by M. Z. Kelly
Mo looked over at me and then back to Natalie. “Yeah, only this trapeze was part of a nude circus and one of the performers now has a head full of lead.”
“What are you two doing here?” I demanded.
“We told you yesterday we was gonna look at some property.” Mo turned to an elderly woman in the corner of the room. I saw that she was holding a large, anatomically correct, dildo. “This here is Mary Jane Collins, our realtor. I mentioned Jiggy to her and she said she heard he owned this place.”
“Oh my…” Mary Jane said, looking up from the giant penis. “I’ve never seen…”
“This place musta been Jiggy’s fuck fort,” Natalie said. “It looks like Sex World in here.”
I took a moment and glanced around the room, seeing there were a variety of sexual devices, everything from vibrators, to harnesses, to handcuffs, and floggers. Our former roommate, Prissy, owned a bondage store on Melrose called Voodoo Mama and it reminded me of the place.
“This is definitely Hollywood,” Gluck said, holding up one of the devices. “I don’t even know what some of this stuff is used for.”
That was Natalie’s cue. She came over to him and said, “It’s a jack rabbit, Harvey.”
“A what?”
Mo also came over, put her hands on her wide hips, and stared at Gluck. “You’re almost as clueless as Kate’s former partner. Just think of them bunny ears as being a girl’s second best friend if you know what I mean.”
Gluck’s bronze skin turned beet red. “Oh, of course.”
I saw that Hammer was examining a sex doll propped up in the corner. I couldn’t resist the opening and said to him, “She looks like just your type. No talking back.”
His smile hardened. He motioned to my friends and their realtor. “We need to get them out of here.”
He had a point. If there were fingerprints or other evidence we needed to secure the scene and execute the warrant. Over their objections I led them out of the bedroom.
When we were in the living room the realtor said to me, “I’d heard rumors about this place but I had no idea.”
“Looks to me like Jiggy was getting jiggy with lots of women, just like I told you before,” Mo said. “You ask me one of them whacked him in a jealous rage.”
“I say we start making us a list of his fuck bunnies,” Natalie said to Mo. “Narrow it down ‘till we find the killer.”
I escorted them to the door. “Listen to me. You’ve got to stay out of things, let us do our job.”
“You might wanna check this out then,” Natalie said, holding up a cell phone. “I found it in the bathroom.”
I took the phone, sighed, and opened the door. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
Back in the bedroom I told the others what Natalie had found.
“Nice,” Hammer said. “Your friends show up, tamper with the evidence, and destroy any prints.”
“They had no idea it was connected to our investigation,” I said, trying to defend them, but also knowing what he’d said was true. “Give me a minute and I’ll go through the messages, and call history.”
Pearl joined me in the dining room with a notepad as we played messages and went through the phone. All the messages were from women making arrangements to hook-up with Biggs, except for one. I called Hammer and Gluck into the dining room and put the call on speaker.
A man’s voice said, “Jig, it’s me. Listen, I know you need the money but you need to back off…” There was a pause, a heavy breath, before he went on. “…don’t be an asshole about this or you’ll regret it.”
When the called ended, I looked at the others and said, “That was Jerry King.”
***
We had a patrol unit pick up King late in the day and bring him to Hollywood Station. We left him alone in an interview room for over an hour just to make him sweat. Edna said he wanted Hammer and me to conduct the interview.
Gluck was unhappy that he was being excluded and let Edna know about it. “I’d like to be a part of the interview. It would be a way for me to get my feet wet.”
“We got a warrant,” Edna said. “You and Kramer can toss King’s car while they do the interview.” The lieutenant’s gaze lowered. “Just be careful you don’t get anything on your suit.”
“He’s upset with me again,” Gluck said after the lieutenant left.
I shrugged and wanted to tell him he might want to think about getting the chicken outfit. Instead I said, “Just give it some time.”
Hammer had apparently overheard our conversation. He smiled at Gluck and said, “How’s the stomach?”
My new partner glared at him but stomped off without responding.
“Maybe you should cut him some slack,” I said to Hammer after Gluck was gone.
The little detective had his ever-present grin. “Why? Nobody ever cut me any slack.”
It was a lost cause. “Never mind. How do you want to handle the interview?”
“I want the lead.”
“What a surprise.”
“I’m the one who found out about the penthouse and other properties. I’ve earned the shot.”
He had a point. “It’s your show, but I want to get a couple of things off my chest first. After that, Jerry King’s all yours.”
What I’d said must have caused his gaze to move down to my breasts. I’m not especially big in that department and was immediately self-conscious. He grinned and nodded, but didn’t say anything.
After introducing Hammer to Jerry King we took seats across the table from him. The realtor had removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He was immediately on the defensive. “I don’t know any more about Jiggy’s death than what I’ve already told you.”
I was exhausted from my lack of sleep and the day’s events. What he’d said irritated me. “Tell me something, Mr. King. Why did you withhold information from me about the amount of debt you owed to Biggs and your involvement in Orion Properties?”
