Chapter 16
L APD
“We’ve got no time to sit around waiting for a search warrant from a judge, Cameron! We’ve got to get out to that damn movie set before dark.” Jimmy paced the room, shuffling through the various pictures of abandoned movie sets. It would take some time for them to figure out which set Eddie DeLuca was holed up in. It was time he wasn’t willing to waste when it came to Clar’s life.
“Who said anything about waiting around, Jimmy?” Jacki stood next to him, rocking back on her heels, hands tucked into her jean pockets. “Clint and I have been working out a plan, and I think it’ll work. At least I hope it’ll work. All we need is the search warrant to make it all nice and legal.”
“And that plan would be what exactly? The longer we sit around here the chances of finding Clar dead, if at all, increases.” Jimmy stopped by the window, looking out past the San Rafael Mountains. Somewhere north of that mountain range, on the edge of the Los Padres National Forest outside of Santa Clarita, a maniac held the woman he loved hostage. Everything they’d found in Eddie DeLuca’s condo indicated his killing wouldn’t end with Clar. Eddie DeLuca had a screw loose.
Pictures of Dylan Cameron with a big red X painted across them filled part of a wall. A date, written under a drawn happy face, marked his death on a promo shot taken during Dylan’s last film. Lined up next were photos of Levi in all his naked glory; no X, no happy face, no date. Eddie had failed at that killing or had Levi been a pawn on this trail of death? It was the next group of pictures that haunted Jimmy most.
In a random order, half the wall was covered with pictures of Clar in Wisconsin. Clar at the park eating lunch. Clar making candy in her kitchen. Clar looking at real estate property last winter. Clar at the produce section of the local grocery store. Clar meeting Jacki at LAX. Clar with Jimmy at his beach house.
The words whore, slut, prostitute, or bitch were written over them in blood-red ink. Candy wrappers framed each photo—pink and black striped wrappers with a K scrolled on them.
There were even several photos of “Kandi” with Evie taken on one of the sets. Most of the photos looked as if the two were having an argument, as they sometimes did. A few appeared more pleasant, but not by much. How had Eddie DeLuca gotten into the studio without his sister knowing he was there? Had he posed as one of the camera men? Was he a master of disguise who altered his appearance? Was this how he’d planned to frame his sister and the reasons why she’d take her own life, with his help? Whoever he was, Eddie DeLuca had flown well under everyone’s radar.
Also found was a copy of Sal DeLuca’s will which indicated Evie would inherit all of the California investments and be under the advisement of the family consigliere. Eddie on the other hand, would only acquire the Chicago properties and be fully watched over by DeLuca’s most trusted friend—Reed Cameron. Both Evie’s and Cameron’s names were crossed out in the same shade of blood red ink used on Clar’s photos.
“Now just one minute here. If any of you go up there ready to bust up the joint you’ve got another thing coming. I’ll throw the lot of you in jail for obstruction of justice, trespassing, and anything else I can drum up.” Cameron stood behind his desk; the evidence they’d gathered from Eddie’s condo scattered across the top of it. “This will sound odd coming from me but hear me out. If we don’t do this right, and by right, I mean to the letter of the law, someone is going to get hurt. Or killed. I’ll not have another person lose their life to this nut case.”
“You’re damn right! It can be Eddie DeLuca as far as I’m concerned.” Jimmy stopped pacing, his mind turning over every possibility as the hour ticked away. It would take approximately an hour, if the traffic was good, to drive up to Santa Clarita. By now people should be home, eaten dinner with their families, and hopefully sitting in front of their TV’s watching the next episode of their favorite program. Then again, this was LA and the freeway was always jammed no matter the time of day.
“Wolfe, you and this ranger friend of yours keep an eye on this hot head.” Cameron pointed at Jimmy and shoved some of the evidence into a folder. “The last thing I need, O’Brien, is you running off and doing something stupid. I’m going to go see the judge right now and get him to sign this search warrant.” Cameron didn’t wait for a response, he grabbed the files and headed out the door.
Jimmy watched as Cameron shot through the scattered detectives’ desks and into an elevator. No way on God’s green earth was he waiting around for Cameron to return with, or without, that warrant. He had a plan of his own and it didn’t include doing nothing. He looked over at Jacki and Clint, their heads huddled together. “Okay, so what the hell are we going to do?”
“As soon as Cameron gets back with the warrant, we go up there. Not a moment before. I’ll not be part of an illegal search with or without my badge,” Clint informed them from his corner of the room. Up until that point he’d been as silent as a church mouse, his face stone cold. Now a smile played at the corners of his mouth “Then I’ll help you take the SOB down.”
