grown-up body. So who knows.”
“Be interesting if she was pregnant,” said Hooks. “Can't wait to see the autopsy on this one.” He glanced back at the body. “Not that she's showing. Small lady.”
“Small,” McLaren agreed. “Cohen estimated five one, ninety.”
“Yeah, she was small,” said Rinaldo. “Anyone could have hurt her.”
“Any ideas about who did?”
“Not a one.”
“So no known enemies?”
“Not that I heard. Overall, she was a pretty nice kid, but anyone could have conned her. Like I said, she was retarded.”
“I'm still trying to get a feel for how retarded,” said Hooks.
“I don't know exactly, sir. I mean, she could talk and make sense and at first glance she didn't look weird, but once you talked to her you realized she was immature.”
“Like a twelve-year-old.”
“Maybe even younger. Ten, eleven. Despite all her fooling around she was kinda… innocent.” Another blush. “Not a hard kid, you know?”
“Was she in any program?” said McLaren. “Special school, that kind of thing?”
“I don't think she was in school, period. I just used to see her on the streets, walking around, hanging. Sometimes I had to tell her to get moving, go home.”
She winced. “The thing is, sometimes she didn't put on enough clothes. No underwear or bra and sometimes she'd wear real filmy see-through clothes. Or leave her shirt unbuttoned. When I'd say what on earth are you doing, girl, she'd giggle and button up.”
“Advertising for business?” said McLaren.
“I always thought she was just acting stupid,” said Rinaldo.
“Whether or not she was advertising,” said Hooks, “going around like that, she probably got business.”
“I'm sure,” said Rinaldo.
“No boyfriend,” said McLaren.
“Not to my knowledge.”
“No gangsters in her social life at all?”
“The brother's all I know. You'd have to ask her grandmother.”
“We'll do that,” said Hooks. “What's the home address?”
“Don't know the exact number but it's on Thirty-ninth a couple of blocks east of here. Green house, old, one of those big wooden ones converted to rooms, chain-link fence in front and cement instead of grass. I know because I took her home one time when she had a short dress and no panties. The wind was blowing the dress up and I just wanted to get her inside.” She blinked. “Grandmother's on the second floor.”
“When Latvinia was busted,” said Hooks, “were you the arresting officer?”
“Me and my partner, Kretzer. We pulled her twice for soliciting. Both times she was out late, over on Hoover near the freeway on-ramp, getting in the way of traffic.”
“East ramp or west?”
“West.”
“Trying to snag a Beverly Hills guy, maybe,” said McLaren.
Rinaldo shrugged.
“When was this?” said Hooks.
“Last year. December, I think. It was cold and she had on a quilted jacket but no top underneath.”
Hooks wrote. “So I can get her personal info from the files.”
“Probably not, it was a juvey bust, sealed. She was just short of eighteen and I told her she was a lucky girl. If it's just the home address you need, I can take you there.”
“The address is a good place to start,” said Hooks. He looked at McLaren. “You want?”
The younger man said, “Sure.”
He and Rinaldo walked away, got into a black-and-white, and drove toward the south gate.
“See any dramatic parallels, yet?” Hooks asked Milo.
“Not really.”
“Yours was a diplomat's kid?”
“Israeli diplomat.”
“Nothing in the news on anything like that?”
“They hushed it up.” Milo told him Carmeli's rationale.
“Well,” said Hooks, “he could be right, but I don't know. Sounds like a fun one.”
“Yeah. Where you going with this, Willis?”
“The usual. If we get lucky it'll be some dirt lives next door. If not, who knows? She didn't exactly lead a sheltered life.”
Milo glanced across the yard. “Those kids are looking at the body.”
“Would have been worse if the janitor didn't get here and they saw it swinging.”
“Interesting reaction, his cutting her down.”
Four parallel lines in Hooks's forehead deepened. “Civic volunteerism. Maybe he listens to the mayor's speeches. Hold on.” He made his way halfway to the crowd in a quick, rolling gait, caught the eye of the man in the gray uniform, and motioned him over.
The janitor came over licking his lips.
“If you got a minute again, sir,” said Hooks. “This here is Mr. Montez.”
The custodian nodded. Up close, I saw he was closer to sixty with a prizefighter's battered face and a coarse gray beard. Five seven and broad-shouldered, with thick, stubby hands and oversized feet.
“Detective Sturgis,” said Milo, holding out his hand. Montez shook it. His eyes were bloodshot.
“I know you told your story, sir,” said Milo, “but if you don't mind, I'd like to hear it, again.”
Montez looked up at him and put his hands in his pockets. “I come to work at seven o'clock,” he said, in clear but accented English. “I clean the main building and bungalow B, like always, then I come out to sweep, like always. I sweep early 'cause sometimes people leave shi- things on the yard. I don't want the kids they should see.”
“What kinds of things?”
“Liquor bottles, crack vials. Sometimes condoms, needles. Even used toilet paper. You know.”
“So people get into the schoolyard at night.”
“All the time.” Montez's voice rose. “They get in, do parties, do dope, shootings. Three months ago, three guys got shot dead. Last year, two guys. Terrible for the kids.”
“Who got shot?” said Milo.
“Gangsters, I dunno.”
Hooks said, “Wallace and SanGiorgio's case. Drive-by, through the fence.” Turning back to Montez: “What do they usually do, cut through the lock?”
“The chain. Or they just climb over. All the time.”
“Any idea the last time the chain was cut?” said Milo.
“Who knows,” said Montez. “We used to change the locks all the time. Now… the school they don't have money for books. My grandchildren go here.”
“You live around here, sir?”
“No, I live in Willowbrook. My daughter and her husband, they live here, on Thirty-fourth. The husband, he work over at the Sports Arena. They got three kids- the two here and one baby.”
Milo nodded. “So you came out and started sweeping and saw her.”
“Right away I see her,” said Montez. “Hanging there.” He shook his head and pain danced across his face. “The tongue…” Shaking his head again.
“Did you realize she was dead right away?” said Milo.
“That tongue? Sure, what else?”
“So you cut her down.”
“Sure, why not? I figure maybe…”
