by Sherrel Lee
“Would you use your real name? Expose your family to ridicule by a bunch of perverted strangers who think they have a right to judge? Even Trixie tried to shield me a little, giving me her mother’s middle name as my last name, but in a place as small as Plano it didn’t make much of a difference. Everyone knew who my mother was and I paid for it.”
Michael glanced at George then looked back at me. “I was wrong to think you were like her when we met. Or that your friend wasn’t—as important as—as…”
“Forget it. You’ve come around and are probably more generous than I am toward some of the people we are dealing with. Those who are my friends worked hard to earn my trust. Others didn’t.”
“So do you have any idea who Auntie M could be?”
A list of names ran through mind, Mindy, Mila, Melody, Mika, Mickey so many names began with the sound of “me”. Others like Mimi, Mena, Meg, the name they went by on stage. “I can think of a few dozen people it might be if you just go by the letter, but I don’t see any of them as being capable to harming a boy Robbie’s age.”
DeMarco’s boss entered the room. “Mike, we’re going to cut this guy loose and the woman too. Your witness is refusing to implicate them in any way. They keep telling me he just got there looking for them like you were and the woman wasn’t involved in any of it.”
“George and Eve were on the phone with Ash.”
”The lawyer is saying it was a joke call. They found the phone and punched the last number called and they were messing with the voice altering device. I know it’s a pile of bullshit but unless we can get Miz Dix to say different…”
“But the murders…”
“You don’t have anything to tie them to the snuff films other than a charm made by the woman who makes custom jewelry and claims she know he was making those films. She’s not really considered reliable. Find the evidence and we’ll put them away. Cut them loose, DeMarco. Now.”
* * * *
DeMarco dropped me at the front door, waved, and went back to the house where we had found Trixie, who had taken off to go to a Los Angeles spa for a few days. I knew Trix would be safe but it made me nervous that Michael was out there without me to watch his back—this partnership thing had grown into more than I could have anticipated, but he wanted to take a final look. I understood his need to walk through the house when it was empty to better understand what had happened earlier when we had taken George and Eve in for questioning.
Nothing but frustration and enough bullshit to fill a football field. I was so tired I didn’t wait for Michael to come back to the house after he dropped me off. But I made time to do my job and check on the addition to the house before going upstairs and taking a shower. I checked all the doors and windows as well. Not a quick or easy thing to do in this place, it was more like running a marathon with all the rooms spread out over more than ten thousand square feet of space.
Everything was secure and I turned on the alarm system from the remote on the desk, stripped and stepped into the bathroom, turning the shower on steam to ease the tension in my neck and shoulders before I washed my hair and soaped up. I hate it when I make assumptions – that ass of you and me thing. I learned long ago to never assume anything, but today the knowledge escaped me.
I took my time, letting the hot water fall over me as I finished bathing and rinsing the suds from my hair. Grabbing one of the amazingly soft towels from the warming rack – thank you Jillie for all the little luxuries you left me – and wrapping myself in it before I began to dry my hair.
The lights when out.
I should have known better. Jillie wouldn’t have a house like this and overload the circuits. I knew that—I’d lived and stayed with her off and on over the years. But I was distracted, running everything through my mind one more time before shoving into the ‘for the morning place’ in my head and falling into bed.
I secured the towel around me, carefully making my way toward the bedroom door. Stopping. Searching for the door knob. I heard it. Breathing. No way DeMarco would do anything so reckless. I started to turn.
* * * *
They were laughing at me. Jake Daily knocked me down and the other kids were laughing as I tried to get off the floor, my nose bloody from falling on my face. I hated school. I hated these laughing hyenas. They didn’t know me. They didn’t want to know me, but they acted like they were better than me, just because mama bitch was in dirty movies.
I forced my eyes open blinking, the carpet coming into focus. Carpet much too close to my face. Thor’s hammer sent lightning bolts though my head. My arms refused to respond to my demand they help me up. One lay numbly under me. The other resting beside me.
Not school. I was no longer that ten year old freak, but the laughter continued swirling over my head, the source unseen.
Feet danced into view as I watched a liquid being poured on the floor. The smell left no doubt the substance was gasoline. A reminder of the day I had spent in Trixie’s house only to barely escape by shimmying down a tree. Unable to move there would be no escape route today.
“Ashley, I’m so happy you woke up,” I knew the voice but my head was too muddled to identify who she was. “I was afraid I wouldn’t have the pleasure watching you realize you’re going to die. I didn’t get to kill Trixie yet. But I think she’ll miss her daughter even if you two don’t get along so well.”
“Stop,” a voice shouted from the hallway. I knew this one, it was George. “You have to stop Mimzi. You can’t just keep killing people like this. I thought you were going to be satisfied when we started the snuff gig.
Really? Dimzie Mimzi was the killer in the snuff films?
“But Georgie, you’re the one who was so turned on watching me kill those women. I know because you showed me how hard it made you every time one of them died.”
“But this is different. We aren’t making a film. It was bad enough when you killed Jillie, then you did away with Randi just because she saw you in the club the night Jillie died.”
