Modern Girls

by Gary S. Griffin

  Then, Bambi said, “Stevie, the last I saw her was when my dance lesson ended - Andi was there and it was the last thing she did.”

  Bambi stopped short and said quickly, “But, wait a minute. She was upset because you were mad at her. What happened between you two?”

  “Oh, Bambi, here’s the whole story. I’m trying to find out who killed Sid and tried to frame her for the crime. But, Andi’s been keeping things secret from me. She didn’t tell me she was working as an exotic dancer. She lied, actually, telling me she worked at an insurance company down on Wilshire Boulevard. But, it didn’t add up. She went to work casually dressed, she had odd hours, and she had no experience doing office work. She’s been a model since high school. So, I followed her here this morning. I saw her first dance and was shocked. I guess I couldn’t believe it. She saw me here after that dance and was shocked too. She was mad I followed her and revealed her secret job. I didn’t know what to say to her and left. That’s the last I saw her. I was confused and just drove around awhile. Then, I went back to her apartment and waited for her. She never came home. Now I’m really worried.”

  Bambi said, “Me too. Look, Stevie, we know she’s not here. I came in early today and my shift is over. Why don’t we get out of this zoo and go talk and see what we can do? I want to help. She’s my friend, too.”

  I said, “OK, Bambi. Is there a restaurant or coffee shop nearby?”

  “Sure, there’s a diner down the block. I’ll pull out of the employee lot on Vine. Follow me. What’s your car?”

  “A red Mustang.”

  “Mine’s a blue BMW convertible.”

  ***

  Fifteen minutes later, at 9:10pm, we were seated across from each other in a booth. We ordered dinner as we both were starving; baked chicken for me and a salad for Bambi. Bambi called her mother and told her what she was doing.

  I reviewed my investigation so far, including the stories of the missing clothes, the destroyed tire, and the falling brick. I went over my meetings with Edie and Lana and my phone call with Troy. I told her about Andi’s affair with Mike Reese and my meeting with his wife, Kathy. I mentioned my suspicions about Kathy Reese, but how things didn’t completely fit right. The biggest mystery was who got into Andi’s apartment.

  When I finished, Bambi said, “Oh my God, Stevie! I had no idea.”

  I wanted to quickly review how Bambi met Andi. I asked her if she met Andi at the club.

  Bambi answered, “No, I met her earlier. The first time I saw her we were both filming a movie. It was Andi’s second movie, Undress for Success. We were playing a scene where we undressed each other. Sid had me play Andi’s older friend. It was a tough experience, especially when I heard they were having an affair. But, I got over it.”

  That comment gave me insight to Bambi and her relationship with Sid, but I let those thoughts go, and redirected our conversation to my murder investigation.

  I asked, “Do you have any idea where Andi could be? Did she have a favorite club or bar?”

  “She liked a few, but I really don’t think she went to one of those.”

  “Why not?”

  Bambi answered, “First, she told me she didn’t like going alone - in fact it scared her a lot - because she got hit on so much by guys. She liked her girlfriends with her. And, second, remember we’re little divas. It takes us hours to get ready and she left in casual clothes. So, she’d need to go home and do her hair and her make-up.”

  I smiled at how Bambi knew Andi well.

  Bambi asked, “So, who else could get into the apartment?”

  Just the way she asked caused me to stop and think for a while. Then, it hit me. “Of course, the apartment manager, Rob Nealy, he always has the key. Kathy Reese lived right down the hall from Nealy. I wonder if he tried to hit on Andi without luck or if he saw Andi with Mike Reese. Since Reese and Andi weren’t very discreet, Nealy likely saw them…”

  I stopped talking when I noticed Bambi sat frozen. She slowly said, “Oh, my God, Stevie!”

  “What?”

  “Did you say Rob Nealy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, my God!”

  I asked, “Do you know Rob Nealy, the apartment manager?”

  “Well, yes, but the thing is this, he’s Edie McCall’s father!”

  I said, “Oh, my God!”

