“If she remembers things would she remember the attack?” Kim asked.
“It’s hard to say,” Nurse Wood said. “It’s common for persons suffering from head trauma to have no memory of how the injury occurred, whether it’s an accident or an attack like your victim.”
“Okay, here’s my card,” Elgie said. “Please call us once surgery is over. We’ll come back if she regains consciousness. In the meantime, we’re going to try to notify her next of kin of her condition.”
“Before you leave, Doctor Biggs told me to tell you that the stab wounds totaled twenty shallow wounds and two deep wounds. The wound under the navel punctured the intestinal tract, but that was not immediately life-threatening. The wound underneath the rib cage collapsed the left lung which could have been fatal. We’ll call you and let you know if she makes it. It would be good if you could get her next of kin here either way.”
“I’ll do my best,” Elgie said. “Thank you for the information.”
“Sure, if she makes it either Dr. Biggs or I will call you when she’s about to regain consciousness. I’m assuming you’ll want to talk to her immediately?”
“You assume correctly.”
As Detective Kim drove back toward the crime scene, they discussed the assignment.
“Boss, why are we still on this case?” Kim asked. “I mean we’re homicide, not almost homicide.”
“We’re still on it because of the nature of the attack,” Elgie said. “Twenty shallow cuts means the attacker tortured the victim. The attack was also controlled. If this were a frenzied attack, all the stabs would have been about the same depth. I think this person could have attacked before. Until we know one way or another, we’re still on the case. Also, Ms. Chambers may still die. She’s not stable yet. What’s your psychological perspective on it, Doctor Connors?”
“This certainly appears to be a prolonged attack that’s unlikely to be an isolated crime. It’s likely that there were other attacks or there may be others in the immediate future.”
“Right,” Elgie said, “we’re going to start by determining if Ms. Chambers was a working girl. There’s little other reason a woman would be out walking on Sunset Boulevard at that time of morning. To that end, we’re going to interview the ladies on the street and see if any of them know her and if so if they saw her with anyone.
“Detective Kim, while Doctor Connors and I conduct the interviews I want you to call Hollywood Division and the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station and find out if they have any cases with twenty shallow and two deep stab wounds. I’ll run Ms. Chambers for priors. Of course, if she wasn’t a professional, she could have still been seen by one of the girls.” Elgie used the onboard computer to run the check. “Yes, she has two convictions for prostitution.
“Detective Kim, go ahead and do the checks I asked for. We’ll try ViCAP and other LAPD divisions later. After those items, we’ll go to the address on Ms. Chambers’ driver’s license and find out if there is anyone else living there. If not, we can interview the neighbors. Doctor Connors, have you interviewed prostitutes before?”
“No sir, I haven’t had the pleasure.”
“Well, you’re about to get pleased. Shall we get to it?”
“Yes, sir.”
As Doctor Connors and Elgie got out of the car to talk to the Sunset Girls Detective Kim called the sheriff’s department. Kim spoke to one of their homicide investigators, Detective Ronald Franks, who confirmed that they had a case like the one she described. The homicide occurred on December thirtieth. The one difference was that their victim was stabbed in the heart.
“Did he do anything other than stab her?” Kim asked.
“Yes, the left side of her face was beaten, but only the left. She was wounded on the back of her head. The M.E. says she was probably kicked with a shoe with a reinforced toe. She had handcuffs on at some time, which explains why she didn’t have any defensive wounds.”
“That’s our guy alright. You say this happened on December thirtieth?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“That’s two weeks before our attack. There could be another victim in two weeks—or sooner. When can we get a copy of the file?”
“Any time after three, I’ll leave it at the front desk for you.”
“That’ll do. Thanks for your help.”
Kim then called Hollywood Division and found they had no similar homicides.
Elgie and Doctor Connors had spoken to three girls who stated they didn’t know Michelle and didn’t see anything they would consider suspicious; the fourth had something to say, but not about Michelle.
“Look, if you want to know which guys are pervy and violent check the Bad Trick List.”
“What’s the Bad Trick List?” asked Doctor Connors.
“This other hooker, Mariann, said she saw a Canadian television show that talked about a Bad Trick List, and she made one for us. She’s on a date, but she should be back in a minute. Talk to her, I gotta go.”
“Thanks for the help,” Elgie said. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“They just call me Tootsie.”
“Thanks, Tootsie.”
Elgie and Doctor Connors waited for around ten minutes when the woman Tootsie described got out of a white truck. Elgie went over to speak with her.
“Hello, Mariann, I’m Lieutenant Reynolds of the Los Angeles Police Department, and this is Doctor Connors. We would like to talk to you about your Bad Trick List.”
“It’s just an idea I got from TV. I have copies that I give out to the girls, and there’s a website where girls can post complaints about tricks like they didn’t pay, they knocked ‘em around, pulled something on ‘em, or robbed ‘em. I ask ‘em to tell us what the trick looked like, and the kinda car the trick was driving so the other girls’ll know what to watch out for. I make copies of the list and pass ‘em out. I also give ‘em to the ladies in Hollywood because some of the same tricks hit both spots. They say that they go to Hollywood and East Hollywood when they’re low on cash. And come up here when they have enough money to spend on higher priced hookers. I have a copy of the list if you want one.”
