with your work, then it becomes my problem and I'll do what I have to to fix it. Do you understand what I'm saying?'
'There isn't a problem,' he told the floor.
She studied him a moment, remembering how he'd come onto the squad, still lean and muscled, an old linesman like Bobby. He was all swagger and bragger back then, the Happy Clapper, cheerfully waving off his bouts with various STDs, convinced if they had a poster boy for LAPD cocksman, he'd have been it. But the long hours at a desk, and all the booze and fast food had softened him. He looked tired now, his charm as tarnished as an old uniform button.
'You know where BSU is. And you know my number.'
'Is that all?'
'Yeah.'
Frank watched him lumber out, feeling for him. She put the pity away and got ready for the eight o'clock ADA meeting.
'Hey, Frank,' Johnnie called from his desk. 'We gonna see you on the news tonight? LAPD Lieutenant pulls postal, slays supervisors. Coalitions and committees to blame.'
Frank had finally broken away from back to back meetings and had gotten to the homicide room a half hour before quitting time.
'Just about,' she answered, surprised he was in such good spirits. She wondered if he was making an effort to show everything was okay.
'Where's your partner?'
'Down in Property.'
Frank headed to her office, but when Nook and Bobby trailed in with an armload of binders, she said, 'Hey. What's the word?'
'We can't find Ruiz anywhere,' Nookey puffed. 'The fucker's in the wind. According to the aunt he's got relatives in Fresno, Calexico, Madera . . . not to mention Mexico. He could be anywhere.'
'Did you put an APB on him?'
'You want us to?'
Frank stifled a sigh. As much as a pain in the ass as Gough was, at least he'd been a good partner for Nook. Between he and Bobby, she didn't think they'd wipe their asses without asking her first.
'Yeah. What else did the aunt say?'
Nook made a disgusted sound.
'The usual. Her nephew's a good boy. He'd never dust anyone. Specially not a girl. You know, just a real gentleman.'
'But we had a nice talk with Lydia Alvarez,' Bobby said.
'La Reina?'
'Yeah. She and Placa had been seeing each other for about six weeks. In fact, Placa was at her place Saturday from about 11:30 to 2:30. We're getting her day accounted for, but she didn't tell Lydia where she was going when she left. Just said she had to take care of some business.'
'And according to her, nobody knew that she and Placa were doing it. She swears Ruiz doesn't know, and she doesn't know where he is. We asked her where she was when Placa got hit and she says she was at a party up in Eagle Rock and that Ruiz was with her.'
'Where was the party?'
'She's not sure. It was dark and she didn't know where they were going. She'd never been there before.'
'Better get more than that.' Stroking her chin, Frank asked, 'If Ocho didn't do anything why's he gone?'
Nook said, 'Words all over the street that we're puttin' this on him, and he didn't want to stick around to defend himself.'
'You talk to Itsy again?'
'Not yet. She's at a cousin's in El Monte. But we talked to La Limpia. She and Placa were hangin' at Hoover's from about 10:30 to a little after eleven. That's when Itsy showed up and Placa took off. She didn't say where she was going or anything, just left like she was pissed that Itsy was there.'
Bobby was talking about a corner store were kids hung out and kicked it, sharing blunts and 40-ounce bottles of Olde English and Cobra malt liquor.
'She was only there for a couple minutes. Limpia said she was still in a bad mood and wouldn't talk much. They tried to get her to stay, said they'd go throw down some winos, but she was pissy and said she had to be somewhere. That was the last she saw her.'
'Didn't say where she had to be?'
'Nope. Or where she'd been.'
'Ask about any boyfriends?'
'Yeah, and everybody laughed at us. Don't know who it was that shagged her but I'm bettin' she ain't marrying him.'
'How about a homie or an off-brand that tried to make her? Anybody she particularly dissed?'
'Shit,' Nook laughed. 'The girl was OG. Who
'Keep the heat on and let's talk to CRASH. See if they got any word for us. I called County OSS too, told them to keep their ears open. And if Itsy's not home by tomorrow find out where she is and get her. I stopped by the Estrella's this morning. They're upset but they're not saying anything. Claudia's got her lips sewed together, and Gloria's bouncing off the walls. She's pissed, but she's not talking. I don't know what they know, but it's something. Keep the heat on them too. I want one of you there at least once a day.'
'Oh joy,' Nook grumbled and Bobby asked, 'Do you think Gloria'd do a payback?'
'I don't know. It's hard to say. Once they have the babies they kind of get out of that, but this is blood. And a lot of it lately.'
'If they do, we'll never close this.'
Heaving his shoulders in resignation, Nook pointed out, 'It wouldn't be the first one.'
He tried to move past Frank but she put a finger into his chest.
'I
'We'll do what we can, but I can't pull this guy outta thin air.'
'Yes, you can.'
She went into her office, leaving Nookey muttering under his breath, and Johnnie laughing. Almost out of earshot, he called Frank by her nickname, commiserating, 'Damn, Nook! Is Le Freek on the rag or what?'
The comment was vintage Briggs and Frank marveled again at how well he was dealing with this morning's reprimand. Like mushrooms after a rain, forms and papers magically resurfaced her desk. Frank glanced through a few of them, then called Bobby into her office.
51st Playboy territory ranged outside of the Figueroa Division boundary and Frank had lost touch with the nuances of the set hierarchy. She vaguely remembered Ruiz coming up as a Baby Playboy who'd yet to earn his colors, but she had no recollection of Lydia Alvarez.
'What's up?' Bobby answered.
'You heading home?'
'Nah, I still haven't written anything up for today, and barely did anything yesterday. I was going to stick around and do that. Why?'
'Mind introducing me to La Reina?'
Chapter Fourteen
Driving down Broadway, Frank saw an old gangster and told Bobby to pullover.
'Colgate!' she shouted out the window. A thickset Hispanic man in his early thirties turned. Recognizing Frank he raised a hand in greeting and approached the unmarked, boldly marked by its inconspicuousness.
Frank stuck her hand out and they clasped in a casual street shake.
The man flashed beautiful white teeth. Sometimes it was days, even weeks before a prisoner at the county jail could get any personal effects. Because Colgate was arrested so frequently and so suddenly, he'd taken to carrying a toothbrush like other men carried a wallet.