“But they knew. Jillie knew about the films and Randi knew I talked to Jillie. I had to kill them.”
“You stupid bitch. No one would have ever connected you to Jillie’s death just because you went to VixSin. We all go there.”
I couldn’t believe the two of them stood over me arguing like children on a playground, but I was thankful George had stopped her from lighting the fire, at least for a moment. The drug, because it had to be a drug, seemed to be wearing off. I could feel the tingling nerves in my hands as they woke. I flexed my fingers and then my toes.
I didn’t know exactly where the two crazies were or if they were looking at me, so it was with caution I moved only one hand, pushing on the carpet testing my strength. I needed more time, but the gods of greed took mercy on me and the squabbling turned into a full blown eruption of rage.
“I hate them. They have all of it, everything I should have, everything I deserve,” Mimzi screamed. “I wanted Kevin, but no—Jillie had to have him. You were supposed to get the money, but you let Eve interfere. She told them everything didn’t she?”
“Do you think I would be here right now if she had told them what we had done? That we killed young women to make money and that we intended to kill Trixie as soon as we got the ransom? You have to trust me. She’s too afraid of what you’ll do to her boy to talk. And Trix didn’t say a word against us.”
“I don’t believe you, George. You came here to stop me and brought the cops with you, didn’t you. I know they are out there just waiting.”
George must have grabbed Mimzi because she was screaming at him to let her go, I rolled, unsteady as I pushed myself up and headed for the hallway.
“She’s getting away, damn you, George. Stop her.” Mimzi screamed tearing herself away from him.
I made it to the landing, gasping from the gas fumes that had filled the room, Sluggish from the drugs, and struggling to stay on my feet, I grabbed hold of the banister, leaning on it as I continued to move towa
rd the stairs. I don’t know if George recaptured Mimzi, or she gave up trying to follow me, but as I started down the stairs I heard the whoosh of flames igniting the gas in the bedroom. I could feel the heated air and I scrambled to the first floor, then blessedly the sprinklers began to drown the smoke and fire.
A scream loud and high enough to shatter glass filled the air as I stumbled toward the front door. Throwing it open I found DeMarco. When he had finished the walk through he arrived to find George’s car in the drive. He got me out, called the fire department and Braden for backup but Mimzi and George were nowhere to be found.
25
The techs found Mimzi’s fingerprints on a gas can she had set in the hallway and it wasn’t surprising to find her name wasn’t Mimzi, and she had a long history of starting fires. Her real name was Connie Long and her parents had died in a fire she was suspected of having set, but it had never been proven. After that she had burned down a restaurant after she was fired, and because she was only sixteen, she had spent the next thirteen months in a juvenile lockup, released the day before her eighteenth birthday. I didn’t know Mimzi well enough to determine where she had gone. But if she was with George, I figured I could track them down.
George is not the most original thinker. He would go to ground somewhere close to the studio Trixie used to do promo work for her films. He wouldn’t be able to leave his equipment and just disappear.
I also had the feeling Connie-Mimzi wasn’t going to stay hidden. She needed to finish the job she had started and that was going to include coming at me again.
In the meantime, I was staying at DeMarco’s. It was getting ridiculous having to move every time Mimzi decided someone had to die or be burned out. Fortunately the fire in my bedroom hadn’t gotten out into the rest of the house and once the carpet had been removed and the smoke damage cleaned, we could move back in if we decided to.
“I think you aren’t meant to live in that house, Ash. Maybe you should sell it and find somewhere else like you could live here. I wouldn’t mind you as a roommate,” DeMarco wrapped strands of my hair around his fingers as we lay cuddled up in his bed, having taken a break from the worries of deadly crimes.
“I think you should consider moving in with me instead,” I told him
That’s a lot of house for just to two of us. But you might convince me to stay with you. Maybe I can do a little body—guarding.”
I have ideas for the house. I think I’m going to open an agency to help the ones out there that don’t trust cops. I have the connections that give me an opportunity to gain their trust and I know the girls who got mixed up with George and Mimzi aren’t the only ones who need help. I’ve already talked to a few people about coming on board.”
“I figure we’ll do a little remodeling, have some rooms for a few people to stay if they need a place temporarily. Maybe I can even find a way to help them get jobs in a different arena. They don’t have to stay in the sex business, but I’m not going to try to force them to change.” I waited for Michael to tell me I was nuts and that I needed to do more to make the sinners change their lives.
“I don’t think you’re going to have to do anything but help these people. I think it’s a great idea and hope you can pull it off. Are you having someone check out the residential ordinances for the city? You might need some special permits or licenses.”
“I called Severenson and he’s working on it. You want to join me? You can leave the force and you’d help me run everything.”
“Let me think about it,” Michael threw back the covers, collected his clothes and gave me a wicked grin. “While I think about it, why don’t you join me in the shower?”
DeMarco and I are both early risers, which is a good thing or he would have missed the meeting with his boss, but he wouldn’t be turning in his resignation. I’m not sure I blame him. As a cop he had a lot more power than I would as a private investigator and I think it would be difficult for him to be paid by Jillie’s estate, and have me as his owning partner.
