Milo said, “You thought right. What did the man look like?”
“Thirties, dark hair.” Quick intake of breath. “To be frank, somewhat good looking. In a certain way.”
“What way?”
“Not substantive good looks. The kind of guy you see all over L.A., spends too much time in front of the mirror.”
Milo took out his phone, scrolled to Richard Gurnsey’s DMV photo, and showed it to Candace Kierstead.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, my God, that’s him! He’s a mass murderer? I got that close to a serial killer?”
A tremor began at her shoulders and coursed down her torso.
Milo said, “You were never in danger, Candace.”
“But—”
“He’s not a murderer.”
“What then?”
“He’s a victim.”
“Oh,” she said. “So telling you this is important. Wow.” She played with her hair. “Who is he?”
“As I said, can’t get into details.”
“Oh, of course, sorry—so he actually came back there? Was it also a benefit? Was exploiting a good cause his thing?”
Milo said, “May I show you some other faces to see if you recognize them?” and scrolled to Benny Alvarez’s social service I.D. photo.
“No,” she said. “Never seen him.”
Same response to Solomon Roget and the unidentified woman. “Who are all these people?”
Milo smiled. “I wish I could be more specific—”
“Sorry, sorry…I have to say, Lieutenant, they’re a diverse group, aren’t they? If they’re also victims, it’s as if someone’s trying to kill a variety of people. To murder the world.”
* * *
—
She got up to use “the little girls’ room,” returned moments later.
Milo said, “Can you tell us anything more about the woman having sex?”
“I really can’t, Lieutenant. Never saw her face.”
“Height?”
“Hmm. Average? Not super short or tall.”
“Build?”
“She had a good figure, like I said, nice legs.”
“Hair?”
“Hmm. Probably brunette but I can’t swear to that because the lighting was extremely weak. There was just enough to see what he—what they were doing.” She tapped her cheek. “I don’t want to go out on a limb but I think her dress was dark. At least it wasn’t shiny bright—not lamé or satin or anything along those lines. As I said, most of it was bunched up—you know, now that I think about it I didn’t see any underwear on the ground. So obviously she came prepared for…whatever—she did have a rear, that was certainly in full view. Not that hipless boy thing they like on models nowadays, how does anyone live up to that?”
Surveying her own svelte body.
Nothing Milo and I could say that wouldn’t come out wrong.
We thanked her and stood.
She said, “Take the biscuits with you. That way Sig won’t be tempted, he’s a big snacker and he needs to watch.”
* * *
—
Milo cruised a couple of blocks before pulling over and parking on a street indistinguishable from Conrock. “Helpful citizen, God bless her.”
He found the shot of Gurnsey he’d shown Candace Kierstead and studied it. “Richard, Richard, what sins did you pay for? Maybe she’s right about his returning to the same place, some kind of memory thrill. Though how would he know about a teen party?”
I said, “If the first time was a big thrill, he could’ve googled the address from time to time.”
“Five months between parties,” he said. “Patient guy.”
“Sexual fantasy’s a great motivator and sounds like he was into risk-taking. He’d stand out in a bunch of teenagers but age difference didn’t stop him at the Daylighters’ bash.”
He turned to me. “Ricky and a fellow risk-taker. But she’s not dumped in the limo.”
I said, “No reason for her to be there. Gurnsey was promiscuous, he probably moved on.”
“Or he didn’t, Alex, and wanted to relive the same scene with the same girl and she agreed? A boyfriend or a husband finds out, ounce of prevention and all that. Gurnsey gets stalked before the party, overpowered, stabbed, stashed somewhere, and finally dumped.”
“Him and three others? Simple jealousy doesn’t explain that. To my mind the production thing fits better.”
“So what’s the story line?”
“No idea.”
We sat for a while. He started the car. Grumbled and shot forward.
A block later: “None of this is remotely sane.”
I said, “At least we know focusing on Gurnsey is the right approach. Look at his calls on the days prior to both parties. The same number shows up twice you’ll be legally allowed to smile.”
He flashed a fierce grin and yanked so hard at his cell that it snagged in his pocket. Freeing it, he speed-dialed. “Moses, you still working Gurnsey’s calls…forget all that for the time being, just concentrate on these dates…yup—a week prior to both. There’s a number in common don’t try it, just find out who owns it. I should be back in ten.”
CHAPTER
14
Reed stood outside Milo’s office door. Troubled look on his baby-face. Detective colic.
He said, “Got a number Gurnsey called three times in January and once last Wednesday but it’s—”
“A non-traceable beater.”
Colossal shoulders dropped. Maybe the Richter scale at Cal Tech could feel it.
Reed said, “Sorry, L.T. By-the-hour cheapie. A 410 area code, which is Baltimore but geography doesn’t matter, these things are bought and sold in bulk.”
I said, “Still, maybe someone’s got a Baltimore link.”
Neither detective was impressed by the suggestion.
Milo said, “Who answers?”
“You said not to call them.”
“So I did. Okay, let’s give it a go.”
Reed handed him the phone list. “The one underlined in red.”