by M. Z. Kelly
“This place is the bomb,” Natalie said.
I pulled a dress off a rack that was more air than material. I showed it to her. “Really?”
She came over and examined the outfit. “Don’t wag off with something like that. You need to up your game.”
“Yeah,” Mo agreed. “I think you should get something that shows your cleavage down to your belly button, like they wear at the Oscars.”
I laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have enough to show off, and I’m certain not going to show it on a first date.”
Natalie looked at Mo. “Kate’s a big numpty when it comes to fashion. We need somethin’ totally binding for her.”
“What about gold lamé?” Mo said. “One of them gowns that flows onto the floor like a river?”
I rolled my eyes. “You two are impossible. I’m just going to a club for drinks, not an awards ceremony.”
Natalie’s hazel eyes did a full orbit, then looked at Mo. “She’s lost the plot.” She looked at me. “You gotta understand somethin’, Kate. What you wear on your first date is foreplay.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It sets the stage for everything that happens between you and Grant. You gotta get your head and the rest of your assets in the game.”
Getting in the game involved letting them talk me into a mesh two-piece black dress that was too short, too tight, and too revealing. I had no intention of wearing it, but bought it out of sheer exhaustion.
Afterward, we all went for drinks at a place Natalie chose, called Melvin’s Lounge. She managed to get us all free drinks after flirting with Melvin, so I ordered a Manhattan. I needed the drink just to recover from my shopping spree.
After our cocktails arrived, my friends wasted no time, asking me about my case. I just gave them some general information, not wanting to go into details.
“Word has it your victim wasn’t so innocent, after all,” Mo said, after chugging half her beer. “You think she was a working girl?”
“She mighta been a prostituka,” Natalie said, swirling an umbrella in her tropical drink.
“I don’t know who you’re talking to, but we don’t know that for sure,” I said. “There’s still lots of work to do.”
“I heard more ‘bout that ring that’s using Russian girls, if you’re interested,” Mo said.
“Of course.”
I waited while she worked on her beer again, so I tasted my drink. It was cold and delicious.
Mo finally put her beer down. “All I know is they use a lotta young girls, some of ‘em illegal. It might be that she was a Daisy.”
“A what?”
“It’s the name they give their girls. I hear they gotta work their way up to the higher end johns. They’re part of a chain, that’s why they call ‘em Daisies.”
“A Daisy is also somebody nice and innocent, so it fits with your girl,” Natalie said. She was distracted, smiling at Melvin, maybe in an effort to get us more free drinks.
What Mo had said seemed to fit with what we know about our victim. “Anything else you can tell me about this group?”
“Just that you don’t wanna cross ‘em. If you do, I heard you end up like your girl.”
“Can you ask around, see if you can find out more about this ring and where they operate?”
“‘Course.” She looked at Natalie. “Guess we gotta do more of Kate’s work for free.”
“The Dick Chicks are still on the case.” Natalie sipped her drink, then added, “Speaking of that, we did some more snoopin’ ‘round ‘bout Daniel.”
My anxiety spiked. “What did you find out?”
“Just that he left the Wallace hotel a couple weeks ago. The manager there said he had a bedroll. He thinks he was gonna live on the streets.”
“We’re going check out some shelters tomorrow,” Mo said. “As soon as we finish up the day’s work doing security on Lance Worman’s yacht.”
“How’s that going?” I asked.
“He’s a dirty dog, always on the prowl for girls, but it’s nothing we can’t handle,” Natalie said. “Don’t worry, we’ll find Daniel in our spare time.”
I sighed. “I appreciate that.”
“You think you’re gonna get another video from him?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea, but I hope so.”
We spent the next two hours at the bar, only because Natalie used her considerable persuasive skills to convince Melvin to keep giving us free drinks. By the time we left, we were all half-drunk and had to call Otto to pick us up. As we waited on the street for our butler, Natalie locked arms with Mo and me.
“I don’t know ‘bout our two,” she said, giggling, “but I’m feelin’ like I’m part of a Daisy chain.”
What she’d said made my thoughts go back to Anna Levkin. I had no idea if she was part of the Russian sex ring, but I intended to find out.
FIFTEEN
My phone rang the next morning as I arrived at the station and was getting Bernie out of the backseat of my car. I saw the call was from Joe Dawson.
“Just wanted to let you know my trip to La La land has been delayed until next week,” Joe said.
“Why is that?”
“Greer and I are working a case in the northwest. There’s a guy up there dressing up as a clown and killing people.”
John Greer was Joe’s boss. “That sounds creepy.”
“Yeah, Halloween’s still a few weeks away. How are things in your neck of the woods?”
I walked Bernie over to the street and let him sniff along the median. “Working a case involving a girl who was strangled at an upscale hotel. You ever heard of a Daisy Chain?”
“Of course.” He went on for a moment, talking about the slang sexual reference before I gave him some more details. “It might be that our victim was being used by a Russian sex ring. Have you heard about anything similar on the job?”
“No, but I’ll ask around.”