He left for work and I stayed to do some research on the computer, before I went in to check on Caroline and the goings on at VixSin. No matter what was happening, I needed to keep in touch with the business at hand, and get to know my new club manager better.
Even so I couldn’t rid myself of the thought of the film studio. Trixie didn’t change a lot of things once they were established and wouldn’t have moved the station. I used the Google satellite mapping to see the area where I remembered the general location it was in..
Plano would never permit the filming of Trixie’s movies, but the studio was used to cut film, do voice overs and even some promotional video where the actors and actresses were clothed--barely. There was also a large viewing room she could use, but most of that had been done at her house, before it was burned out.
I was sure that I would find George near that facility or he might even have gone there to hide since there was no one in town to use it. I don’t think he’d have any idea I would remember where it was or that it even existed. I hadn’t been there in ten years, but I have a very good memory. One of things that makes me really good at taking down crazies and scum. Confirming the area hadn’t changed much in the years I had been away, and that I could find the building, I dressed and left to attend to business.
* * * *
I admit I was impressed with the changes Caroline had made at the club. She, like Jillie, made sure the place was uber-clean, but had removed the carpeting and replaced it with gleaming dark marble that reflected the low lighting but left the customer’s faces in shadow at the tables that sat a few rows from the stage. The waitresses now wore a variety of see-through lace and cut-leather corsets. Even the mirrors behind the bar had been replaced with smoke colored mirrors in various shapes and sizes that were meant to capture only partial images creating a fascinating collage.
“I was hoping you’d come by,” Caroline said, walking out of the office area and into the main room. “I heard about the fire at your house. Are you having any luck finding the ones who did it?”
“We know who they are, but they’ve gone into hiding.” I changed the subject. “I like what you’ve done. It’s elegant and very practical. I don’t see our old regulars, did you chase them out?”
“Not on purpose, but I think they were a little intimidated by the changes. Do you mind that they aren’t here?”
“Hell no. I think you’re going to really give the women a boost in income, because the clientele will have a few more dollars in their pockets. What else have you done?”
“We’re featuring a lunch buffet and will be doing a late dinner buffet once a week if this works out. A lot of people like to sneak away for a bit of entertainment during the time they have for lunch and some even want a special place for lunch meetings with their customers. I figure if we can meet their needs and fill their bellies, it should be a winner.”
“Just make sure the needs your meeting don’t include any extras that can get us closed down.” We walked back toward the office as we talked.
“Not to worry, Ashley. I’ve added some bouncers who have great reputations for making sure no one gets too handy. We will be welcoming and provide exceptional shows and dances, but we’re strictly no touch. I’ve also made it clear that anyone caught prostituting themselves will get an immediate boot.”
In the office I closed the door and took the chair next to Caroline’s desk. “So, are you hearing anything about Mimzi or George? Have they contacted anyone you’re aware of?”
“There’s a lot of gossip and speculations, but I don’t think anyone knows where they are, but I’m still an outsider so they might not say anything in front of me,” Caroline said. “You want me to get Kevin or Butch in here? They might have some information if anyone has heard from them.”
“No. I’d rather you talk to them for me. I don’t want to look like I’m interrogating them and you can have a quick word and ask them to call me if they hear anything. No one will think anything
about it. I have some other things to take care of but I’ll have my phone on if anyone needs me. I think you’ve done some smart things for VixSin and like your ideas. Keep up the good work.”
Caroline actually blushed, surprising that a compliment would bring color to her cheeks. Maybe she was working on confidence issues like so many of us do. I know I have a hard time when people remark on the way I look. Maybe that’s a hangover from all the comparisons with Trixie and her fleet of actors. It had followed me when I left for the Army then had gotten a little better. After all until I came back to town, most people had no idea that I was born from the loins of a porn queen.
* * * *
I drove to the east side of town where there were a number of warehouse style buildings that housed a variety of businesses, including Trixie’s studio. I wasn’t foolish enough to go in and look around without backup—DeMarco would kick my ass if I died doing something so stupid. Instead I just staked out the place, watching for any signs of activity. Most of the building’s façade was stone, but there were a number of high windows on the front of the building.
I didn’t see any cars I recognized, but I could watch the windows for signs that lights were going on or being turned off. I also didn’t see the old man who was usually parked in the glassed in lobby. I wasn’t sure if that was something to be concerned about or if he’d been sent off on some vacation when the others had been shipped out. Trixie was a great employer, making sure the men and women who worked for her, in any capacity, were given plenty of family or personal time and I couldn’t reach her at the SPA, true to her own rules, she’d turned off her phone.
I only stayed a couple of hours. Hours filled with boredom and frustration. I don’t know what I expected but my blood pressure was rising with each minute that passed. Kevin had given me a call while I watched the studio, only to report he’d heard nothing from anyone. Butch called a while later with the same report. Both promised to keep their ear to the ground for me. Damn I was tired of this and wanted everything settled. Mostly I wanted to find Mimzi and pummel her senseless.