The White Angel Murder (27 page)

“
I’d like to sleep here tonight,” she said.

“
Okay. But … you know I can’t …”

“
Not before marriage, right?”

“
Yeah,” he said, relieved that he didn’t have to say it.

“
That’s okay. I just want you to hold me in your arms.” She leaned in and kissed him a long while. They rose and went into the bedroom.

*****

It was seven in the morning when Stanton was woken by the sound of his shower. They had slept in each other’s arms all night. Nothing sexual had taken place but it was an intimate night, long kisses broken with the conversations that you don’t share with strangers.

Stanton got up and went to his balcony and sat cross-legged. He said a long, meditative prayer and then went inside, catching her as she was walking into the kitchen.

“
Afraid all I got is cold pizza.”

“
It’s all right,” she said, putting an earring in, “I’m gonna grab some coffee from Starbucks before heading in.”

“
It’s not that I don’t want to. It was really hard to resist. But it’s just something I think I have to do.”

“
I know. But I’ve always figured that’s what repentance is for.” She walked over and gave him a long kiss. “Some things are worth repenting for.”

When she left, he went and changed and headed to the beach for a morning of surfing. By seven, there were too many families and teenagers on the beach to get a spiritual experience on the ocean. Occasionally though, when there was no one and nothing but the sea, the morning mist, and the sun, he would have deep experiences with God. Deeper even than those he would have in church.

The waves were light and the water choppy. He finished early and headed back to his apartment. As he got in he checked his cell phone. There was a text from Tommy:

got address get ur ass down here

55

The conference room was packed and the noise of ten different conversations numbed Stanton as he walked in. Every seat was taken and extra chairs had been brought in and placed around the room. A map was up on the screen connected to Tommy’s laptop. It was a Google Maps view of the house and neighborhood.

Stanton had received a fax from Imperial County: a copy of the autopsy report. It read like Tami Jacobs with one exception: semen had been found in the rectum. The sample had been rushed to the state lab and Stanton had been assured there was enough for a DNA comparison should he have a suspect.

Stanton saw the pattern immediately: he was growing arrogant. He had been so careful with Tami not to leave evidence behind other than fecal matter. No pubic hair had even been found; which means he probably shaved it before the attack. But with Pamela, it was different. He didn’t care if he left DNA behind. He was getting more careless, but also more dangerous.

Stanton sat down in the corner next to Chin Ho and read through the autopsy reports again. He leaned over to Ho and said, “Where’s Noah?”

“
Shipped back to Pelican Bay. Didn’t need him anymore.”

“
Okay everyone,” Harlow bellowed, “listen up. We got a white male, forty-one years old, Brady Louis Rattigan. Lives with his mother in this house. His mother is wheelchair bound and with high blood pressure. When we go in, we’re goin’ in hot but avoid any heroics. The last thing I need is this douchbag’s mom croaking from a heart attack.” There was quiet laughter. “I’d show you a photo but we don’t have one. No driver license, no ID card, no bank accounts. All he’s got is a social security card with a name and birthday. This guy’s living completely off the grid for obvious reasons.

“
Now we’re having surveillance until we get something good and you all got your assignments. Four shifts in six hour increments. AC Anderson is gonna go over the details but I want to be kept in the loop on everything. Rodney.”

Anderson stood up and began going over the logistics of the operation. Harlow motioned for Stanton to join him outside and he followed him to his office.

“
Shut the door,” Harlow said, sitting down at his desk.

“
Where’s Hunter?”

“
County lock-up. He’ll probably get bail today though, little shit. I kinda wish his alibi didn’t check. Anyway, why I asked you here, I need something done that’s delicate.”

“
What is it?”

“
The window we got right now isn’t for surveillance. Don’t get me wrong, the fucker can’t take a shit without one of my detectives being there to smell it, but that’s not why we got surveillance going. This one’s smart. I’m not expecting to find anything.”

“
What do you have planned?”

“
We checked out his mother too. She’s one sick old bag. Cancer, two strokes this year and dementia. I’m willing to bet she sleeps most of the day. I need someone to go in there.”

“
You got a warrant already?”

“
No, actually. We don’t. I can’t list what we’re looking for in the warrant with any particularity.
Stuff showing he killed some girls
, doesn’t hack it.”

“
What authority do we have to be in there then?”

“
None.”

There was an awkward silence and Stanton shifted in his chair. He thought about it a few moments and said, “No, we’re doing this clean. I want it to stick.”

“
It will stick, no one’s going to know.”

“
Someone always knows. I’m not doing it.”

“
I wouldn’t normally ask you, but like I said, it’s delicate. I need someone that’s going to be careful and that’s you.”

He shook his head. “No way.”

“
Well then, detective, your involvement in this case is over. We’ll talk about some new assignments on Monday.”

Stanton rose. “Mike, you can go self-fornicate.”

He gathered a few things from his office and left.

56

Zoe Kelly finished her shift at the Gap in the mall and was counting out the register when Brian Newman walked by. He pointed to his watch and she mouthed the words “I know” and then continued to count.

It had been a long day. One customer was enraged that a blouse wouldn’t fit that she claimed was in her size and went to the manager. The manager was sympathetic but basically told the lady she was too fat for that blouse. That hadn’t gone over very well.

But that was finished now. She just needed to count out the stupid registers and she was done until Monday evening.