I saw Olivia waving to be as she arrived at the station. “I’d better run.”
“Okay. I’m still looking forward to dinner.”
“See you next week.” I started to end the call when Pearl came to mind, so I asked about him.
“No official word, but...” I heard him take a breath. “There were some casualties that washed up from the boat that sank. They’re still in the process of identifying the bodies.”
I ended the call, feeling depressed as I walked over to Olivia.
“Anything interesting?” she asked, referencing my call.
“Just Joe Dawson. He’s working another case and won’t be here until next week.” We moved toward the station and I told her what he’d said about Pearl. “I’m worried it’s just a matter of time until I get word he didn’t survive.”
We stopped at the door and Oliva touched my arm. “Don’t give up. We both know that Pearl is a survivor. If anyone could make it, it’s him.”
I acknowledged what she said and told her that Joe still wanted to have dinner as we walked to our workstations.
“How do you feel about that?” Olivia asked.
I smiled. “If it was just dinner, it would be one thing, but I have a feeling he’s wanting more than that.”
“Sounds like your typical guy.”
When Lieutenant Byrd arrived, we met in his office with Leo and Al. I briefly mentioned what Mo had said about the Russian sex ring. “The girls are called Daisies, apparently because they have to work their way up to high-end clientele.”
“That would all fit with the texts and photos on our victim’s phone,” Al said.
I had the impression he was barely resisting the urge to say, “I told you so.”
“Anything more from your interpreter on the texts that were with the photos?” Byrd asked Leo.
“They went over to her last night. I’m still waiting on a response.”
The lieutenant looked at me. “Let’s get with HTU on what you learned, see if they’ve heard of this sex ring.”
&n
bsp; HTU was the department’s Human Trafficking Unit that investigated sex crimes, including those involving under age victims.
“So, where does this leave us?” Byrd asked, looking around the table.
“I want to go back to our victim’s best friend, Felicia Darrow,” Olivia said. “The more I think about what we’ve learned, it seems to me that Anna would have confided something to her.”
“You and Sexton can make it happen.” Byrd looked at Leo and Al. “I’m going to need you two to work with Powers and Garett for the next couple days. They need help on a domestic situation that ended in a homicide.”
“Why us, and not them?” Al complained. “I’m the one who put our case together.”
The lieutenant’s blue eyes locked onto his detective. “The way I see it, this case is far from being put together. End of discussion.”
As the others headed for the door, the lieutenant asked me to stay behind.
“Why do I get the feeling this is about me taking a leave?” I said after he’d closed the door.
“It’s nothing official yet, but the captain and chief want you to meet with them at the Bradbury Building tomorrow morning.’
My spirits sank, then I thought about the location for the meeting. “Why the Bradbury? It’s where internal affairs is located.”
“I think it’s just because they’re going to be there on another matter.”
“You’re sure I’m not facing discipline?”
He smiled, something as rare as snow in Hollywood. “You done something you want to confess?”
I stood. “Nothing that I’m going to admit to.”
***
As Olivia and I drove to Felicia Darrow’s apartment, I told her about my upcoming meeting. “If both the Bronson and Van Ness are going to be there, I’m in deep doo-doo.”
She looked at me from the passenger seat. “Maybe you should consider taking the leave. I wouldn’t want to see you reassigned and lose you as a partner.”
“Thanks, but I just hate the thought of them winning.” I brushed my messy hair out of my eyes, still feeling a little wonky from my evening in Melvin’s Lounge. “I guess I’ll just have to see how it plays out.”
As we turned off the freeway in North Hollywood, Olivia said, “Do you think our victim could have been involved in the sex ring Mo mentioned.”
“Maybe.” Traffic slowed and I looked over at her. “But, if she was, I think she was under duress, someone was forcing her into the lifestyle.”
“Jason Murray?”
“It might be that he was working for the sex traffickers. Let’s hope Anna’s best friend can shine some light on what was going on.”
“You want to turn up the pressure on her?”
“Yeah, whatever it takes.”
As it turned out, it took a lot of pressure for Felicia Darrow to come clean about what she knew. We spent the first half hour with her in her mother’s small apartment, getting nothing new. Olivia then lost patience.
“You need to listen to me carefully,” Olivia said to Felicia. “This is going to start breaking bad for you unless you tell us what you know.”
Anna’s former friend tucked her short hair behind her ears. “I’ve already told you everything I know, and the idea that Anna was involved in some kind of sex ring is ridiculous.”
“Not good enough. Anna was being physically abused, probably during sex. She was your best friend. She had to tell you something about what was happening.”
She didn’t respond as her head slumped forward, tears spilling on the front of her blouse.
I softened my voice. “Tell us, Felicia. Do it for Anna.”
“There was something on my phone. I don’t understand it.”
“You mean a text.” I got a head nod. “Show us.”
Felicia retrieved her phone and said, “It was a text I got a few days before...” There were more tears. “...before everything happened. It was sent from Anna’s other phone.”
“You mean, she had a different phone than the one the Allman’s bought her?”
