‘Tell me know where you’re going to be and when you want me there. I’ll be sure I’m there.’
‘I thought you had a bike to kill.’ I laughed and shook my head. ‘Not sure where it’s going to be yet, and not sure if I’m going to need your assistance. Your number is the same, right?’
He nodded. ‘What’s your number? I tried calling you earlier and it went to voice mail.’
‘Any message you left is in the hands of the coppers now.’ I laughed at the expression on his face. ‘Oh, relax. They’re looking for me, not you. And they haven’t found me so far. Just keep your phone on, in case, okay?’
‘Want I go with?’
‘Oh, no, mate. I don’t want you messed up in the middle of this.’ As if. ‘Just stay in the shadows, okay? Cops are hot on my tail.’
I winked and ran back the way I came. Ann was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. ‘Let’s go, princess. Got to get a few blocks between us and him, just in case he comes looking.’
‘Do you think he knows you know?’
I shrugged as I picked up the pace. ‘Hard to say and it really doesn’t matter now, does it?’
Chapter Thirty-Two
Kent stood from the park bench too fast. The head rush disoriented him, keeping him from following Ellie immediately. By the time he regained his equilibrium she was nowhere to be seen.
‘Fuck. Fuck, fuckity fuck. Does she realize how lucky she is?’ He rubbed his scalp, the hair matted with sand and salt water. ‘I feel like crap.’
He swayed a bit. His eyes watered and his nose ran. An instinctive sniff brought more tears to his eyes. ‘Ah, shit.’ He carefully wiped his eyes, flinching as he brushed his hand across his split cheek.
He stood straight, took a deep breath - through his mouth - and took stock of his situation. She was around. He could still probably con Charlie to help him find her phone and, unbelievably, she didn’t seem to realize he was the guy who attacked her under the pier. ‘How fucking lucky can I be?’
He’d use that knowledge.
Finding Ellie was the first challenge. She turned right at the alley after running from him. That would be south. If he were to walk south, though, he’d pass by that shitty cafe and probably run into the cop with the dog.
So he looped out on the beach, walking up the sand stepping over people and walking on towels. Two kids kicking a soccer ball were on the receiving end of his wrath. It would take them fifteen minutes to recover the ball from the surf.
‘Flanking maneuver. Classic military strategy. Call of Duty pays off. She’ll be expecting me from the north and I’ll sneak in from the south.’ He walked over a beach towel, dragging sand, ignoring the yelling mother and the three crying kids.
He was lost in thought, imagining what he was going to do to Ellie. Before he realized it he was back at the Venice Fish Pier. He looked up and smiled. ‘Classic pincher movement. I’ll head down to del Rey and swing back and trap her.’
He had no idea what he was talking about.
Perkins sat at his desk, large coffee in one hand and the morning paper in another. When Stanfield showed up they’d hit Venice again. Maybe.
There were phone records to run down and a reinvestigation of the scene now that it appeared Ellie was framed. He was willing to concede that, but it didn’t make it any clearer who actually did kill Sweeney.
He sighed and dropped the paper on his desk and opened the Sweeney file. He looked up as his young partner walked in. ‘Stanfield, what do you think?’
‘About what?’
‘Venice Beach or Sweeney’s place?’
‘No brainer, partner. There’s no bikinis at Sweeney’s.’
‘I’m kinda on the same page, but we need to review everything from Sweeney’s murder. Seems like Ellie wasn’t involved. Actually, that’s a definite now. But we don’t know who did kill him. You run his phone records?’
‘Again. And again. His lawyer, the two kids we already talked to and the food place. None others.’
‘Ellie. Check her phone?’
‘She keeps bouncing the number. We’re still working with the phone company. Should get something later today.’
Perkins looked up from the file. ‘Should? Later today? Give them a call and tell them a killer is still at large and if another person dies because of their recalcitrance I’ll be looking to see if it’s possible to charge a company with manslaughter.’
‘You can’t.’
‘I know and you know, but maybe the ass-wick working this request doesn’t. Might scare him into action.’
