of envelopes. “You may go,” he said.
“You understand I cannot stay here now,” she said, standing.
“We’ll put you up elsewhere for the time being.”
There was a knock at the door and Officer Strongbow stuck his head in. Lance was quiet, with an upright carriage and a serious demeanor.
“Excuse me, sir. I’m through with Dr. Adler. Here’s my notes. The fingerprint team has just left.”
“Thank you Sergeant. Please call Miss Williams at The Studio Club. Miss Nordgren needs a place to stay short-term. Tell Miss Williams to bill the department. Is that agreeable, Miss Nordgren?”
“I’ll just collect a few things,” she said, and left.
“Get her checked in, Lance, then go home and get some shut-eye. I’d like you back here at eight to man the phones in case a ransom call comes in.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Did Dr. Adler mention anything about dogs or coyotes when you spoke with him?”
“Not a word. Is it important?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
Sergeant Garner came in as Strongbow left.
“Paul, I’d like a tracer put on this line. Have an officer man the phones until Strongbow takes over in the morning.”
“Yes sir.” Garner handed him a slip of paper. “That’s the business address of Horst Kepler. Find out anything helpful from Miss Nordgren?”
“While the party was going on, she and Adler were upstairs getting it on.”
“Now there’s an image for you.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
INDECENT OBSESSION
Hallinan stood with Nathan Adler outside his daughter’s room in the upstairs hall. He was of average height and weight with a mid-life paunch and a forgettable, man-in-the-crowd face. The thought of his pale sedentary flesh against Sigrid’s healthy scaffolding was an image he tried not to dwell on.
“When is Sigrid coming up?” he said, patting his empty breast pocket. “I’d really like her with me.”
Hallinan didn’t answer. He tapped a Chesterfield from his pack, handed it to Adler, and lit it with his Ronson.
“Helen would kill me if she saw me smoking upstairs,” he said. ”The smell gets in the curtains.”
“I understand two doors on this level open to the outside?”
“What? Oh yes, the double doors in the master bedroom and a single in Daisy’s room. Why don’t you look around while I have my cigarette?”
Hallinan entered the child’s room. There was fingerprint powder on the woodwork, no obvious disarray in the room, no signs of struggle.
“Do you keep the doors and windows locked?”
“I never think about it,” he called from the hall. “There’s no crime to speak of in the neighborhood. All I know is that the door was unlocked when Helen discovered her bed empty.” There was no crime in Charles Lindbergh’s neighborhood either, until his child was kidnapped and murdered. “You’re not suggesting foul play.”
“I’m simply saying that living in an upscale neighborhood can create a false sense of security.”
Hallinan opened the French door and stepped onto the patio. It ran the width of the house and abutted the hillside at the back of the property. The area had been cordoned off. The wind was up, an owl hooted from a nearby tree, and a nocturnal animal skittered through the chaparral.
Hallinan walked the length of the patio, checked the windows at the back of the house, and found them firmly secured. He’d reviewed Strongbow’s notes. Whatever happened tonight most likely happened here.
Adler rubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe and joined Hallinan. He was about to flick the butt on the patio, when Hallinan said: “Don’t contaminate the scene, sir.” Adler put it in his pocket. “Did Mrs. Adler say if the door was locked earlier in the evening?”
“Helen recalled locking it around eight.”
“It would be helpful if I could speak with her.”
“She requested sedation. She was too distraught to be questioned.” It was a lie. Hallinan let it pass for the moment.
“Would Daisy go out this door on her own?”
“After dark? Probably not.”
“Is this where Mrs. Adler saw the coyote tracks?”
“Who told you that? They were d-dog tracks.”
“The tracks of a medium-sized dog and a coyote would be indistinguishable, unless you know something about canines that I don’t.”
Adler ran a hand over his thinning hair. The wind streamed through the chaparral and scrub oak. Among the dead leaves at his feet Hallinan saw a flutter of green in the glow from the bug light. He bent over and picked up a crisp ten dollar bill by a corner.
“Wonder how that got here?” said Adler.
Hallinan took a glassine envelope from his pocket and put the bill inside. Back in the room he asked Adler what he knew about Kepler.
“He’s very popular, from all I’ve heard. In fact, I’ll show you a sample of his work.” He took a five-by-seven framed photo from a shelf above his daughter’s bed. She stood smiling in a ruffled pink dress beside a small pony in a carnival setting.
“May I borrow this?”
The doctor removed the photo from its frame, and Hallinan placed it carefully between the pages of his notebook. They stepped back into the hall. “What else do you know about Kepler?”
“I never met the man before tonight, but he spent the entire evening annoying my guests with his camera.”