  Bambi smiled, “That’s what I said. Stevie you need to speak to Edie.”

  “OK, but get me up to speed here.”

  Bambi began. “I’ll explain what I know.”

  I asked, “Didn’t he used to work at Sid’s mansion?”

  Bambi held up her hand. “Rob did work at the mansion for many years. He started working for Sid’s parents and continued there after their death, when Sid and Lana and Troy moved in. Things continued like that until his wife, Sandra, died. Sid felt Rob needed a change because there were too many memories of Sandra at the mansion. That’s why Sid got him the manager’s job when it became vacant. Rob’s been there about four years.”

  I asked, “Why does Edie have a different last name?”

  “Edie changed her name to McCall when she started in the business as it was her mother’s maiden name and she thought it sounded better than Nealy.”

  “Could he be involved in Sid’s murder? Shayna told me he and Sid were friends.”

  Bambi said, “I don’t know why Rob would be involved in Sid’s murder. They were friends, too.”

  I said, “Maybe he was mad at Sid for something. Maybe he didn’t like that Sid had this long, weird affair with Edie and cheated on her with Andi.”

  Bambi replied, “Maybe, but I don’t think so. Oh, who knows now?”

  I asked, “What about Troy? How was Sid’s relationship with his son?”

  “OK, as far as I knew.”

  I explained how I saw Troy and Edie together and how that shocked me. Bambi agreed; she didn’t know about that either. Bambi believed Sid had ended things with Edie. That sounded like wishful thinking on her part. But, I could be wrong, all these relationships were interconnected; this whole thing was weird. Still, Bambi didn’t think Troy or Sid were mad at each other.

  Bambi replied, “Well, we’re jumping to conclusions, but it does explain things.”

  “Yeah, it does. But, where’s Andi?”

  Bambi said, “I don’t know.”

  I looked at her and nodded. “I need to speak to Edie again.”

  I changed the subject. “Bambi, does Edie know about your daughter?”

  “I never talked to her about Tawny.”

  I added, “I don’t think Sid told her, either, because she didn’t mention it when I spoke to her on Sunday.”

  “Why does it matter, Stevie?”

  I answered, “It doesn’t, but I just wondered if it changed things between Sid, Edie and others?”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it made Edie mad or jealous. Or, maybe it played on Rob’s mind.”

  I paused for a moment, and then, asked, “Did Rob know about Tawny?”

  “Again, I didn’t tell him. I only met Rob a few times, when Sid and I took him to dinner. We tried to cheer him up. I liked Rob a lot. Sid would ask Rob to tell jokes and funny stories and Rob could get Sid to laugh and relax. Rob seemed to like me, too. He called me Beautiful Bambi. I think Rob knew Sid and I had something special going on, and I got the impression he accepted me or wanted me to be with Sid. I think Sid and Rob were confidantes, even though Sid was the boss. Sid might have explained our daughter. But, I think he kept Tawny a secret.”

  “Why? I don’t understand that. Both you and your mother said Sid loved Tawny, a lot. Why didn’t you guys tell others?”

  “I don’t know. Sid kept secrets. I only learned from Andi that she and Sid were having an affair. But, I didn’t want Sid to tell others, either. Stevie, please believe me; I wanted the baby. I got pregnant that first weekend I met Sid and Edie. I didn’t know Sid that well when our affair started. I wasn’t expecting him to marry
me.”

  I replied, “Yeah, I understand. But, later he asked you to marry him. You accepted. Why didn’t Sid tell Edie, Troy or Rob?”

  Bambi answered, “I think Sid meant to tell people. I mean, he planned to. I think he wanted to get Troy and Edie ‘launched’, to use his word. I just think our little family was what he wanted for the rest of his life. He used to say I was all he needed. He wanted me to do what I could to stay young looking and sexy, and he gave me the money to do it. Plus, he talked about making the pool house into a club house for Tawny. I was his final woman. That’s what he called me. I guess that describes it best. And, we both knew that’s how it would be and it would work great. We were just so comfortable together.”