“Yes, that would be helpful,” Elgie said. “Is there anyone on the list that you would think could seriously hurt or kill one of the girls?”
“Yeah, there were two who really fucked up some girls. One girl was beaten so bad she was in the hospital for three days and didn’t come back out for a month.”
“Can we talk to this girl?” Elgie asked.
“She left already, and I don’t know where she lives. What the car and the trick look like is on the list I gave you. She made a police report when she was in the hospital.”
“What’s the girl’s name?”
“Angie Harris.”
“What occurred with the second violent patron you mentioned?” Dr. Connors asked.
“This trick pulled a knife on one of the girls. She jumped out of the car when he stopped at a light. That move may have saved her life. You’ll find that on the list too.”
“Is she around?” Elgie asked.
“Yes, that’s her walking on the next block. Her name is Emily.”
“Are there any pimps on the list?”
“No, they usually leave us alone. If one does come up here, they always try to seduce the girls. Then they’ll try to get them working for ‘em by offering ‘em protection and support—not by threatening or beating up on ‘em. The pimps know there ain’t no future in doing shit like that.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Elgie and Doctor Connors walked down to Emily and introduced themselves. The girl was apprehensive at first until she was sure what they were there for.
“I read the report you gave on the Bad Trick List.” Elgie said, “You said that the man was a white guy about five-eleven, thin with stringy black hair and clean shaven. Is that description right?”
“Yeah. I wrote that right after it happened to be sure I got it right.”
“Is t
here possibly anything you left out?”
“No. We look out for each other on this end of Sunset. I wanted to be sure that no other girl ended up in the situation I was in. They might not be so lucky to be able to get out of the car like I did.”
“Would you give me your phone number to follow up with you to identify this person?”
“Sure, I’ll put it in your phone.”
“What’s your last name?”
“Kendricks. You guys think you’re going to catch this guy?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to try. Thanks for your help.”
Elgie and Doctor Connors returned to the car. Once again Detective Kim was in the driver’s seat, Elgie took the passenger’s seat, and Doctor Connors was in the back. Detective Kim told them about her findings.
“When can we pick up the file from the Sheriff’s Station?” Elgie asked.
“We can pick up a copy later this morning after three. I spoke with Detective Ronald Franks, he told me he’d leave it at the front desk for us. All we have to do is show our badges.”
“When did the homicide occur?” Connors asked.
“December thirtieth, that’s two weeks ago.”
“Yeah, exactly two weeks,” Elgie said. “Do they know what time?”
“The detective said that it was between two in the morning when she was last seen by the other working girls and six in the morning when a janitorial service found her in an alley.”
“Thank you, detective. Once again, very good work.”
“Thanks, Boss. So, we’re headed for Ms. Chambers’ address, is that right?”
“Yes, the address is 1433 West Bend Drive.”
Upon arriving at the address of Ms. Chambers, the team was greeted by a tall woman in a green bathrobe. Elgie spoke first.
“Hello, I’m Lieutenant Elgie Reynolds with the Los Angeles Police Department, and this is Doctor Lucas Connors and Detective Quinn Kim. And you are…”
“My name is Jennifer Park.”
“Ms. Park, do you know a Michelle Chambers?” Elgie asked.
“Yes, she’s my roommate. Why? Did something happen to her?”
“Yes, she was attacked on Sunset Boulevard.”
“Attacked? What kind of attack?”
“She was stabbed and beaten.”
“Is she dead? Is that why you’re here?”
“No, she’s still alive as far as we know. She should still be in surgery.”
“What the hell, I told her not to go out at that time of morning. It’s dangerous out there after midnight.”
“She was found around twelve-thirty this morning. Do you know what she was doing on Sunset?”
“Yeah. Would you come in so we can talk?”
“Of course.”
Elgie thought it was odd that Ms. Park didn’t shed a tear for her friend, but people handle grief in many ways.
Ms. Park sat in a large chair and motioned for the team to take a seat on the couch. A marble top coffee table sat between them. While Elgie interviewed Ms. Park. Detective Kim took notes.
“Are you sure it’s Michelle? I mean you say the woman was beaten. She could have just looked like Michelle.”
“No, no mistake,” Elgie said. “We verified it was Ms. Chambers by her identification.”
“Alright, I guess it’s her if you say so. That’s a shame because Michelle doesn’t usually do this, but she was out to turn a trick. She hasn’t worked the streets in over three years. She only went out tonight to get some money for some cocaine.”
“Is she an addict?”
“Well, I can’t say. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect she is.”
“If she hasn’t been working the streets how has she been making money?”
“She works for an escort service just like me. In fact, we work for the same agency.”
“Are any of her dates violent or possessive?”
“Michelle steers clear of the violent ones. She usually only takes assignments that are legitimate escort service dates. She only has a few regulars that want sex, but there is one guy who is possessive. The guy’s name is Norman. I don’t know his last name.”