“Did you know he stole the guest book?”
“You must be kidding. You can’t trust anyone anymore.” Hallinan found the comment ironic coming from a man who was screwing the babysitter under his wife’s nose. “I can’t imagine him doing anything unless there was money in it.”
“Do you keep a list of invited guests?”
“Helen would have one in her files.”
“Can you think of anyone who’s ta
ken an unhealthy interest in your daughter?”
“Of course not!”
“Are you involved in a lawsuit or neighborhood dispute?”
“No.”
“How about a disagreement over money, an unfriendly rivalry, personal or professional? Any pending lawsuits? How about a botched facelift?”
“You’re a real asshole, you know that?”
Hallinan smiled. “Can you think of anyone who might want to get at you or your wife by harming your daughter?”
“Helen and I don’t make enemies.”
“Would you say your marriage is a happy one?” said Hallinan, making a left turn in the conversation. A sheen of sweat appeared on Adler’s forehead. The polygraph in Hallinan’s head was set on record.
“I don’t know how this line of questioning is helpful in finding my daughter.”
“You didn’t answer the questions.”
After several beats, Adler said: “You’ve been talking with Sigrid.”
“Let’s say I know how you celebrated your birthday.”
“How dare you question my employee outside of my presence?”
“Why did you sedate Mrs. Adler? Sergeant Strongbow said she was about to give a voluntary statement.”
“What do you think?”
“I forgot my crystal ball. Why don’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want her babbling. She’ll do whatever it takes to implicate the girl in Daisy’s disappearance.”
“Why would she do that, Dr. Adler?”
“Sigrid put the cat’s food and water bowl outdoors. Helen says leaving food out attracts the wildlife. Leave it to Helen to leap to dramatic conclusions.”
“Like what?”
“That Daisy was attacked by a coyote. Haven’t you been listening? She struck Sigrid in front of our guests, called her an insulting name. I sedated Helen to prevent further embarrassment.”
“To you, you mean. I’d like to see the cat dishes and the tracks.”
“I brought the bowls inside and cleaned up the mess. There was no blood. I think that proves my point.”
“Not really. A coyote would do a snatch and run, drag his prey to a place where he felt safe before settling in with it. You tamper with any more evidence, Dr. Adler, and you will have more trouble than you can talk your way out of.”
“All right, I get it. Are we almost through here?”
“You don’t seem to be all that broken up about your daughter’s disappearance. Why is that?”
Adler’s face reddened. He patted his pocket. This time Hallinan let him sweat. “Because Helen is behind this charade. She has Daisy stashed somewhere all safe and sound.”
“You have proof to back that up?”
“She’s thinks if she creates a three-ring circus I won’t walk out on her.”
“You can’t be thinking of leaving your wife for Sigrid Nordgren!”
“Oh please! My marriage has been stagnant for years. It would have happened sooner or later, if not with Sigrid, then someone else.” It sounded like Adler was about to jump off the deep end. Too bad there was no water in the pool.
“I want to see Mrs. Adler,” said Hallinan.
“I told you, she’s.…”
“Now, Dr. Adler, or I will charge you with obstructing an officer in the performance of his duty.”
Adler stomped to the master bedroom and stood at the door with his arms crossed over his chest. Mrs. Adler lay beneath a flowered quilt. The pale rose carpet in her room was soft and deep, and a lamp burned dimly on the nightstand.
Hallinan bent over and touched her hand. It was fragile and webbed with delicate blue veins. Her breathing was even, her pulse rate slow but within normal parameters. Whoever had undressed her had left her golden gown in a pile on the floor.
“Does your wife have a personal physician?”
“Yes, Dr. Sheldon Rappaport in Beverly Hills, if you must know.”
“I want him here first thing in the morning. You stay away from this woman with your needles and pills. You’re not to treat her for as much as a common cold. Is that understood?”
Adler’s jaw flexed with restrained anger, a big shot not used to taking orders.
“Did you hear me?” said Hallinan, in a quiet voice.
“Yes.”
Hallinan walked past him, then turned.
“Hang up your wife’s dress, Dr. Adler. Have some respect for the mother of your child.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
SHOOTIN’ THE SHIT
When Hallinan left the pink house, the eastern sky was turning gray, and Tug was briefing the officers in charge of organizing the search party. A few horse trailers were parked at the overlook, riders saddling up, opening bags of donuts and drinking coffee from paper cups. There was a stiff breeze coming down from the north and a few wisps of cloud on the horizon. A large, tiger-striped tomcat slept in a bed of spearmint next to the garage. He bent down and ran his hand over the battle-scarred head. “So you’re Teddy,” he said. “You’ve caused a lot of trouble, you know.”
