True Detectives

Moe said, “I saw her yesterday afternoon, so that narrows down the time frame.”

“Then that's my guess: no earlier than yesterday afternoon.”

Petra said, “Those flies-”

“Can sniff out a DB within seconds,” said Johansen. “This being interior space might theoretically slow them down but you've got a nearby door to an alley full of crap, a gap under the door. Word goes out in the fly community, it's ‘Let's hurry over and make maggots.’”

“Don't see any maggots on her.”

“They take time to hatch, Petra. Could be eggs in her nostrils or her ears, her anus or vagina. Or they're already crawling around inside. That's the point: It can't be pi

Moe said, “She's not fat, the weather's temperate, there's no Santa Ana winds, and it hasn't rained in weeks. And I'll bet you're pretty consistent when you jab the liver.”

“Flattery is for chumps,” said Johansen. She grimaced and stretched. That reminded Moe of Sturgis. This thick, surly woman could be A

Petra said, “So much for talking for the victim.”

Johansen said, “Now it's guilt.”

“Guilt's a great motivator, Maidie.”

Moe wondered if Petra was thinking about Mason Book. He sure was.

Johansen said, “So is covering one's butt, Petra.” She stared down at the body. “If you absotively need something for a kick-start, I'd bet on within eight hours, give or take. Try to pin that on me, I'll plead Alzheimer's.”

Squarely within the time frame Raymond Wohr had been under surveillance. Damn.

Petra said, “How much give, how much take?”

Johansen shook her head. “Kids today.” She adjusted her glasses. “You want quotable quotes, my pretties, talk to someone who went to med school. Speaking of which, can we take her now?”

CHAPTER 33

The rookie's name was Je

Petra had never mentioned gender. Why should she?

Ke

Sitting in a plastic chair in a Hollywood interview room, she worked hard at not showing anxiety.

Failing. The blue eyes gave it away. Despite the fact that Petra and Moe were proceeding gently.

Like Petra had said before they entered the room: no sense adding to the kid's stress.

The kid; Ke

Those same organizational skills led to precision: a carefully logged surveillance of Raymond Wohr, down to the minute.

No chance Wohr had been in his apartment from six p.m., when Ke

The only window of opportunity for him to stab Alicia Eiger, the two-hour lapse between the end of Moe's watch and the start of hers.

Ramone would've had time to backtrack to his crib, confront Eiger about the bitch-slap, wreak vengeance, clean up, and reemerge on the street to drink and lurk and troll for an underage hooker. Ditch bloody clothes.

But lack of violence in Ramone's past and the passive way he'd tolerated Eiger's abuse, combined with Maidie Johansen's educated time-of-death guess, made Moe wonder.

He said, “Tell us about the bust.”

Ke

“Wohr's a bad guy, he was having sex with a minor, you did the right thing.”

As if Moe had failed to comfort her, Ke

“You had no choice, Je

Once we find him.

“Okay,” said Ke

Moe said, “Did he call anyone?”

“He could've, inside one of the bars, but not out on the street. Finally, he walked to Western, there were a bunch of girls working the chicken place, at first I wasn't sure if they actually were girls.”

Petra said, “Sometimes they're not.”

“The girl he went to,” said Ke

“She was a minor, Je

Ke

They let Ke

Moe said, “Solo officer in plainclothes tells him to assume the position, he doesn't fight.”

Petra said, “Female officer, no less.” She gri

“I'm not feeling it,” said Moe. “That murder was brutal and someone took the time to pose her sexually, maybe to throw us off.”

“My instinct, too, Moe. Your question about calling someone-you think he set Eiger up with someone nasty enough to do it?”

“I'm sure going to find out if he's got a phone account. If not, we'll see if there's pay phones in any of those bars.”

Petra nodded. “One good thing about passive: We get him in a room, he could be workable.”

“I'm looking forward to it.” He thanked her, left Hollywood Station and drove to West L.A.

Thinking: I'm developing instincts.

Two hours later, he was still at his desk, going over Caitlin Frostig's file for the thousandth time. Raymond Wohr had no account at any phone company. Tracking pay phones in bars would take hours, but he had no choice.

Petra had just called, still wrestling with County Jail bureaucracy; no one in the custodial megalith had a clue as to Ramone Ws whereabouts. For all Moe knew, the mope had paid for his perv tag already- sliced, diced, stashed behind some jail boiler.

Eiger getting murdered so brutally after her tirade made Moe wonder if the motive wasn't revenge but someone shutting her up about something important.

As in two dead girls.

And a baby.

During her rant, Eiger had seemed to be exhorting Ramone. Trying to goad him to do something. Giving up and calling him stupid before whomping him upside the head. Had she known that he was in possession of explosive information, got frustrated because he wouldn't exploit the knowledge?

Explosive as in the paternity of Baby Gabriel? Something Caitlin might've learned getting close enough to Adella to sit for the infant?

Rich-guy paternity as in Mason Book?

If Ramone W knew or even suspected that, he sure hadn't profited. Living in that dump, pimping Eiger to Ax Dement and the motel clerk.

Too passive to exploit? But Eiger isn't, she nags him, he puts her off because he's too dumb, or too scared to figure out an angle?