“What does he do that upsets Michelle?” Elgie asked.
“Norman was one of the dates she had sex with, and he seemed to be hot for her from the jump. But that was expected since he wanted the girlfriend experience. He would see her at least once a week and try to romance her. He would meet her in expensive hotels, order champagne from room service. Basically, he treated her like he was trying to make her his girlfriend for real. She gave him the phone number here after he asked.
“He was supposed to call once or twice a week as part of the girlfriend fantasy, but he would call almost every day. Sometimes two or three times a day. Then he wanted to buy her a car. That’s when Michelle knew the girlfriend thing wasn’t just a fantasy for him. So, Michelle told him to stop calling and that she wasn’t going to date him anymore. She said she’d tell our boss, Sirena, about it. He got mad at her and said she would regret being mean to him. And that’s just how he said it too. He sounded like a little boy. A little boy with his feelings hurt.”
“How long ago was this?”
“About two weeks ago, but Michelle said she thought Norman was following her—stalking her.”
“Did you ever see him following her?”
“No, but I saw a car circling the block one time that looked like his. I couldn’t see the driver. Really, I’m not sure it was the same car. Maybe similar cars were just passing by. For a while, I was very nervous and afraid for Michelle’s safety and mine. Maybe I just let my imagination run away with me.”
“Is there anyone else that you can think of that might want to harm Ms. Chambers?”
“No, no one I can think of now. The fact is guys become possessive all the time, but they usually get over it. Norman wasn’t that type. He thought she dissed him and he held a grudge against her.”
“Did she have any other men in her life that might be jealous?”
“No, everyone liked Michelle. All her clients liked having her with them for conventions and the like. She told me that they always acted like gentlemen and didn’t try anything with her after the date.”
“Do you have Norman’s phone number?”
“No, but our boss, Sirena, would know Norman’s last name and have a phone number and maybe an address. She’ll be in her office around eight tonight.”
“Do you have her phone number or know where she lives?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Is there anyone else in the office before eight?”
“Yeah, I think Gregor is in the office in the afternoon around four. He should be able to give you the information you want. Here’s my card from work. It has the address and phone number for the escort agency.”
“Thank you very much for your cooperation. One more thing—can you get in touch with Ms. Chambers’ family?”
“No, as far as I know, Michelle hasn’t spoken to her family since she’s been out here. She’s from Cleveland.”
“Okay. Once again, thank you for your help.”
“Oh, I forgot to ask, what hospital is Michelle in?”
“Huntington, but she is still in surgery. They’re not sure if she’ll make it.”
“Oh my God! When you said surgery before I didn’t think she might die.”
“When the surgery is over, the nurse is going to give us a call. Would you like me to call you?”
“Yeah, please. I’ll put my cell phone number on the back of the card.”
“Thank you again, Ms. Park.”
Ms. Park remained seated when Elgie and company left. Once outside Elgie could hear Ms. Park crying.
Chapter Three
“Say, what time is it?” Elgie asked.
“It’s about ten to two,” Doctor Connors replied.
“There’s a meeting I need to go to on River Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Detective Kim, drop me off and pick me up in a
half-hour?”
“Sure, Boss—what would you like us to do in the meantime?”
“Go back to the crime scene and see how the SID team is doing. Maybe they’ll have some evidence that can help us out.”
“Good deal, Boss. See you in thirty.”
Once at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Elgie listened as the secretary of the meeting introduced himself. The format of the meeting was participation rather than a speaker meeting. After a couple of people went up to the podium to share their feelings and whatever was on their minds. Elgie went up to speak.
“Hello, my name is Elgie, and I'm an alcoholic.”
The group replied, “Hi Elgie!”
“I've been sober for a little over a hundred and twenty days, and I’m still having trouble thinking about drinking. Sometimes I get stressed, and I want a drink. I’m a police officer, and right now we're in the middle of a very serious investigation. I can't go into details, but again I'm having trouble staying focused.
“There’s a couple of things bothering me. I know I was only assigned this case because they thought it was a prostitute case and nobody wanted it. Prostitute murders are notoriously difficult to solve and brings down your stats which matters when it comes to promotions.
“They also gave me two rookies. This is the first detective assignment for both. One came from the street, and one came from the FBI as a profiler. He should come in handy. I don’t know about her. Well, that’s what I have to work with, and if I don’t solve this case, I can plan on being back riding a desk. I’ll bet you’re wondering what’s any of that got to do with drinking. It’s because the stress is keeping me one step away from a bottle. I’ll just have to stay sober for today or if not for today, then for the next hour or the next minute if that’s what it takes. I’m going to work this case to the best of my ability. Whether I’m thinking about drinking or not. Thank you for letting me share.”
The group applauds.
When Elgie left the meeting, Detective Kim and Doctor Connors were waiting for him. Doctor Connors was now driving, and Elgie once again took the passenger seat. Elgie asked about the trip to the crime scene. Detective Kim answered.
Tracking the Butcher Page 2