Stanfield shrugged. ‘I’ll let him know.’
‘Good man. You’re the second best.’ He returned to reviewing the interview notes when his phone rang. He answered without looking up from the papers.
‘Perkins.’
‘Hey old man. Sampson here. Comfy at your desk?’
‘What’s up Sampson. Lose your dog?’
‘Nope. The old girl is walking with me as I speak. Down here at Venice. Where you and your partner should be.’
‘We already had that debate. Sweeney’s won. Need to revisit the crime scene and find what we missed.’
‘Nah, that can wait.’
‘Really? How do you figure?’ Perkins leaned back and put his feet up on the desk. ‘You on this case now? I thought you were dog squad.’
‘She’s a friend, Perkins. I’m off duty right now, just taking a walk, looking for a friend. She’s in trouble. She told me it was all coming down today and she’d reach out to me if she needed help. Can you imagine? If she needed help. Get down here and help me find her before she does something stupid.’
Perkins closed his eyes. ‘My case, pal. My decision. And I’ve decided we’re going to Sweeney’s to re check the house.’
‘You never were good at snap decisions, I recall. This is going to be yet another in your large collection of mistakes. Sweeney is dead. He can wait. His killer may very well be down here tracking her. So, yes. Your decision. You can drag your over-fed ass a few blocks west of where you are now, putter around in a crime scene three days old and accomplish almost nothing today. Or you can haul that same over-fed ass down to Venice, bring the kid with you if you feel it’s necessary, and help me find her. She’s around here somewhere. You owe her.’
Perkins shook his head and hung up the phone without replying. ‘Fuck.’
‘What now?’
‘Dog-squad has almost convinced me we should go meet him at Venice and look for Miss Bourke.’
‘Almost? What’ll it take to push you over the edge?’
‘Funny guy. Get your stuff. We’re going. I’m going to regret this at some point, I know.’
Sampson pocketed his phone and continued walking south. He slowed as he passed a couple of bike cops talking to the Henry about his broken front window. Lisa sniffed the air and let out a small whine.
‘Not good for you old girl. Your food is at home.’ He hovered in the background until they finished talking. When they were about to mount their bikes and leave he signaled them over.
‘Got a minute guys? Detective Sampson, K-9 unit. Off duty.’
The older cop leaned against his bike and the younger straddled his. ‘What can we do for you?’
Sampson nodded toward the window. ‘Henry tell you who did it?’
‘We grabbed an image off the security camera next door. We’ll canvas. The usual stuff. Why?’
Sampson took out his phone and opened Ellie’s picture. ‘They tried to brush the whole incident, and me, off when I was by here about an hour ago. Curious, their change of heart. Especially since I kind of know them.’ He held up the picture. ‘I’m looking around for Ellie Bourke. Intelligence says she’s in the area.’
‘We know the face. We were told to back off on her though. Has that changed?’
He shook his head. ‘No. Her life’s been threatened by the person who killed Sweeney. In order to find the killer I’ve got to find her. Can you keep an eye out?’
> ‘Sure. Transfer the photo.’
Sampson bumped the picture to the others. ‘So, quid pro quo, show me the picture of the person responsible for the window.’
The bicycle cop showed Sampson the grainy shots taken straight from the security camera at the entrance to the apartment next to Henry and Emily’s cafe.
Sampson nodded. ‘I talked to him about two hours ago. Looked like hell. Told me his name was Kent Williams.’
‘Where?’
Sampson pointed north. ‘About a mile that way. Not sure where he is now. It was early and I think he was scrounging around for food. Looked homeless to me but he assured me on no uncertain terms he wasn’t.’
They transferred the picture to Sampson’s phone. ‘Fantastic. Witnesses have described him as off-his-meds whack job.’
‘Just what we said, right Lisa? Whack job.’
She woofed and wagged her tail.
‘Good luck guys.’ He handed his card to the both of them. ‘If you see Ellie, don’t spook her, okay? Just give me a call and I’ll swing by and have a chat with her.’
