November 6th , 4:20 PM
Ashley pulled his motorcycle into a parking slot near the entrance of the Jade Lotus restaurant, placed his helmet on the back of the seat, and entered the building. Looking around the area, he spotted a middle-aged man, who bore a striking resemblance to Jeff Goldblum, sitting alone at a table, and moved in that direction.
He approached the man, and inquired "Excuse me, are you Lieutenant Sanger?"
"Yes, I am, and I'm guessing that you're Mr. Purdy."
"Just Ashley is fine. Didn't you say that there would be someone else joining us?"
"Yes, she just called to say that she's on her way. She works at Paramount, and there's always a traffic snarl leaving that area this time of day." the detective responded. He then turned to the waitress who had approached the table, and informed her, "We're still waiting for someone, miss, so we'll hold off on ordering until she gets here, thanks."
The waitress nodded and walked away, and Ashley glanced out the window toward the parking lot. He saw two cars pulling into the lot, and observed that both were driven by women. Drawing the detectives attention to this, he inquired, "So, do you know if one of them is our dinner companion?"
Sanger gestured to the silver Mercedes which had just parked in the slot directly in front of the window, indicating the well-developed blonde, wearing a pale-blue silk blouse and a short black skirt, who emerged from the vehicle. "I probably should've gone through the DMV on my computer, but I didn't even think about it, to be honest. But from some of the background information I've pulled up on the case, she comes from money, and works at a major studio, so I'm guessing that would be her."
Ashley glanced appreciatively at the woman as she made her way to the door, hoping that she wasn't as stuffy and uptight as she appeared. The detective stood as she approached, ready to pull out the empty chair beside him. "Ms. Malveaux?"
"No, sorry." she said abruptly, not even breaking stride as she sailed past them
"No, that would be me," another voice interjected, and they both turned to see a slender brunette, wearing a leather motorcycle jacket and black leggings, standing near the corner of the table.
Quickly recovering himself, Sanger motioned toward the vacant chair, holding it as she sat down. "Good afternoon, Ms. Malveaux. I'm Lieutenant Garrett Sanger, and this is ..."
Flashing an impish grin, she held up a hand to cut him off. "Totally unnecessary, Lieutenant, I'm well aware of who Mr. Purdy is. And just call me Briar, that sounded way too much like you were talking to my grandmother."
"All right then, Briar. If the two of you are ready, we can place our orders, and then we'll talk. And I hate to tell you this, but the conversation is going to be even more serious than I originally expected."
As they waited for their server to return, Ashley studied the young woman sitting on the opposite side of the table. She was perhaps in her mid-twenties, with large blue-gray eyes, set in a fine-boned, angular face, topped by glossy mahogany-brown hair cut in a short pixie style. As she removed her jacket to reveal a Ramones T-shirt, he noted that she was slim, and appeared quite fit, much like a dancer or gymnast. Not the type that he normally gravitated to, but not unattractive by any stretch of the imagination.
"The Lieutenant says that you work for one of the movie studios. What exactly do you do there?"
She glanced at him over the top of the menu. "Technically, I don't work for the studio, per se, I'm just doing some work there now. And as for what I do, it varies. Sometimes I crash cars, or jump off of buildings, or maybe dangle off of a helicopter. Whatever keeps the big-money people from getting hurt."
"So you're a stuntperson, then. Sounds kind of dangerous."
She grinned at him again, eyes sparkling mischievously. "Sometimes, I guess. But I'm not sure it's much more of a hazard than running a gauntlet of crazy fangirls on a daily basis."
He returned the smile as the waitress approached, acknowledging the humorous, yet not completely inaccurate, observation. "You didn't need the Lieutenant to introduce me, so you're obviously familiar with the band. Is that good or bad?"
"Oh, I'm definitely a fan! I was actually at the show you played at the Wiltern this past Saturday, and you guys were fantastic! One of my friends bought tickets for his son and one of his buddies, and decided to get himself one, too, just to see what Cody's into. Then the day before the show, the other kid had to have his appendix out, so they offered me the other ticket. The only reason I hadn't gotten one for myself was because I was supposed to be working a shoot in Hawaii, but it got rescheduled."
They broke off the conversation momentarily, to place their orders. Then, when the server left, Sanger looked at Ashley. "I remember you telling me that you're a musician, but what band are you with? Or should I already know that, and I'm sitting here making myself look as out of touch as my kids probably think I am?"
"Depends on how much modern rock you listen to. The name of the band is Black Veil Brides."
"Then I have heard of you. My younger son is a fan, and I have to say, your band is one of the few things he listens to that I can stand to stay in a room with, since my taste in music leans more toward classic rock. Old Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy, that sort of thing."
"Thanks, I think."
