Mrs. Luna raised her arms high and wide over her head.
'He fill the windshield like thees. He jus' big.'
Starkey was frowning, but I got the picture and wanted
to move on.
'What about the white guy? Anything you remember
about him? Tattoos? Glasses?'
'I didn't look at him.'
'Was his hair long or short? You remember what color?'
'I sorry, no. I lookin' at the black man and the truck.
We tryin' to get by, you see? I off the road tryin' to get aroun' him, an' I get over too much. I had to back up. The other man, he step back 'cause his frien' have to make room for us, it so narrow here. I watchin' the truck go away 'cause I tellin' Ram6n, you see that stuff on his face? Ram6n lookin', too. He say they warts.'
Starkey said, 'What's Ram6n's last name?'
'Sanchez.'
'Is he back at your truck now?'
'Yes, Mrs.'
Starkey made note of that.
'Okay, we'll want to talk to him, too.'
I put us back on track.
'So the black man drove away and the other guy went down the hill, or the black guy waited for the other guy to come back?'
I87
'No, no, he go. The other one make that sign when he go. You know, that nasty one.'
Mrs. Luna looked embarrassed.
Starkey showed her middle finger.
'The white guy flipped him off? Like this?'
'Yeah. Ram6n, he laugh. I backin' up my truck 'cause I too close to the rocks so I got to watch out for that, but I see him make the sign an' go down the hill. I think he should go back to the house, but he go down the hill instead, an' I say, that funny, why he goin' down the hill? Then I think he must wanna go to the bathroom.'
'Did you see where he went down there or see him come back?'
'No. We left. We had another breakfast to serve before we get ready for lunch.'
Starkey took down Mrs. Luna's name, address, and phone number, then gave her a card. Starkey's pager went off again, but she ignored it.
She said, 'This has been a big help, Mrs. Luna. I'll probably want to talk to you some more this evening or
tomorrow. Would that be okay?'
'I happy to help.'
'If you remember anything else, don't wait to hear from me. Talking the way we have might bring up a memory. You might remember something about the truck or the men that could help us. It might seem small, but I'll tell you something--nothing's too small. Whatever you remember could help us.'
Starkey took out her phone and went to the edge of the shoulder, calling her office to start a wants-and- warrants search and BOLO on the van. The uniformed commander at Hollywood station would relay the information along to Central Dispatch at Parker Center, advising every Adam car in the city to be on the lookout for a van with
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Emilio's Plumbing written on its side. I told Mrs. Luna that I would drive her back, but she didn't respond. She watched Starkey with her brow furrowed, as if she were seeing more than Starkey at the edge of the slope. 'She right about the memory. I remembering now. He have a cigar. He was standing like thatlike the lady-and he take out a cigar.' The tobacco. 'That's right. He have a cigar. He didn't smoke it, but he chewed it. He bite off little pieces, then spit them out.' I tried to encourage her. I wanted the memories to come and the picture to build. Wc walked out to join Starkcy at the edge. I touched Starkey's arm, the touch saying listen. Mrs. Luna stared Out at the canyon, then turned back toward the street as if she could see her catering truck pinched against the hill and the plumber's van driving away. 'I got the truck away from the rocks an' I put it in gear. I look back at him, you know? He was looking down. He was doing something with his hands, and make me think, what? I wanted to get going 'cause we late, but I watch him to see. He unwrap the cigar and put it in his mouth and then he went down there.' She pointed downhill. 'That's when I think he must be going to the bathroom. He have dark hair. It was short. He wear a green T-shirt. I remember that now. It dark green and look dirty.' Starkey glanded at me. 'He unwrapped the cigar?' Mrs. Luna put her fingers together below her belly. I89
'He do something with it, something down here, then he put it in his mouth. I don't know what he was doing, but what else?'
I realized what Starkey was asking.
I said, 'The wrapper. If he tossed the wrapper, we might get a print.'
