McConnell would later say that, for a guy who looked so calm that he might've been falling asleep, Pike came out of the chair as fast as a striking snake. His left hand twisted Krantz's hand to the side, his right clutched Krantz's throat. Pike lifted Krantz up and backward, pinning him against the wall a good six inches off the floor. Harvey Krantz made a gurgling sound and his eyes bulged. Louise Barshop jumped
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backward, scrambling for her purse. McConnell jumped, too, shouting, 'Step back! Officer, let go and step back!'
Pike didn 't let go. Pike held Harvey Krantz against the wall, Krantz sface turning purple, his eyes staring at Pike the way deer will stare at oncoming headlights.
Louise Barshop shouted, 'Leave go, Pike. Leave go now/' She had her purse, and McConnell thought she was about to pull her Beretta and cut loose.
McConnell felt his stomach clench when Pike, who hadn 't let go, whispered something to Krantz that no one else could hear. For years afterward, and well into his retirement, Detective-Three Mike McConnell wondered what Pike had said, because, in that moment, in that lull amid the shouting and the falling chairs, they heard the drip-drip-drip sound and everybody looked down to see the urine running from Krantz's pants. Then the most awful smell enveloped them, and Louise Barshop said, 'Oh, God.'
Harvey Krantz had shit his pants.
McConnell said, as sternly as he could muster, 'Put him down, now, son.'
Pike did, and Harvey hunched over, his eyes filling with rage and shame as the mess spread down his pants. He lurched knock-kneed out of the room.
Pike returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.
Louise Barshop looked embarrassed and said, 'Well, I don't know.'
Mike McConnell retook his seat, considered the young officer who had just committed a dismissible offense, then said, 'He shouldn 't have laid hands on you, son. That's against the rules.'
'Yes, sir.'
'That's all. We 'II contact you if we need to see you again.'
Pike stood without a word and left.
Louise said, 'Well, we can 'tjust let him leave like that. He assaulted Harvey.'
'Think about it, Louise. If we file an action, Harvey will have to state for the record that he shit his pants. Do you think
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he 'd want to do that? ' McConnell turned off the Nagra. They 'd have to erase that part of the tape to protect the boy.
Louise glanced away. 'Well, no. I guess not. But we'd better ask him when he returns.'
'That's right. We 'II ask him.'
Harvey Krantz would choose to let the matter drop, but Mike McConnell wouldn't. As he and Louise waited awkwardly for Krantz 's return, it occurred to McConnell just how he could fuck the arrogant, supercilious little prick for going over his head the way he had. In less than six hours, McConnell would be playing cards with Detective Lieutenant Oscar Munoz and Assistant Chief Paul Winnaeker, and everyone knew that Winnaeker was the biggest loudmouth in Parker Center. McConnell was already planning how he would let the story slip, and he was already enjoying how the word of Harvey's 'accident' would spread through the department like, well, like shit through a goose. In the macho world of the Los Angeles Police Department, the only thing hated worse than a fink was a coward. McConnell had already chosen the name he would dub the little prick: Shits-his-pants Krantz. Wait 'II Paul Winnaeker got hold of that!
Then McConnell felt his own guts knot and he knew that the goddamned clam had finally gotten the best of him. He rocked to his feet, told Louise he was going to check on Harvey, then hurried to the men's room with his cheeks crimped together tighter than a virgin s in a whorehouse, barely making it into the first available stall before that goddamned clam and all of its mischief came out in a roar.
As the first wave passed, he heard Harvey Krantz in the next stall, sobbing with shame. 'It's okay, boy. We 'II keep the lid on. I don't think this will hurt your career too badly.'
The sobbing grew louder, and Mike McConnell smiled.
I spent the afternoon at my office, waiting for Krantz to call about the autopsy, then went home and waited some more. He still hadn't called by the time I went to bed, and I was getting irritated about it. At nine-forty the next morning, I still hadn't heard anything, so I called Parker Center and asked for Krantz.
Stan Watts said, 'He's not available.'
'What does that mean, Watts? He said he would call.'
'You want to know every time we wipe our asses?'
'I want to know about the autopsy. It's going on three days since she was murdered, and I'm supposed to be there. Did you get it moved up or not?' Giving back some of the irritation.
'Hang on.'
He put me on hold. LAPD had installed one of those music-while-you-wait systems. It played the theme from Dragnet.
I was on hold for almost ten minutes before Watts came back. 'They're making the cut this afternoon. Come on over, and I'll have someone bring you down.'
'Good thing I asked about it.'
At ten forty-five, I once more parked in the sun at Parker Center, presented myself to the lobby guard, and claimed a visitor's pass. This time when the guard phoned RHD, they let me ride up on my own. Maybe they were starting to trust me.
Stan Watts was waiting when the doors opened.
'You my guide today, Stan?'
Watts made a snort. 'Sure. You're all I got to do with my time.'
The RHD squad room was quieter than yesterday. The only 86
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face I recognized was Dolan's. She was talking on the phone at her desk with her arms crossed, and she was staring at me, almost as if she had been waiting for me to come through the doors.
I stopped, and Watts stopped with me, 'Dolan again?'
'Dolan.'
'I don't think she likes me.'
'She doesn't like anyone. Don't take it personally.'
Watts brought me over. 'I'll leave you two lovebirds alone.'
Dolan cupped her receiver. 'C'mon, Stan. How about I follow up on these calls I got? Can't someone else take him?'
Watts was already walking away. 'Krantz says you.'
Her mouth pruned and she cupped the receiver. 'Fuckin' Pants.'
Watts laughed, but he didn't turn around.
I said, 'Hi, Dolan. Long time no see.'
She pointed at the little secretarial chair, but I didn't sit.
Dolan thanked whoever she was talking to for their cooperation, asked them to call her if they remembered anything else, then hung up. She hung up hard.
I said, 'Looks like today's going to be another good day, doesn't it?'