They slid the cards in their shirt pockets and mounted their bikes. ‘You got it. Likewise for this Williams asshole, okay?’
Samson nodded and watched them bike north. ‘Too much work for me. I’ll stick to the car.’ He waved at Emily and Henry in the cafe and continued south.
Lisa uncharacteristically strained at her lead as they passed a busker resetting his juggling act. ‘Lisa, behave. What’s got into you?’ He stopped in front of the act and laughed when a small Black Lab popped out of the man’s equipment bag. It waddled over and stuck its nose in Lisa face. ‘Ah, motherhood urges. Too old for kids, girl.’ He squatted and scratched the puppy behind the ears. ‘Nice dog you’ve got. What’s its name?’
The surfer dude busker stopped his set up and sat on the ground near his dog. ‘Damien. This is Lisa, is it?’
‘On the nose.’
‘Damien here is the star of the show. Gets a better reaction than anything I’ve ever done. You should stay and check out the next show. I’ll be starting in about fifteen.’
‘Love to, but I’m looking for a friend. My name’s Sampson, by the way. Jacob Sampson. You’re down here most of the day, right?’
‘Pretty much, yeah.’
Sampson showed the busker the picture of Ellie. ‘I’m looking for her. Have you seen her around?’ Sampson sensed a wall erect almost immediately after the busker saw the picture. ‘And what’s your name?’
The guy cleared his throat. ‘Patrick Fitzpatrick.’ He pointed at the picture. ‘Anyone you ask around here will tell you she lives in the apartment just over there.’ He pointed in the direction of the cafe with no front window. ‘So have you checked her apartment?’
‘Actually, no I haven’t. But you haven’t answered the question. Have you seen her lately?’
The busker sighed. ‘I don’t know where she is, man. The cops are looking for her too. I think she’s in a bit of trouble, if you want to know the truth. Sampson, right? Jacob Sampson? If I see her I’ll let her know you’re looking.’
‘Again, man, you haven’t told me when it was you last saw her.’
He shook his head. ‘Can’t remember, man. Too much weed. Medicinal, of course.’
‘Of course.’ Sampson stood from his squat and looked down at the puppy trying to chew the tail off his dog. ‘Thanks for your help, Pat.’
‘Who?’
‘Your name’s Patrick, right?’
‘Right, right. No problem. Good luck, and tell her hi if you see her.’
Samson separated Lisa and the puppy and continued the stroll. He watched the display at muscle beach for a few minutes trying to guess how much HGH he’d pick up if he busted them all.
‘You thinking what I’m thinking?’
He turned and saw Perkins and Stanfield. ‘I don’t know. Depends on your sexual orientation, I would guess. There’s a lot of meat up there if you’re so inclined.’
‘You’re implying they’re gay? That’s not nice.’
‘No, I’m just saying the average gay guy would probably be salivating all over them.’
Stanfield pointed to the lone woman. ‘Not all guys up there.’
Sampson shook his head. ‘Never date a girl who can bench press you.’
‘Words of experience?’
‘Just common sense, kid. You guys see anything yet?’
‘No. Just got here. Gramps drives like an old man. Probably because he is an old man.’
Perkins looked at Stanfield and cocked his head. ‘Performance reviews are coming up in a couple of months. Soon enough that my feeble mind won’t forget these types of comments when I’m asked to give my input.’ He narrowed his eyes, going for a young Clint Eastwood look. ‘Don’t forget that.’ He switched his gaze to Sampson. ‘What about you?’
‘Nothing so far. The bike cops have her picture now and will give me a call if they see her.’
‘That’s mighty nice of them, helping out us Valley cops and all.’
‘Quid pro quo, of course, we’re also keeping an eye out for a nut job who trashed a cafe just up the way earlier this morning.’ He showed Perkins and Stanfield the photo. ‘Kent Williams. A bit on the rough side. I ran into him this morning and thought he was homeless.’
Stanfield took the phone and examined the picture closer. ‘Kent Williams? Perk, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t one of the people of interest in the Sweeney thing a Kent Williams? He looked something like this, right?’