The cat looked up with big golden eyes. Then, purring like an outboard motor, he curled into a comfortable ball and buried his nose in his tail. Hallinan signaled to Tug and brought him up to speed. He showed him the bill he’d found on the back patio as they drove down the hill.
“Maybe it was dropped by an abductor,” said Tug.
“Possibly.”
“There’s a doodle in the corner?”
Hallinan squinted. “Green ink. Looks like a horseshoe.”
Newspapers and crepe paper streamers blew through the deserted intersections, everybody sleeping in after a night of revelry. Hallinan looked at the note Garner had given him.”
“Drive down La Brea. Let’s take a look at Kepler’s studio.”
They swung a right on Hollywood Blvd. and a left on La Brea a few blocks later. The studio was a high-rent art deco half a block off the main drag. They pulled to the curb and Hallinan ran up to the door. Back in the car he said: “It’s closed, December 20th through January 1st. This is one guy we need to talk to.”
“I’ll run a background check and see if any skeletons jump out of the closet. What did the nanny have to say?”
“She and Adler were having a private celebration while the guests rang in the New Year.”
“No shit! How did they pull that off?”
“On top of a very large desk,” said Hallinan, mimicking Sigrid’s Nordic accent. “He thinks they’re going to ride off into the sunset. She told me she’s returning to Sweden to marry her fiancé.”
“I’d call that a major breakdown in communications.”
“Adler would like us to believe that his wife has Daisy hidden away, but that seems a bit farfetched.”
“Gives us a place to start tomorrow.”
“Today is tomorrow,” said Hallinan. “What’s your take on the coyote theory?”
“Coyotes are opportunistic. They’ll grab a family pet if they have a chance. Only goes to reason it would be a kid sooner or later. Did you hear that Lana Turner was at the party with Johnny Stompanato?”
“Sarah Adler mentioned it.”
“They’re tight with the Adlers. She’s probably had a little work done by the illustrious doctor.”
“Dorothy told me Lana’s studio is having a cow about the relationship. There’s a rumor Stompanato is trying to hit Turner up for a fifty thousand dollar loan so he can produce a movie and star in it. They’ve been having some noisy brawls. Her teenage daughter is caught in the middle.”
“Cheryl Crane, right?”
Hallinan nodded.
“You know why Turner’s with him, don’t you?” said Tug. “He has a dick like Man o’ War. That doesn’t mean she left her brain on the pillow. At least he keeps a lower profile than that clown he works for.”
“Don’t be fooled by Cohen’s size or his third grade education. Mickey was tough enough to take over the rackets when they canceled Siegel’s ticket. Chief Parker’s apoplectic. Pinning
something on Mickey is like nailing Jell-O to the wall.”
“Hell, Parker’s as corrupt as Cohen, he’s just on the safe side of the thin blue line. I wonder if Turner and Stompanato signed the guest book. That could be the motive for Kepler making off with it.”
“You mean blackmail? I don’t know, Rusty. Their secret ain’t much of a secret.”
“True, but one of the smut sheets might try implicating him in Daisy Adler’s disappearance. It doesn’t have to be true, Tug. Look what rumors did to Fatty Arbuckle.”
Tug pulled off Washington Blvd. then onto Sandalwood a couple blocks later. “Well, here we are.”
“Let’s grab some sleep,” said Hallinan. “I want to be up there when the dogs arrive.”
“Great. That’ll give us a full four hours.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE SCENT OF DANGER
It was a raucous New Year’s Eve at Club Velvet. By the time the curtain dropped, the stage was littered with broken bottles and trash. Crystal had been grabbed, groped, and humiliated. Abdominal pain made it hard to concentrate on dancing. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t believe how much weight she’d lost.
She made it to her dressing room and wrapped herself in a chenille robe. She dropped her tips in her jewelry box and brushed confetti out of her wig. She’d always had luxurious hair. Now it was coming out by the handful.
César had told Crystal she could spend New Year’s Eve with her mother, but he’d grown suspicious. She got cold feet and stood Gavin up one more time. How long had he waited before he realized she wasn’t coming?
The dressing room door burst open and César marched in from the cold. His face was hard and unreadable, and there was a strange metallic odor in his clothes. He took a gun out of his pocket, opened the floor safe and locked it inside.
“What’s with the gun?” she asked, feeling a little sick to her stomach.
“Just protecting my financial interests.”
She wondered what that meant, but was afraid to ask. Had César found out about Gavin? Had he listened in on a phone conversation? She hoped Gavin had decided not to show.
“I bumped into Mildred Grassley at the fights the other night.”