They continued making small talk until the food arrived, and they were sure that they wouldn't be interrupted for awhile. Then Sanger gazed solemnly at them both, and said "Do you remember me telling you last night to be careful?"
Briar nodded as she speared a piece of honey chicken with her fork. "Because of what happened to Detective Whitman, and the fact that it might be related to my cousin's case, right?"
"Only partly because of Marlena, and they're definitely related," Sanger informed them. "Have either of you heard about what happened last night?"
Briar looked at him curiously, but Ashley nodded. "I didn't catch all of the details, but I did hear something about a home invasion when I was driving to my office this morning."
The veteran detective snorted. "Home invasion? That's like saying that Bill Gates is 'getting by'. I spent last night at one of the worst scenes I've had the misfortune to come across in twenty years with the department, plus the eight years I spent in the Army before that! The second one in two days, and the first was my friend, who also happened to be one of the best detectives I've ever worked with. This one was also someone I knew, who had a connection to the investigation, which is why I'm concerned for the two of you now."
Ashley shared a puzzled look with Briar, then turned back to Sanger. "I'm not sure I follow you here. What have I missed?"
Sanger opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the sound of Briar's fork clattering onto her plate. "Oh, shit! It was him, wasn't it? It was Keel!"
"That's right, it was, and even though I know none of us thought much of him, trust me when I say that no one deserves to die the way he did. "
"Except maybe the one who did it," she rejoined. "The bastard killed Sylvia, and who knows how many other people, and gets away with it for months. And then when somebody actually tries to get something done, he goes after them too! Fucker deserves to be handed over to the families so they can do the same things to him!"
Ashley nodded emphatically. "I completely agree. From just the little bit I read of that freak's thought processes, I felt like I needed to take a long-ass bath in some Lysol! Nobody like that should ever be allowed around actual human beings, they should be put out of everyone else's misery."
"I can't argue with either of you, but unfortunately, my job doesn't offer that as an option. But my point is that we have no way of knowing whether or not this guy is aware that the two of you had contact with Marlena, or Keel, or whether he cares. So be careful when you go out, keep your doors locked, and look into your cars before you get in. If you don't have a security system, get one. Don't take any chances with your safety, because I don't want to see one of you wind up the way they did. We're doing everything we can to find this sicko, but until we do, paranoia should be your best friend."
Briar and Ashley stared at each other for several seconds as they recognized the genuine worry in Sanger's voice, and then turned their gazes back to him. "I have a security system on my house and my office," Ashley replied. "And I'll talk to the security guys at the office and tell them to be extra-careful about anyone coming into the building."
Briar reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper, sliding it across the table toward Sanger, who picked it up to inspect it. "I'm licensed to carry, and I'm a reasonably good shot. I also carry a taser on me almost all the time, since I'd prefer not to shoot anyone unless it's unavoidable. But I will definitely be more cautious, and I'll call my apartment manager as soon as I get home, to be sure that all of the cameras and things are in good working order."
He handed the permit back, and she returned it to her purse. Before he could respond, his phone rang, and he glanced at the display. Seeing that the call was from Eloise Han, he answered. "Hello, El. What's up?" He wasn't prepared for the reply he received.
"Garrett, we have a major problem! I went down to the evidence room just a few minutes ago, to have a look at that ledger that Lena booked in the other day, and it's missing! Dietz and I have basically turned the place inside-out, and it wasn't misfiled, it's gone!"
An image of the previous night's crime scene suddenly flashed through his mind, and forcing himself to remain calm, he responded to her words. "Call whoever's still stationed at Keel's place, and describe it to them, tell them to look for it there. Then call Ed Garza in Vice, and tell him that I would greatly appreciate it if he would get his niece into my office, preferably by the time I get there. I think we just found out how he always seemed to know so much about what we were doing. I'm leaving now, I'll be there as soon as the traffic will let me."
Ending the call, he motioned for the waitress, then turned his attention back to his dinner companions. "I'm sorry to dash out without notice, but I just got some important information I have to follow up on. Feel free to stay and enjoy the rest of your meal, and I'll be in touch if I learn anything that I can share with you. It was nice to meet both of you, I just wish it had been under better circumstances." He gave his card to the waitress, and as soon as she returned it, he departed, leaving Ashley and Briar at the table.
As they picked at the rest of their dinner, she asked him about the jewelry that Marlena Whitman had shown her, and he recounted his discovery of the diary, and his meeting with the detective, but wasn't able to shed any further light on what had happened to her cousin. After they finished, he walked her to her car, and they exchanged phone numbers before Ashley crossed the parking lot and mounted his bike, with Briar watching from her car as he put on his helmet, and started the machine. Then they both pulled out of the lot, in opposite directions, to return to their respective homes, observing the surrounding traffic rather more intently than usual, and each breathing a sigh of relief when they stepped into their homes and locked the doors behind them.