“No one from the kitchen staff remembered anything unusual?”
“Yeah, an old bum who came by for a handout, real unusual for Goddard Bay. He caused a bit of a ruckus, tried to pee in the drinking fountain in the kitchen. That disrupted everything for a while.”
“There you go. Your poisoner could have slipped in while he was causing mayhem. Do you think the killer maybe bribed the old guy?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. However, the old guy disappeared. But where would he go? Everyone agreed he looked homeless, ill-kempt, bad teeth, layered dirty clothes.”
“A disguise, you think?”
“Yeah, that’s possible too.”
“A woman?”
“Could be. I don’t know. I’ve got all my deputies out near the inn looking for him, or for his clothes.”
“What has John been up to?”
“Among other things, he’s been dealing with Patricia Bigelow. She been all over city hall, threatening to wipe out the town’s coffers with a lawsuit on Olivia and Marci’s behalf. She says Milo was innocent and in our custody, and we’re liable for his death. She seems really excited about the possibility of a large contingency fee.”
“So she’s rubbing your noses in it. You don’t think it’s possible, do you, that Milo was innocent?”
“Truth is, you always feel better if the perp confesses. Milo didn’t. But the evidence, Mary Lisa. There was simply too much evidence against him. And he tried to run.”
“But say he didn’t do it, say he made himself look guilty because he was protecting someone. There are only two people he’d protect, right? Olivia, his wife, and Marci, his daughter. Maybe something happened to make him turn on the guilty one.”
“When I arrested Milo, he was trying to blame his wife, so go figure. There’s Marci, of course, the apple of her daddy’s eyes. I can’t think of another person in the world Milo might protect.”
Mary Lisa said, “I never did like Marci in school. She was always gossiping, bad stuff that hurt people.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She heard the fatigue in his voice again. “Hey, Jack, if I think of anything else you can do, I’ll be sure to call you.”
He was silent for a moment. She was hanging in there, trying to keep his spirits up, her own as well, he supposed. He admired her in that moment. He was proud of her. The fact was he missed her-missed her smile, her ready laugh, her smart mouth, all of her, not to mention that orgasm she’d had lying on top of him. That made him hard just remembering the movement of her against him, remembering those screams of hers in his mouth. He wanted to do that again, like right now. He wanted her powerful bad. He hoped she couldn’t hear his shudder through the phone. “You do that,” he said. “Oh yes, listen to what Daniel tells you. Ah, Mary Lisa? Keep that blanket of friends wrapped around you. Take care of yourself, no rides with strange men.” He paused. “I miss you, kiddo. I really do.”
She closed her eyes, felt her heart beat slow heavy beats. “I miss you too.”
He wanted to keep talking to her, but his office phone buzzed. “I’ve got to go. Please, sweetheart, you take care of yourself. We’ll get through this, I promise.”
“Okay.”
As soon as he’d punched off, he barked into the phone, “Yeah?”
His secretary, Mulhouse, just Mulhouse, thank you, said in her scratchy smoker’s voice, “The D.A.’s on the line, Chief. He wants to meet you at Marci Maynard’s house.”
“Got it.”
When Jack pulled into the Maynard driveway ten minutes later, John Goddard waved him over to the living room window.
FORTY-SIX
Malibu
At Monte’s, just off PCH, Elizabeth and Lou Lou waved Mary Lisa to their favorite back booth. They were talking to a couple of people, who greeted Mary Lisa when she came in. It was ten minutes before they were finally alone with three Diet Dr Peppers on their table.
Elizabeth said, “Okay, Mary Lisa, what is this about?”
Mary Lisa raised her soda and clicked it to Elizabeth’s glass, then to Lou Lou’s. “It’s something I mentioned before, but I didn’t act on it because everything happened all at once.” She sucked in a deep breath. “But I’d like to now, and I need your help.”
Elizabeth gave her a reporter’s stare. “Help with what, exactly?”
Mary Lisa sat forward, lowered her voice. “You were an investigative reporter, Elizabeth. You know all about how to run an investigation, how to dissect evidence, how to break a story. You’re really smart. Lou Lou and I are smart too, but we don’t have your experience, your way of looking at things. I hate to admit this, but Detective Vasquez isn’t getting anywhere. He can’t find Jamie Ramos and there isn’t anything more for him to do unless this crazy tries to kill me again. I’m going to get an ulcer if I just wait around for him to try again because next time he could succeed. I’m tired of being paralyzed with fear, Elizabeth. I want you to help me find him, not wait around like a helpless wuss and hope I survive next time.”
Both Lou Lou and Mary Lisa looked at Elizabeth while she tapped her fingernails on the tabletop. She said slowly, “You’ve held up remarkably well so far, but I can see you’re near the edge, and you have a right to be. We could hire a private investigator, Mary Lisa. I’ll bet the studio would instantly provide you with private security guards. All you’d have to do is ask. Or you could take a leave of absence. Understand, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, it’s just that directly involving ourselves could be dangerous, more dangerous than it is now.”
“I can’t think of a single way it could be any more dangerous. Look, I’m already doing something to protect myself-I’m taking karate lessons. Elizabeth, you went on TV about the van and Jamie Ramos. But it’s not enough. Would you at least help me do something else to protect myself?” Mary Lisa cut her eyes to Lou Lou. “Are you in this with me, Lou Lou?”
Lou Lou never hesitated. She covered Mary Lisa’s hand with hers. “All the way.”
“Okay, would you teach us how to shoot, how to use a handgun?”
Elizabeth looked closely again at the women she’d considered her best friends for some time now. Every day that passed without someone on the radar was a danger for Mary Lisa. Lou Lou knew that too and it was driving her nuts. “Okay, you guys, I’m in. We’re all in this together?” At their nods, she raised her glass, clicked it to Mary Lisa’s and then to Lou Lou’s. The three of them drank silently.
Elizabeth continued. “Teaching you to shoot is no problem. We can get you started right away. Do either of you know anything about guns?”
“Nope, not a blessed thing,” Lou Lou said and Mary Lisa nodded.
“Okay, you know I have a permit to carry a handgun, but I’m not about to pull it out of my purse and freak everyone out. It’s not easy to get a permit in L.A., but you’re a celebrity, Mary Lisa, and there have been attempts on your life. I’m sure you could get one, and with Daniel’s help, maybe quickly. The first thing we need to do is get you to a gun shop.”
Mary Lisa asked, “Can Lou Lou and I buy a gun right away?”