height and weight.' Richard and Myers glanced at each other, then Richard crossed his arms, frowning. Richard said, 'Lucy told me the man mentioned Vietnam last night, and that all of this had something to do with you. Were we doubting this before now?' 'People can say anything, Richard. Now I know he's for real.' Myers said, 'What do you mean, a certain type of combat experience ?' 'You don't learn how to move the way this man moved by hunting deer on the weekends or going through ROTC. This guy spent time in places where he was surrounded by people who would kill him if they found him, so he knows how to move without leaving a trail. Also, we didn't find signs of a struggle, which means Ben never saw him coming.' I told them how Ben's footprints ended abruptly and 69
that we had found only the one other print. Myers took notes while I described the scene, with Richard crossing and recrossing his arms with increasing agitation. By the time I finished he was pacing Lucy's small living room in tight circles. 'This is fucking great, Cole. You're saying some kind of murdering Green Beret commando like Rambo took my son?' Gittamon checked his pager, looking unhappy with me 'We don't know that, Mr. Chenier. Once SID reaches the scene, we'll investigate more thoroughly. Mr. Cole might be jumping at conclusions without enough evi I said, 'I'm not jumping at anything, Gittamon. I came here because I want you to see for yourself. SID is on the way now.' Richard glanced at Gittamon, then stared at Lucy. 'No, I'm sure that Mr. Cole has it right. I'm sure this man is every bit as dangerous as Cole believes. Cole has a history of drawing people like this. A man named Rossier almost killed my ex-wife back in Louisiana thanks to Mr. Cole.' The corners of Lucy's mouth tightened with pale dots. 'We've been over that enough, Richard.' Richard kept going. 'Then she moved here to Los Angeles so another lunatic named Sobek could stalk our son--how many people did he kill, Lucille? Seven, eight? He was some kind of serial killer or something.' Lucy stepped in front of him, and lowered her voice. 'Stop it, Richard. You don't always have to be an asshole.' Richard's voice grew louder. 7°
'I tried to tell her that associating with Cole puts them in danger, but would she listen? No. She didn't listen because our son's safety wasn't as important as her getting what she wants.' Lucy slapped him with a single hard shot that snapped on his cheek like a firecracker. 'I told you to stop.' Gittamon squirmed as if he wished he were anywhere else. Myers touched Richard's arm. 'Richard.' Richard didn't move. 'Richard, we need to get started.' Richard's iaw knotted as if he wanted to say more but was chewing the words to keep them inside. He glanced at Lucy, then averted his eyes as if he suddenly felt awkward and embarrassed by his outburst. He lowered his voice. 'I promised myself I wouldn't do that, Lucille. I'm sorry.' Lucy didn't answer. Her lft nostril pulsed as she breathed. I could hear her breathing from across the room. Richard wet his lips, the awkwardness giving him the air of a little boy who had been caught doing something naughty and embarrassing. He moved away from her, then shrugged at Gittamon. 'She's right, Sergeant--I'm an asshole, but I love my son and I'm worried about him. I'll do whatever I canto find him. That's why I'm here, and that's why I brought Lee.' Myers cleared his throat. 'We should see this hill Cole described. Debbie's good with a crime scene. He should be in on this.' Gittamon said, 'Who's Debbie?' Richard glanced at Lucy again, then sat on a hard chair 7I
in the corner. He rubbed his face with both hands. 'Debbie DeNice; it's short for Debulon or something. He's a retired New Orleans detective. Homicide or something, right, Lee?' 'Homicide. Phenomenal case clearance rate.' Richard pushed to his feet. 'The best in the city. Everyone I brought is the best. I'll find Ben if I have to hire Scotland-fucking-Yard.' Myers glanced at Gittamon, then me. 'I'd like to get my people up to your house, Cole. I'd also like a copy of those names.' 'Starkey has the list. We can make a copy.' He glanced at Gittamon. 'If SID is on the way, we'd better get going, but I'd also like a quick brief on what we know and what's being done, Sergeant. Can I count on you for that?' 'Oh, yes, absolutely.' I gave him directions to my house. Myers copied them onto a Palm Pilot, then offered to carry Ben's computer down to Gittamon's car. They left together. Richard followed after them, but hesitated when he reached Lucy. He glanced at me, and his mouth tightened as if he smelled bile. 'Are you coming?' 'In a minute.' Richard looked at Lucy, and the hardness around his mouth softened. He touched her arm. 'I'm staying at the Beverly Hills on Sunset. I shouldn't have said those things, Lucille. I regret them and I apologize, but they're true.' He glanced at me again, then left. Lucy raised a hand to her forehead. 'This is a nightmare.' time missing: i8 hours, oS minutes
The sun had risen like a mid-morning flare, so intense that it washed the color from the sky and made the palm trees glimmer. Gittamon had gone by the time I reached the street, but Richard was waiting by the black limo with Myers and the two men from the Marquis. They were probably his people from New Orleans. They stopped talking when I came around the birdsofparadise, and Richard stepped in front of the others to meet me. He didn't bother hiding his feelings now; his face was angry and intent. 'I've got something to say to you.' 'Let me guess: You're not going to ask where I bought the shirt.' 'This is your fault. It's only a matter of time before one of them gets killed because of you, and I'm not going to let that happen.' Myers drifted up and touched Richard's arm. 'We don't have time for this.' Richard brushed away his hand. 'I want to say it.' I said, 'Take his advice, Richard. Please.' Debbie DeNice and Ray Fontenot moved to Richard's other side. DeNice was a large-boned man with gray eyes the color of soapy dishwater. Fontenot was an exNOPD detective like DeNice. He was tall and angular with a bad scar on his neck. DeNice said, 'Take his advice or what?' It had been a long night. Pressure built in my head until my eyes felt hard. I answered him calmly. 'It's still morning. We're going to see a lot of each other.' Richard said, 'Not if I can help it. I don't like you, Cole. I don't trust you. You draw trouble like flies to puke, and I want you to stay away from my family.'
I made myself breathe. Further up the street, a middleaged woman walked a pug. It waddled as it looked for a place to pee. This man was Ben's father and Lucy's former husband. I told myself that if I said or did anything to this man it would hurt them. We didn't have
time for this nonsense. We had to find Ben.
'I'll see you up at the house.'
I tried to go around them, but DeNice stepped ,sideways to block my path.
'You don' know whut you dealin' with, podnuh.' Fontenot smiled softly.
'Oh, yeah, you got that right.'
Myers said, 'Debbie. Ray.'
Neither of them moved. Richard stared at Lucy's apartment and wet his lips again as he had upstairs. He seemed more confused than angry.
'She was stupid and selfish to move to Los Angeles. She was stupid to be involved with someone like you, and selfish to take Ben away. I hope she comes to her senses before one of them dies.'
DeNice was a wide man with a lurid face that made me think of a homicidal clown. He had small scars on the bridge of his nose. New Orleans was probably a tough beat, but he looked like the kind of man who enjoyed it tough. I could have tried again to step around him, but I didn't.
'Get out of my way.'
DeNice opened his sport coat to flash his gun, and I wondered if they were impressed with that down in the Ninth Ward.
DeNice said, 'You don't get the picture.'
Something flickered at the edges of light an arm roped with thick veins looped around DeNice's neck a heavy
