Swimming To Catalina

“Billy,” Rick said, “even though you no longer work for Centurion Studios, we have Mr. Regenstein’s permission to use this office for as long as it takes.”

“As long as what takes?” O’Hara said shakily. Most of the color had drained from his face.

“Billy, you were a good cop, maybe even an outstanding one, but that’s not going to help you now, unless I have your complete cooperation.”

“About what?” O’Hara asked.

“Here’s how it is: you’re under arrest for kidnapping and murder one; there’ll be other charges later. You know your rights, but consider that I just read them to you.”

“Kidnapping? Murder? What are you talking about, Rick?”

“Shut up and listen to me. I’m going to give you an opportunity you’ll never have again after this meeting. I’m going to go out on a limb and offer you complete immunity from prosecution, if you tell meeverything right now. You’ll have to testify against Ippolito, Sturmack, and Barone, and anybody else involved, but after they’re convicted, you’re off the hook.

“You certainly have the right to remain silent, but if you do, I promise you, from the bottom of my heart, that you will have spent your last day on this earth as a free man. You know there won’t be any bail. In addition to that, I promise you the roughest ride in the joint that I can muster, and that’s pretty rough. I’ll personally see to it that you do the hardest possible time in the worst prison this state has to offer, and that’s pretty bad; I’ll see that you’re put on the same cell block with some of the people you sent up when you were a cop.” He paused for effect. “That’s my offer, and time is ru

Stone tensed as O’Hara’s hand went inside his jacket, but he came back with a handkerchief and mopped his face. “You saidcomplete immunity?”

“I did.”

“Fromeverything? I’ll walk?”

“That’s right. I don’t give a shit what you did.”

“Can I have it in writing?”

“I’m the only friend you’ve got, Billy; don’t abuse my friendship.”

O’Hara opened his desk drawer, causing Stone concern again, but he came up with a bottle of pills. He poured himself a glass of water and took one, then he sat back in his chair, a beaten man. “Okay, Rick: I’ll play it your way. Ippolito can go fuck himself.”

59

Rick placed a hand-held tape recorder on the desk between himself and Billy O’Hara and switched it on. He counted to ten aloud, played back the sound to be sure he had a level, then rewound it and pressed the RECORD button.

“My name is Richard Grant,” he said. “I am a lieutenant of detectives of the Los Angeles Police Department attached to the chief of detectives. I am interviewing William O’Hara, a former police officer and, until recently, chief of security at Centurion Studios. Mr. O’Hara has agreed to give me a full statement of his activities without counsel present and to testify against others, in return for guaranteed immunity from all prosecution. Also present, as a witness, is Mr. Stone Barrington, a retired New York City police officer.” He stated the date and time, then looked up at his interviewee. “Are you William O’Hara?”

“Yes, I am,” O’Hara replied.

“Have you been informed of your constitutional rights?”

“I have.”

“Do you understand them?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Do you wish to have legal counsel present during this interview?”

“No, I do not.”

“Are the statements which you are about to make given freely and without duress?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Have you been promised anything by me or any other law enforcement official, except immunity from prosecution, in return for making these statements?”

“No, I have not been.”

“Tell me, as fully as possible, how you became involved in the crimes presently under investigation by the LAPD and the federal authorities.”

O’Hara took a deep breath and began. His presentation was that of a police officer testifying in court, as he had been trained to do. “I retired from the Los Angeles Police Department five years ago, on the offer of a job from Mr. Louis Regenstein, chairman of the board, as director of security for Centurion Studios. After I had been employed by Centurion for a year I was offered the opportunity to purchase stock in the company. I bought one hundred shares at a price of five hundred dollars a share. The studio loaned me the money to make the purchase.

“Approximately three months prior to the present date I was approached by Mr. David Sturmack, a member of the board of Centurion Studios, with an offer to trade my shares in Centurion for an equal number of shares of Albacore Fisheries, which is a company controlled by Mr. Sturmack and Mr. Onofrio Ippolito, who is also chairman of the board of the Safe Harbor Bank.”

“Was this an advantageous offer?”

“It represented an increase in the value of my investment by a factor of ten.”

“What did Mr. Sturmack tell you he wanted in return for this windfall?”

“He asked me to assist him in doing intelligence work at the studio directed at causing other stockholders to sell Albacore their shares.”

“Did you agree to help him?”

“Yes.”

“Did he ask you to do anything else?”

“Not at that time.”

“Later?”

“A few weeks later, Mr. Sturmack came back to see me. He said that he had learned that Louis Regenstein was pla

“What other work?”

“He made an appointment for me to see Mr. Onofrio Ippolito the following day. At Mr. Ippolito’s office at Safe Harbor Bank I was searched for weapons and recording devices, then I met with Mr. Ippolito alone.”

“What was the substance of that meeting?”

“He first told me that he had evidence, in the form of witnesses, that I had participated in illegal actions when I was a police officer.”

“What actions?”

“He said he had witnesses who could testify that I had accepted bribes from members of organized crime.”

“Had you accepted such bribes?”

“Yes.”

“Then what transpired?”

“Mr. Ippolito said that he had a use for me, and that if I did as he asked I would become rich beyond my wildest dreams. He said he had business plans that would increase the value of my Albacore stock by a factor of fifty, perhaps a hundred, and that if I served him well, I would be allowed to buy more stock at favorable prices. He also offered me a salary of two hundred thousand dollars a year in cash, tax free, and said that I could continue to collect my salary at Centurion.”

“Did you accept his proposal?”

“Yes, I did.”

“What work did you do for Mr. Ippolito?”

“I searched the employee files at Centurion and made a list of all stockholders and gave it to Mr. Sturmack. I transported large sums of cash from a Mr. Martin Barone to the offices of Albacore, which are on the floor below Mr. Ippolito’s office in the Safe Harbor building. I did many other routine jobs for Mr. Ippolito, including the disciplining of a loan shark who reported to Mr. Barone.”

“What was his name?”

“Ralph DiOrio.”

“How did you discipline him?”

“I beat him into unconsciousness with a black-jack.”

“Did Mr. Ippolito ask you to commit any other violent crimes?”

“Yes, he ordered me to arrange three murders.”

“Did you do so?”

“Yes.”

“Who were the victims?”

“The first was Mr. Stone Barrington, who I now realize escaped death.”

“And who carried out the attempt on Mr. Barrington’s life?”

“Vincent Mancuso and Manolo Lobianco.”

“Did Mr. Ippolito subsequently learn that Mr. Barrington had escaped death?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“Who were the other two murder victims?”

“Vincent Mancuso and Manolo Lobianco.”