“I can’t imagine how Evie’s feeling right now. Her twin seems hell bent on framing her for the killings.” Jacki shuffled through the discarded pictures, tossing them into a chair. “And Clar, she better be in one piece. She was top of my class, you know. That natural cop sense is in her, and it’ll serve her well as long as she can keep DeLuca in line.”
Time was getting shorter to find her alive. If there was one thing he and Evie agreed upon, it was that the cops wouldn’t be of much help. Even Cameron, who’d been caught between the mob and the law, wanted to do this one by the book. Now that he found his nephew’s killer, correction, the person likely responsible for Dylan Cameron’s death, he wasn’t going to let them do anything to jeopardize getting Eddie DeLuca in prison.
Jimmy had an ace in the hole the others didn’t know about. Evie said she was friends with the owner of the movie set property. An old friend of her father’s. Someone who would do anything for the DeLuca family within the parameters of the law, if asked.
Come on, Evie, give me something here . Any small bit of hope will do.
Jimmy’s phone vibrated and he pulled it from his pocket. “I’ve got to go to the studio. Call me as soon as Cameron has the search warrant.” With phone in hand, he headed to the elevator opening the text message from Evie.
“Pulled some strings. Called in a favor. Be at the movie set ranch asap.”
ON THE WAY
Jimmy pressed the reply button on his phone keypad. Evie had come through after all. He had a clear path to the entry of the old movie sets. Finally, he felt like he was doing something other than twiddling his thumbs, waiting for justice to be served.
He was on his way to find Clar. To tell her he’ll never let her go again.
Never was a long time—and he meant everything it implied to his dying day and beyond.
***
D RIVING THROUGH THE Hollywood Hills, Jimmy thought of what he’d do once he got his hands on Clar. His mind flashed everything imaginable into his senses. Kiss her silly. Scold her for getting into her present situation. Apologize for being a fool and rushing off like an idiot. Cry like a baby. Hold her close, checking every part of her body for injuries until he was satisfied she was in one piece. Make love to her until the cows came home—in other words, forever.
He sped past Universal City where the Hollywood division of Universal Studios called home. For the first time since being exiled to California, he wanted normal. A normal day filled with normal people going about their normal lives. Not that there weren’t any here in California, there were, but not in his circle of friends. They were all in the business. The film business that had him wondering when the acting stopped and real life took over.
A wife, kids, and a home with a dog running around the yard. Jimmy wanted that dream with Clar.
Miles and miles of highway edged with neighborhoods or businesses couldn’t keep his mind off Clar.
The phone panel in his Durango sang out loud and clear. Jimmy glanced at the name flashing at him: “Reed Cameron.”
“Shit!” Jimmy scanned the road side for a sign to the next town. He had only seconds to decide whether to answer the call or not. Reluctantly, he pressed the accept call button. “Cameron, what do you want? I’m in the midst of checking out leads for a story.”
“Where the hell are you? Wolfe said you got a call and had to go to the studio. You are NOT at the station—I called,” Cameron hissed, his anger more than evident by the tone of his voice. “I told you to stay here, not drive off to Santa Clarita.”
Jimmy glanced at a sign indicating Santa Clarita was only miles away. On the other side of the canyon sprawled various movie sets. In one of those movie towns Clar was in trouble. “How do you know where I am, Cameron? Psychic, are you?”
“No, Evie Dagmyer called me. She said that you might be on your way up there; that she couldn’t get a hold of me earlier.”
“And you believe that story?” Jimmy smiled; glad Evie at least tried to cover her ass.
“That you are on your way there? Yes. That she couldn’t get a hold of me? Hell no!”
“I’m going through Santa Clarita now. I’m not waiting for you to get up here, Cameron, so you better saddle up and get here before I kill that SOB once I get my hands on him.” Jimmy turned up West Canyon Road and disconnected the call. Passing a mobile home park, blood rushed through his body. Energy sparked to life.
On the other side of these manufactured homes was Clar.
Jimmy drove slowly up to the open gate. When no one was there to wave him in, he continued through to the front of the gas station and parked. He’d go on foot from here. No telling how much Eddie would be able to hear in the canyon if he drove over the road searching for Clar. On foot he’d be able to stay hidden and in the growing shadows.
He stepped from the SUV. He’d never been in a ghost town before and it sure felt like he was in one now. Some of the buildings along the streets were store fronts supported by massive poles, while others were fully constructed with rooms and furniture. Nothing stirred except the sun setting in the west, sinking slowly behind the hills of the canyon.