“Yes, she...she said the thought someone might read her texts and wanted privacy.” She handed her phone to me.
Olivia and I together studied the text message that Anna Levkin had sent to her best friend. It read, I want out of the game.
SIXTEEN
Felicia Darrow’s petite frame pitched forward, her tears spilling again. When she regained some control, she finally told us what she knew.
“Jason told Anna...he would...he would kill me if I ever said anything.” Her watery gaze found us, her breath coming in spasms as her emotions took over. “He was making her play a...a game.”
“He was using her for sex,” I said.
“Yes, but...but it was more than that. He told Anna she had to hook up with other men, besides him, or else.”
“Do you know how this all began?
“Anna said he took control of her cell phone and made her...” There were more tears. “...he made her do stuff.”
“Sexual things?” I said. She nodded, gasping for air. “Do you know if anyone besides Jason was involved in this?”
“I don’t think so.” She wiped her eyes. “Anna was so afraid. She said if she didn’t do what he said, he would kill her.”
We gave her some time to regain control. Olivia then again brought up the tattoo that Anna had gotten shortly before her death that she had denied knowing anything about. “What can you tell us about the designation M-5?”
“I don’t know what it means, except Anna said there were other girls Jason had working for him. He showed her pictures of them dead. They were also marked with a tattoo.”
***
After leaving Felicia Darrow, we called Leo and filled him in on what we’d learned. He said that he and Al were still waiting to meet with the detectives on their new case and got the lieutenant’s permission to meet us at Jason Murray’s home.
Olivia had borrowed Felicia Darrow’s phone to review Anna’s text. After she got off the phone with CCU, she told me what she’d found. “It looks like she was confiding to Felicia what was happening for a couple weeks before her death. The texts were sent from a burner phone.”
“Meaning Anna had a hidden phone somewhere. Maybe it’s still at the Allman’s house.”
“Maybe. It could also be that Murray took it when he killed her.”
“It still doesn’t explain texts Anna made in her native language on her iPhone. There has to be someone else involved who was working with Murray.”
Olivia slowed down, seeing that Leo and Al were parked at the curb down the street from Murray’s house. “Let’s go find out who that someone is.”
We met up on the sidewalk and took a couple minutes, updating them on everything.
“Murray was threatening Felicia,” I said, “telling Anna he would kill her if she ever talked about what was happening. She also said there were other victims, dead girls, also marked with tattoos, that Anna showed her on her phone. Felicia was scared to death.”
“Anna was using a burner phone when she communicated with Murray,” Olivia said, at the same time she was working her phone. “We need to toss her room when we arrest him.”
Leo nodded. “Do we know if he’s home?”
“I just ran the plate on the motorcycle in the driveway. It’s Murray’s.”
When we got to the small single-story home that Murray’s mother owned, we split up. Leo and Olivia covered the back, while Al and I went to the front door with Bernie. After knocking, we heard movement from inside the residence, but no one answered the door.”
“Police,” Al yelled. “You need to come to the door, now!”
There was still no answer, but I saw some movement out of the coroner of my eye, someone climbing over the neighbor’s fence. I came off the porch with Bernie, telling Al, “It’s Murray. He must have gone out through a bedroom window on the side of the house.”
We met up with Leo and Olivia as they came around from the backyard. B
y the time we’d managed to look over the fence, we saw that Murray was climbing over the neighbor’s fence that backed up a drainage canal.
“Let’s find a way to cut him off,” Leo said.
We managed to find a maintenance gate that lead to the drainage area a couple doors down from Murray’s house. The canal was dry and Murray was at least a hundred yards away from us by the time I released Bernie, giving him the attack command.
“FASS!”
Seconds passed, then we heard the sound of gunfire. Murray was hopping over another fence by the time I saw the trail of blood in the canal. Then I saw my dog.
Bernie was on the ground, bleeding!
SEVENTEEN
“Is everything okay?” Manuel asked Zoe.
They were at City College, sitting at a table in the courtyard during a break from classes. A handful of students scurried about, but Zoe barely noticed.
“Things are not right,” Zoe whispered.
Manuel came over and sat next to her. “Is it...is it because of what we did last weekend?”
She drew in a breath, unsure how to answer. “Maybe. I’m not sure.”
“We can...wait before...”
Zoe stood, her eyes filling. “I’m not feeling well. I need to go home.”
She began to leave, but Manuel followed. “Please, tell me what’s going on.” He took her arm, standing in front of her and blocking her path.
Manuel had just turned twenty. He had strong features, warm brown eyes, and wavy dark hair. But, it wasn’t just his looks that had attracted her. He wasn’t like the other boys she had dated. Manuel was sensitive and caring, someone she could see herself spending her life with, and maybe even someday having children together. That was before she had been sent the pictures. Now everything had changed.
“I can’t talk about it,” Zoe said, tearing up and pushing past him. “I have to leave.”
Manuel continued to follow her as she walked to the parking lot. When she got to her car, he finally gave up and left, telling her that he would call her later.