King brushed a hand through his wavy blonde hair. A sheen of perspiration was on his forehead. “I didn’t think it was important at the time. I have lots of investments and…”
“Detective Sexton has a point,” Hammer said, interrupting him. “You owed Biggs almost a million dollars and minimized that.”
“No,” I said, correcting him and looking at King. “You lied, and said the debt was just over a couple hundred grand.”
King exhaled, tugged on the sleeve of his tailored shirt. “The amount I owed Jiggy wasn’t something I was proud of. In this business words gets around about obligations and debt. People can use that against you.”
“We’re not part of your business world,” I said. “We’re cops.”
“I understand. It was a mistake. I know that now.”
“And what about Orion Properties?”
“It was an investment group. I was involved with Jiggy in trying to flip the penthouse on Highland. As you know it didn’t work out. That’s the reason I owed him the money.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that when we first talked?”
He shrugged, wiped the sweat off his forehead. “As I said before I have lots of investments. I just didn’t think it was important.”
I sighed, brushed a hand through my damp hair and nodded to Hammer, letting him know it was his turn.
“Let’s talk about the penthouse,” Hammer said. “Do you know what Biggs used it for?”
King massaged the back of his neck. “I knew he used it for hookups.”
“Tell us about that.”
“I think he hooked up with his ex, maybe a couple of realtors. He never talked about it, so I’m not sure.”
If what King had said was true I was surprised that Biggs’ ex had gotten together with him. If that was the case, Leila Jacobs wasn’t being truthful when she said she’d moved on after the divorce. I had my doubts about King being unware of the other women Biggs was involved with, but Hammer moved on, bringing out the phone that had been found in the penthouse.
>
“I’ve got a little message that I want to play for you,” Hammer said. I studied King as he played the message on Biggs’ phone. The sheen on the realtor’s forehead grew heavy until he used the sleeve of his shirt to mop his brow. When the message ended Hammer’s brows inched up. “Well?”
King stammered, “I know…it sounds bad…” He kneaded his neck muscles again. “Jiggy needed the money to pay a debt he owed Barry Steiner. He was putting a lot of pressure on me. I was upset and let him know it.”
Even though it was now Hammer’s show I couldn’t help but say, “It sounded like a threat to me.”
King shook his head. “I was just trying…” The interview room door opened. Pearl stuck his head inside and motioned to me as the realtor continued. “…to get my point across.”
I got up and walked over to Pearl. After he delivered his message he left and I closed the door.
I walked back over to the realtor, took a seat next to Hammer, and said, “We got a warrant to search your car, Mr. King. There was a weapon found in the trunk. It’s the same caliber as the one that killed Jiggy Biggs. If I was making bets, like you’re dead partner, I’d bet it’s a match for the weapon that killed him. You’re under arrest for murder.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“So the realtor went down for the murder and Carl Hammer took all the credit,” I said.
Buck McCade and I were sitting on the deck of the Malibu Sunset Cottages overlooking the ocean. He’d called as I was leaving work after Jerry King’s arrest, surprising me with the invitation. It was a Friday night and since I had the weekend free I’d stopped at home and dropped Bernie off with my friends, telling him if Claude tried anything to bite first and ask questions later.
“Hammer sounds like a few guys I’ve worked with before,” Buck said after I explained about our investigation. He poured me a glass of champagne. He was barefoot and had on a white shirt and pair of faded blue jeans. His Stetson was inside the room, the ocean breeze ruffling his brown hair. He smiled, sipped his drink, and referenced our earlier discussion. “So tell me about the vampire again.”
I sat back in my chair, brushed the unruly hair from my eyes. “My friends are convinced he’s an elderly vampire, but, according to the attorney for the estate, he has a legal right to live there. Maybe he’s growing on Natalie and Mo. When I left they were all having pie and ice cream together.”
“A vampire who like desserts. He sounds like he fits right in with where you’re living.”
“The place is a little spooky but Mo’s talking about having her boyfriend Larry stay with us. He’s pretty handy with home improvements and believe me Ravenswood Manor needs a lot of work.
He laughed then took my hand, pulling me out of my chair. “Let’s take a walk on the beach.”
We took our champagne with us and spent the next hour walking along the shore at sunset, the waves lapping at our feet as we picked up shells and chatted. After we watched the sunset Buck pulled me closer to him and we kissed.
“I heard the hotel clerk say the beds in our cottage are pretty comfortable,” he said after our lips parted. “Something about down comforters and memory foam.”
I looked into his eyes. They’d taken on the color of the darkening sky. “I had no idea you were so domestic.”
He smiled. “A cowboy appreciates a good bedroll.” He used his hand, lightly tracing my hairline, before bringing it down and moving it along my cheek. His caress was so soft that I barely felt it, but at the same time it felt like it was the only touch in the world.
He then moved lower, following the contour of my neck and shoulder before finding the upper edge of my blouse. I met his eyes while he touched me and he seemed like the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. After a moment, my passion was so great, my body wanting him so badly, that I thought we might not make it back to the cottage.
I realized that we were a little drunk by the time we’d raced back to our room and fell together onto the bed. Buck had been right about the lush bedding, lots of down and foam. But it wasn’t the bed that was important. It was the kisses, and our hands and lips moving everywhere from neck to thigh and all the parts in between. We eventually found a rhythm, moving together as one until our passion crashed like the waves against the shore of a land that we were only beginning to explore.