  “I’m really so sorry for your loss. It’s such a tragedy. Sid really got lucky when he met you.”

  I could see I was in the middle of very sensitive ground. Realizing Bambi was honest and caring, I thought of one last topic. I told Bambi she should fight to get some of Sid’s estate for Tawny, her daughter, as she was entitled to it. She said her mother was saying the same thing to her, but she hated to bring that kind of attention to herself. I told her that she should find a good lawyer and let him fight for her. I told her L.A. must have thousands to choose from. She said she’d consider it.

  I said I should try to find Edie. Soon after, I paid the bill and walked Bambi to her car. Bambi moved closer to me. There were tears in her eyes. I gave her a hug.

  I said my goodbyes and she said, “Stevie, let me know what you find out.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Then, I was off to Beverly Hills.

  second visit

  I pulled into the driveway all the way to the garage in the backyard. The mansion was dark. So was Troy’s apartment above the garage. Edie’s small home was a beacon of light in the distance. I got out of the Mustang right away and walked the lighted path to the pool house. The pool was lit-up too, glimmering on this warm summer night.

  I could hear music inside as I knocked loudly. Edie opened the door after five seconds, recognized me in two seconds, and said, “Stevie, what are you doing here?”

  “We need to talk, Edie.”

  “What about?”

  “Your father.”

  “What’s up with my dad?”

  I asked, “May I come in?”

  “I was about to leave.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Out!”

  She was pissed and I crossed a line that I shouldn’t have. I stopped talking.

  “Oh, OK, to a club.”

  I said, “I’m sorry to pry.”

  “Forget it.”

  I started gain, “Edie, we need to talk. Just a couple of minutes.”

  “OK, what’s so important?”

  “Andi’s missing!”

  That stopped her.

  She asked, “Missing, how?”

  “I’ll explain. May I sit down?”

  She put her hands in the air, turned and motioned with her right hand towards the couch. I walked into the living room and sat down. Edie walked to the stereo and turned down the volume on the alternative pop-rock music to a conversational level. I liked the music. I spotted the CD case; Different Class by Pulp.

  Edie was wearing a black mini-skirt, a white short-sleeved turtleneck shirt, and black ankle-high boots with four-inch heels. She had her long black hair parted in the center and trailing lose down her back. Her perfume smelled wonderful, sexy.

  Edie sat across from me on the love seat. Her skirt was so short that all of her legs were revealed when she sat down.

  What is it about these women in Andi’s life? They’re all gorgeous and tempting. Birds of a feather flock together, I suppose. God, Sid had three incredibly hot women in his life when he died!

  My first words after I was seated were, “Your dad’s place is all packed up. There’s no sign of him. And, his car isn’t down in the garage. Where is he?”

  She said, “I don’t know.”

  Edie said her father was not scheduled to move to Arizona until the Tuesday after Labor Day as that’s when the movers were coming. Rob was moving to the Tucson area, to the mountains outside town, where her grandfather had owned a cabin. There wasn’t anyone living in that cabin, because her grandfather died a few months ago.

  Edie then asked, “What’s going on?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  I gave her the story of the last few days.

  I then asked her, “Why didn’t you tell me that your dad was the manager at Andi’s apartment when we met on Sunday?”

  Edie answered, “I thought you knew, that Andi told you.”

  I asked, “Did your father and Sid get along?”

  “I thought they did. Dad was always a little in awe of Sid, with his wealth and women, but he owed Sid a lot, you know, for his job and his apartment.”

  I said, “Yes, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean they got along well.”

  Edie remained silent.

  I asked, “What did he think of you living with Sid?”

  “I don’t think he had a problem with it?”

  I asked, “Really?”

  Edie knew where I was going and said, “Look, my father isn’t a killer.”

  I said, “OK, Edie. Relax. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on. Andi’s been missing since 4pm. That’s over six hours ago.”

  I then said, “So, OK, your father is moving to your grandfather’s cabin in Tucson.”

  Edie replied, “That’s right.”