Perkins took the phone, nodding. ‘Not exactly “person of interest” status. He was one of the last to see Sweeney alive. Him and this Charlie guy. What’s his last name again?’
‘Bates. Master Bates. How could you forget?’
Sampson looked at the two of them. ‘Regular vaudeville act you guys got going. So let me get this straight. The guy down here terrorizing the friendly locals is one of the guys who saw Sweeney alive last. Ellie is here, somewhere, trying to track down the person or persons responsible for setting her up, just like a Nancy Drew. You guys believe in coincidence?’
‘Not hardly.’ Stanfield handed the phone back to Sampson. ‘You thinking what I’m thinking?’
‘We find this Williams kid and finish this once and for all.’
‘I’m thinking it’s going to be hot as hell out here today, but that was a close second. Where’d you say you saw him last?’
‘I didn’t say. It was north of here. Past the line of shops and getting into residential territory. Or close to it. Shit. The bike cops are approaching him like he’s a vandal. We need to get a message to them that he’s probably armed and dangerous.’
He called his station and instructed the desk sergeant to put out an alert for Kent, particularly in the Venice Beach area. ‘Make sure they know to tell the bike cops too, okay?’
He slid the phone in his back pocket. ‘You guys look really cop. You may as well be wearing uniforms. We need to head back to the cafe Williams trashed and interview them.’
‘What did he do?’
‘Sounds like he tossed a chair through their front window. Maybe two. It wasn’t really clear to me and I wasn’t really listening. At that time I was more interested in finding Ellie.’
Perkins adjusted his pants, giving them a slight tug up. ‘How much walking are we talking about here?’
‘You got comfortable shoes on, I hope. It’ll be a couple of miles today, at least, with a good chance of some running before the day is out.’
Lisa perked up her ears at the word ‘run’ and let out another one of her quiet “woof’s”. ‘Yeah, yeah. We’ll get a run in Lisa. If you’re lucky we’ll have to chase the guy across the beach.’
Perkins groaned. ‘If we’re really lucky, the hump has a bad leg or something so we don’t have to run.’
Sampson sobered. ‘He’s a loose cannon. If we’re lucky, honestly, we find him before he does any harm to Ellie.’
Chapter Thirty-Three
We sat in a delivery doorway for about an hour. Long enough to make sure Kent wasn’t following me.
‘He scares me, Ellie.’
‘As well he should. He’s nuts. This is why you need to stay away from me for a little while. I don’t want you caught up in the crossfire.’ I pulled my knees up and rested my head on them. ‘It’s going to be hairy for a bit today. You’ve had enough hairy in your life. Shouldn’t have to go through any more.’
‘I’m not weak.’
‘I’m not saying you are. I just think it would be prudent if you didn’t get yourself killed today. Today is not a good day to die.’
She open her coats and muttered something.
‘You must be sweltering. It’s almost 80 degrees already and it’s not even noon yet. You’re going to die of heat stroke. Take them all the way off.’
She shook her head and closed her eyes. ‘Why don’t you trust me?’
‘Oh, Jesus, Ann. It’s got nothing to do with trust and everything to do with my concern for your well being. Just go back to a safe place and wait for me to get in contact with you, okay? I promise, seriously promise, I will come back for you.’
Ann shook her head. ‘Not safe, young lady. Not safe at all. I think you think I’m incapable of doing anything for myself. Well you’re flat out wrong. Flat out wrong. And your wrongness is going to get you hurt.’
‘I’m pretty sure I can handle myself. But I can’t protect you, so please, do me a favor and keep your head down for the next twelve hours. It can’t be that hard, can it?’
‘I’ll keep an eye out. But I’m not going completely to ground. If I do, it means the terrorists have won.’
She was fully sane this morning and that was a good sign. ‘Just stay far enough away I don’t need to worry about your safety and we’ll be all good. Deal?’
‘Deal.’
We stood there and looked at each other for a minute and started talking at the same time.
As she said, ‘Where are you going to trap him?’ I said, ‘Where are you going to go?’
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