Afterword, when we finally rested, there was a tear on my cheek. I brushed it away but Buck had seen it. He kissed me and whispered, “Everything okay?”
I thought about telling him that I was fine, but I knew this was a man with whom I had to share my innermost feelings and thoughts. There was no other option.
“Did you ever have the feeling that some moments in our lives are so precious and beautiful that you almost can’t stand it?” I asked.
“It seems pretty perfect right about now.”
I smiled. “I feel that same way. But sometimes that scares me.” I looked away from him, my gaze finding the ceiling fan spiraling overhead. There was a rhythm to the moving blades that stirred the air. Something about the fan reminded me of a ticking clock. I went on, “There’s a line from some old poem I read in school a long time ago. It’s something about nothing gold can stay.” I found his eyes again. “I think it’s about the beauty of the world and how each precious moment fades away. There’s nothing we can do to hold onto it.”
I realized there was a tear on my cheek again. He came closer and kissed it. “Maybe that’s not true.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are some things in this world that can make a moment feel as though it will last forever.” He kissed me again. “Let me show you what I mean.”
***
Buck and I had breakfast at Gladstone’s Restaurant at the beach the next morning. We lingered over our meals, chatting about Catalina and the time we’d spent together on the island. After breakfast we made plans to get together soon and reluctantly said our goodbyes.
When I got home I found my friends gathered in the living room. There was a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen as I greeted Bernie and took a seat.
“What’s that wonderful smell?” I asked.
“Claude’s fixing something from an old family recipe,” Mo explained. My heavyset friend wore yellow spandex and was applying matching polish to her nails. I had a thought that she might glow in the dark.
“He promised us there’s no body parts involved,” Natalie said. She looked stunning in a short red dress with matching pumps.
“Are you two headed out somewhere,” I asked, realizing they were dressed up.
“I got me an acting class over at the shopping mall on Highland this afternoon,” Natalie said. “Mo’s going with me. I wanna hone the skills Morty taught me.” She glanced at Mo after referencing the aging actor on Catalina Island who’d recently given her some acting lessons. “Hey, suppose we got an acting gig together, Mo. Maybe some kinda sitcom like those two broke waitresses.”
“Broke would be the operative word,” Mo said. “After paying our rent, I’m what you would call financially disadvantaged.”
Natalie went on for a moment about acting and then mentioned Jerry King. “He stood me up for our date last night, didn’t even bother to call.”
“I’m afraid he was a little preoccupied. We booked him for the murder of Jiggy Biggs.”
“What?” Mo said, putting the lid on her nail polish. “King’s a player but he’s no killer.”
“We found a gun in his car. I got a text from our crime lab this morning that they matched it for the murder weapon.”
“Mo’s right,” Natalie said. “Jerry’s a first rate user but he wouldn’t harm a flea. I think you got it wrong.”
I also had my doubts about King being guilty and had even entertained thoughts about him being framed. “I think he’s going down for the crime unless some other evidence comes to light.”
Mo looked at Natalie. “Guess our work’s cut out for us, baby sis. We can’t let an innocent man go to death row.”
“You two can’t…”
Natalie interrupted, “I think we need to follow the lady trail. Jiggy was busier than a rabbit with two dicks. Betcha somebody did the bunny hop with the big humper, got dumped, then Jiggy got thumped.”
I took a moment to warn them again about staying out of things before Mo changed the subject, mentioning her boyfriend’s plans. “Larry and his brother are coming over. They’re both gonna move into the guest house today if you’re okay with that, Kate. It should help out with the rent and they can do a few chores ‘round here.”
“I didn’t know Larry had a brother.”
“Phyllis will put some lumps on any other vampires who show up here and decide to take a squat,” Natalie said.
“Don’t call him that,” Mo said to her. “Larry’s little brother’s a little sensitive ‘bout his name.”
“His name is Phyllis?” I asked.
Mo nodded, her yellow wig brushing against her wide shoulders. “The story goes that his mama wanted a girl and when she heard the baby was a boy she got depressed. She claimed somebody switched the kids at birth, so she went ahead and named him Phyllis.”
“Wonder what mama thinks about her baby girl now?” Natalie said.
I wasn’t sure what she meant until Mo explained, “Phyllis is a pretty big guy.” The doorbell rang as she went on, “That’s probably Larry and…” She made eye contact with both of us. “…whatever you do, just be sure you don’t call him Phyllis.”
A few moments later I said hello to Larry and his brother. Larry was a big guy, a former wrestler, but he looked small next to his brother. Phyllis was about six five, at least three hundred fifty pounds, most of it muscle. He made a point of hugging me and I felt like I would break in half.
“Glad to meet you, Phyllis,” Natalie said, greeting the behemoth. “I mean…Phyl.”
While Natalie got her bear hug, Larry said, “Never call him that name again. If you do he’s been known to go berserk.”
After the bear released Natalie she said, “I was just takin’ the monkey with ya, Phyl.” She punched his shoulder.