  “Why is he moving there, when you’re here and his job is here?”

  “I don’t know. He’s not been the same since my mother died. He’s lonely and just started to get weird. He wanted to do something new.”

  “When you say weird, what do you mean?”

  “He drank a lot, and didn’t want to socialize much. I asked him to get help.”

  She went silent and stared at me.

  I said, “I know what that’s like.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, my father’s an alcoholic. Things got bad after my mother died of a stroke eight years ago. He’s remarried and living in Florida, but he’s still drinking. His new wife drinks too. It’s a weird scene.”

  Edie said, “Really?”

  “Yeah, but, I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent like that. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You know how it is.”

  “Yes, I guess I do.”

  “Does it get better?”

  “Not much. You know, my dad’s not really dealing with his problem.”

  Edie replied. “Right, mine neither.”

  “So, I don’t see him much. We’re not real close.”

  “It’s that way with my dad and me too. Sid understood how it was. He helped me, in his way. Now, who knows what will happen?”

  I said, “I hear you. I’m sorry its that way.”

  She just stared at me, again. Not knowing what to say further, I decided to get back to our current problem.

  I asked, “So, your dad’s moving to his father’s cabin.”

  “It wasn’t his father, Gramps was his father-in-law. He was my mom’s father, Joseph McCall. I inherited it, but offered my dad the use of it when I realized he hated this life here in L.A.”

  I asked, “So, you know the cabin?”

  “Sure, I’ve been there whenever my parents and I went home. They were both born in Tucson, and moved to L.A. when they were in their twenties to work for Sid’s parents. They met Sid’s father when he shot a western in Tucson in the sixties. They worked on location as part of the road crew. I went to Tucson the day Sid was shot because I wanted to clean the cabin before my dad moved in.”

  “Do you think your dad could have left today for Tucson?”

  Edie answered with a question, “No, why would he?”

  “I don’t know, but he wasn’t there when I left.”

  “So, what, maybe he just went to a store or went out to eat.�
�

  I said, “Maybe” then asked, “Does the cabin have a phone?”

  Edie said, “Yes, but if he drove to Tucson, it will take him at least eight hours to get there. This is such a shot in the dark, Stevie. You’re guessing.”

  I said, “That’s true.”

  I changed the subject. “Do you know Kathy Reese?”

  Edie responded, “Who’s that?”

  I answered, “Another of Sid’s women from the past. She lived in Andi’s complex, in a discounted apartment, and her husband had an affair. This woman discovered the affair was with Andi. The couple is getting divorced, the husband moved out, and Kathy is also nowhere to be found. I wonder if she could be involved. Andi told me that she knows that Sid’s killer was a woman.”

  “Wow, that’s big news. That changes everything, Stevie. There’s no anger like that of a wife whose been cheated on. So, where is this Kathy, now?”

  “At her apartment in Torrance. I saw her this afternoon at Andi’s pool. I didn’t know who she was, until Andi’s friend, Shayna, told me after she left the pool. I went by her apartment today and she was hostile and blamed Andi for Sid’s murder.”

  Edie said, “Shit, this is scary.”

  “Did your dad ever talk about Kathy or about seeing a woman at the apartment?”

  Edie answered, “Not to me.”

  Edie was weirded out and worried. She agreed to come down to Torrance to check things out as she had the key to her father’s apartment. Edie knew the apartment complex and had been there many times before, and had visited Andi in her apartment, too. Edie called her Dad’s apartment - there was no answer. I called Andi’s apartment and there was no answer there either.

  I then called the Torrance police department and reported Andi missing. I told them that I would stop by their office in a half hour to pass on more details. I also called and left a message with L.A. police Detective Lomita.

  “Edie, let’s stop at the Torrance police headquarters on the way.”

  Edie agreed. “OK. I’ll follow you in my car.”

  My new found friend and unexpected partner walked by my side to our cars in the driveway. I realized Edie was a lot shorter than me. I’m six foot one and she was over six inches below my height, and that included the four-inches of her heeled boots.