To Professors Daniel L. Simmons, Evelyn A. Lewis, and Thomas W. Joo of UC Davis’s School of Law for their insight into legal matters affecting publicly traded companies. And to Bill Shuttleworth, who, unlike his smarmy namesake, provided excellent advice on finance and audit matters.
To Nancy Goldman, M.D., for help in determining the effects of gunshot wounds on my pregnant victim; to D. P. Lyle, M.D., for information on treating gunshot wounds; and to Ms. Pam Sinclair of the Brain Injury Program at Mission Hospital for assistance in understanding vegetative states.
To Ann duCille, gratitude for directing me to Skin Trade and its essential chapter on dolls and African American representation; to Sean McGowan for highlighting issues in the toy industry; and to Melissa Gilkey Mince, for valuable history and anecdotes on Chatty Cathy.
To Eddie Muller and Jim Quay, thanks for introducing me to great Oakland landmarks; to Rhea Cortado and Sam Domingo, for insights into Filipino culture; and to Jason Thomas, of Cal State Fresno’s Interdisciplinary Spatial Information Systems Center, for statistical information on Filipino populations in the Central Valley.
To California Highway Patrol Deputy Tom Killian for insight into CHP procedures and the dangers of tule fog; to Sergeant Ron Yelder of the Oakland Police Department’s Ranger Section, for Joaquin Miller Park lore; to Robert Nardoza and Tom Fallati for a crash course on the workings of the U.S. Attorney’s office; and to Paul Hudson, for a reminder of the effects of the 1992 uprising on Broadway Federal Bank.
Special thanks to Carol Topping for her website wizardry; to Thomas Görden for assistance in developing that German headline; and Heather Smith and Marie Coolman for longtime friendship and PR support.
And to all of the team at the Ballantine Publishing Group—Kim Hovey, Mary Siemsen, Paul Taunton, Anna Chapman, and many others who have my back—your support and patience have meant more than I can say.
ALSO BY PAULA L. WOODS
Inner City Blues
Stormy Weather
Dirty Laundry
Spooks, Spies, and Private Eyes: Black Mystery, Crime,
and Suspense Fiction of the 20th Century
While some historical events depicted in this novel are factual, as are geography and certain locales, and certain persons and organizations in the public view, this is a work of fiction whose characters and their actions are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, or events is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author, nor does the author pretend to private information about such individuals.
Copyright © 2006 by WLG Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
BALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Woods, Paula L.
Strange bedfellows: a Charlotte Justice novel / Paula L. Woods.— 1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Justice, Charlotte (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Police—California—Los Angeles—Fiction. 3. Fascists—Crimes against—Fiction. 4. African American police—Fiction. 5. African American women—Fiction. 6. Los Angeles (Calif.)—Fiction. 7. Toy industry—Fiction. 8. Policewomen—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3573.O6414S77 2006
813'.54—dc22 2005045232
www.ballantinebooks.com
eISBN: 978-0-345-49088-93
v3.0
Strange Bedfellows v5 Page 28