He walked around the station surveying his surroundings. Jimmy didn’t think Eddie would be stupid enough to hold up in the first full building so he didn’t bother searching the station. Instead, he followed the road along the west outer parameter and approached a white building with caution. Sneaking in the door, he surveyed the empty shell. Nothing.
Continuing his trek, Jimmy passed a vintage airplane sitting idle waiting for some stunt man to pilot and give him the freedom of flying. Following the curve of the road, he ducked into the shadows of an empty town. One by one he opened doors, peering into windows along the way. Discouragement crept in.
What if they’d been wrong about the movie set? What if Eddie had planted the information, knowing full well they’d run with it?
What if Clar was being held somewhere under their noses at an obvious location? He had to stop thinking about what ifs and find out if Clar was here or not.
Jimmy’s phone vibrated in his front pocket, jolting him a few inches. Fuck, now what? He slipped the cell out, gazing down at the message.
HAVE SEARCH WARRANT. 20 MILES OUT. WAIT.
Yeah, well, the way he saw it, his goose was already cooked, no way was he waiting. With only one more section of the ranch to check, he saw no reason to quit now. By the time Jacki and Clint arrived he planned for it to be all over. He’d either be dead along with Clar or Eddie would be. Either way, he was going in.
He stepped out from behind the shell of a building, the sky turning the dusty gray of twilight. Wouldn’t be long now and daylight would vanish completely. If the sky stayed clear, he’d only have the moon to light his way along the fake small town’s main street. He didn’t have time to wait for the cops to show up.
He had to move on to check the last few buildings. He saw no other option; time was running out.
“I’ll be back after a pee break. Don’t go anywhere, sweetheart.” Laughter resonated from the diner two buildings away. “Ha, as if you could go somewhere anyway.”
A door slammed shut. Jimmy ducked into an open door, froze, and stayed out of sight. His heart racing, a pain shot through his chest snatching his breath away. He gulped down several breaths to steady his nerves. As his body settled its beat, a shadow passed by. He peered around the corner, through the door as the body continued its journey. Long, unruly hair lifted in the breeze. A plain brown prairie style skirt dusted the top of a pair of boots—combat boots.
Looks like Evie. Sounds like Evie. It can’t be. She’s back in LA. She wouldn’t set me up, would she? Is she working with her brother? No, even Evie wouldn’t have allowed anyone to tie her up the way they’d found her for the sake of deception. There had been real fear in her eyes. Eddie is here dressed in Evie’s clothes. Clar is in that building—alive!
Jimmy watched the figure disappear into another one of the completed buildings on the other side of the street. He edged into the fading light and worked his way silently to the building he hoped Clar was in. It seemed to take an hour to schlep the hundred feet to that doorway. When he looked inside Clar sat in a chair surrounded by an eerie yellow light, her hands bound above her head, and a dark mask over her eyes.
Her normally spiked hair was a flat mess. She licked her lips then cocked her head towards him. His heart thundered in his chest. She was alive.
He quickly scanned the vintage diner, finding no one else in the movie set Jimmy took a step further inside.
“Back so soon, asshole?” she quipped with a fearlessness Jimmy didn’t know she had in her.
“Shhhh, Clar, it’s Jimmy.” He scurried across the room, pulling the mask from Clar’s face. He gently cupped her face in his hands, a thumb tracing her parched lips. He wanted to look into her eyes, to know she was really okay. Recognition followed, pushing flood gates open. Tears spilled down over her cheeks. “Are you okay, Clar? Did the son-of-a-bitch hurt you in any way?”
“Jimmy, how—” Clar sucked in the sob, her eyes glistening with moisture, relief, and something he’d never seen directed at him before—love. His lips trailed kisses over her cheeks, capturing each salty tear as it fell.
“There’s no time for that. I’m here and we’ve got to get you to safety.” Jimmy worked the knot around her wrists keeping her arms tied to the pillar above her head. His fingers fumbling with the rope, panic struck his mind. “Damn, that fucker knows knots.”
Jimmy finally got the knot loose enough to pull on it, only to tighten it once again. “Fuck you, Eddie DeLuca!” He began to rework the knot, careful not to repeat his last mistake.
“Eddie DeLuca?” Clar sobbed, her resolve melting. “That monster is Evie’s brother?”
“That’s not even the half of it. As soon as I get you out of here, I’ll explain everything. Right now, I’ve got to get you untied before your arms fall off.” Jimmy got the knot loose again, pulling the rope through one loop at a time.
“Hurry, Jimmy, he’ll be back any second now,” Clar cried softly, her gaze focused on the door.