When the registers were counted out she walked around the displays in the windows and made sure everything was okay. A kid had spilled some frozen yogurt over the pants of one of the mannequins and she tried to scrub it out with a wet cloth, but it didn’t look good. Now it was a dark stain instead of white splotches.

She unlocked the glass double-doors and yelled to Brian. He walked over and came inside the store and she locked the doors again.

“
What’s taking so long?”

“
I’m almost done. Some little asshole put frozen yogurt on our mannequin and I need to change his pants.”

“
Just let the morning shift do it.”

“
I can’t, they’ll get mad and tell Cindy.”

“
Well hurry up then. We’re supposed to be at Jason’s at nine.”

“
I’m trying, Brian. God why are you being such a dick?”

“
I’m not. But we told them we’d be there and they’re gonna wait for us before going.”

“
I’m so sick of clubs anyway. Why don’t we just go on a date?”

“
Like what?”

“
I dunno, like dinner and movie.”

“
Fuck that,” he said, checking his watch again, “just hurry up. I wanna get drunk.”

“
You’re such an asshole.”

He laughed. He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her neck.

“
Let go of me!” she said.

“
Make me,” he said, running his tongue up her neck.

“
Brian, God. Cut it out.”

“
Let’s go in the back room.”

“
No.”

“
Come on, it’ll be quick.”

“
No, they have cameras. Now go wait outside. I’ll be done in a second.”

He groaned and waited for her to unlock the doors before going out into the mall and sitting on a bench. He started texting Jason to let him know they would be late.

Zoe finished putting the new pants on the mannequin and then did a quick walkthrough of the rest of the store before turning off the lights and flipping on the alarm. The mall was almost empty now but a few of the shops still had people inside them. She went next door to Forever 21 and saw Candice folding some shirts.

“
Aren’t you done yet?”

“
No.” She threw a glare over to a couple that was still browsing. “These guys won’t leave. I’ve told ‘em we’re closing.”

“
Just tell them to get out.”

“
I did that once and got in trouble. I have to wait until they leave but I can’t even count out the register cause they might buy something.”

“
That sucks.”

“
I know. But what can you do I guess. Hey, I saw Brian. What are you guys doing?”

“
We’re supposed to go to Jason’s house and then to Desert Ice.”

“
Again?”

“
Yeah, we’re there like every week. I’m getting bored.”

“
Well, my brother said any time you get sicka Brian to give him a call.”

“
Yeah I dunno, maybe. I need some time to think, ya know? Anyway, I guess I better go.”

“
See ya. Don’t get too drunk.”

“
I won’t.”

She found Brian and sat next to him on the bench. She thought about Candice’s brother. He was Latino and buff and had a good job as a club promoter. Brian lived at his mom’s house and mostly played video games when they were together. She was so sick of
Call of Duty
she would get a queasy feeling in her stomach whenever it came on.

Then, he put his arm around her and she remembered why she had started dating him. She rested her head on his shoulder a second and he kissed her.

“
I have to get my stuff out of my car,” she said.

“
I’m parked by the food court. Come over there when you’re done.”

He kissed her again and she got up and made her way through the mall. She stopped for a couple of minutes and said hi to her friend at GNC and then went out into the parking lot.

It was warm and the moon was out. The lamps in the parking lot lit up all the stalls a warm glow of orange and she saw her Prius and took out her cell phone as she walked to it.

There was one text from her mom, asking her when she’d be home, and one from her friend Angie asking her if she wanted to come over because her parents were out of town. She replied that she might later and if it was okay that Brian came too.

There was a van parked next to her Prius on the driver’s side and it was parked so close she could barely fit in between them. She made her way down to the driver’s door and put her key in the lock when the door to the van opened.

Before she could turn around, there was a flash of white, and the warmth of pavement against her face.

57

Detective Marcos Garcia sat with his feet up on his desk. The Missing Persons Unit was split into two sections and he had recently been promoted to what was considered the less stressful section: adults. The juvenile section, he believed, was the most painful unit of the police department next to Sex Crimes. There were an average of forty-three missing persons reports filed in the County every week. With both units combined, they had only six detectives working them.

Many people, especially the families of the missing, were shocked to learn that so few resources were dedicated to this unit. But they didn’t understand, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to explain to them, that eight out of ten missing persons were never found and had no workable leads. In reality, only seven real, feasible cases per week came in. The rest had no leads, no evidence, and no hope.

His phone buzzed and the receptionist told him someone was here to see him. He told them to make an appointment but the receptionist said it was a mother who needed to file a report on her daughter.

“
Send her back,” he said.

He took his feet off the desk and straightened his tie. Though most detectives at this point in their careers were phoning it in, he believed in his work and thought that the way he treated the families mattered. People could sense when someone was really going to work for them or not.

An older brunette came to the door, but not too old. Garcia guessed she was in her early fifties. She’d had some plastic surgery, her breasts definitely, but also her face. Her eyes were swollen and red and she wore no make-up. She sat down across from him without being asked to do so and pulled out a photograph and gave it to him.

“
This is my daughter Zoe. She went missing last night.”

“
Did you speak with her last night, Ms …?”

“
Mrs. Mrs. Diane Kelly. Yes, I spoke to her. She was at work at the Gap and we were texting back and forth. She was supposed to go to some dance club with her boyfriend. She went out to the car to get some clothes and make-up and she never came back. He called me.”