Chapter 29
Chapter
We drove down to Main Street, found a space in front of a small antiques mall, and parked.
I said, “Karski thinks he told us nothing but he’s wrong. Bettina goes way back with Heck.”
“How about that?” He worked his phone, found Bel Geddes’s profile on her law firm’s website.
“Got her degree nine years ago from Cal, so she was a rookie when she represented him on Alberts.”
“Like Karski said, there could be more to their relationship than attorney-client. And that got me thinking. The woman at the alibi hotel with Heck was never identified because Heck said she was married and he refused to name her. And given how things unfolded, there was no reason to push it.”
“You think it could be Bel Geddes? What got you to that?”
“You told me all the video revealed was a blond head, which is exactly how Karski described her ten years ago.
“L.A.’s not short on blondes.”
“True, but Heck’s chivalry was puzzling, given that he was facing a murder charge. What if he endured two days in jail knowing he had a rock-solid alibi because Bel Geddes told him to.”
“Why would she do that, Alex? And why the hell would he listen to her?”
“If she was the woman at the hotel, both of them knew Heck could be exonerated immediately. False arrest, PTSD, what better setup for a massive civil arrest suit? Hang in there for a couple of days, Mike, and you’ll never need to work again. Neither of us will.”
He swiveled in the driver’s seat and stared. “The way your mind works.”
“Not likely?”
“Damn likely,” he said. “With enough payoff I can easily see Heck chancing it.”
“I know the lawsuit’s been hanging over you. Prove Bel Geddes colluded to obstruct a criminal investigation and your problem’s over.”
“That problem’s over,” he said. “Assuming she’s the blonde. Which is still a big if, Alex. Meanwhile, I’ve got three whodunit murders and Heck’s been confirmed as a link between Martha and Sophie. Screw his alibi, I’m back to he coulda hired someone.”
Walt Karski had raised a good point: What’s the motive? I kept that to myself and said, “As long as the lawsuit’s an issue, your access to him is nil.”
He went through a series of face-contorting grimaces. Wider repertoire of tortured muscles than I’d ever seen.
Sighing, he pulled out his phone and put it on speaker.
“Alicia? New development.”
When he was through, she said, “Crazy, L.T. Wouldn’t that be something.”
“You into anything urgent right now?”
“I wish. Total stall on Martha, the same for Villalobos on Lynne. And he’s been working it well—good guy. Not one of his downtown sources had a thing to say, same for the cameras. Hate to say it, L.T., but the air’s starting to feel frosty.”
“Let’s see if we can warm it up, kid. Dig up whatever you can regarding Bel Geddes being at the hotel.
We’ve got no grounds to subpoena her cellphone but if you can pull any video that captures her face, we will.
Lacking anything inside the hotel, expand to the parking lot.
They resist, push ’em. Also, find out what Bel Geddes drives and see if it shows up in the lot. ”
“Can I get Sean or Moe on it, too? You know about video ADD. I want to make sure nothing’s missed.”
“Sure,” said Milo. “If you can get both of them, even better.”
“On it, L.T.”
“Gracias.”
He was speeding the 101 past Newhall when Alicia called back. He handed the phone to me.
She said, “Oh, hi, Doc.”
Milo said, “Doc and moi. I’m being a law-abiding driver.”
“Good for you, L.T. Okay, all I’ve gotten from the hotel interior so far is one view of Heck and the woman going on the elevator and another coming off. Makes sense because the room key log says they stayed in there the whole time. Unfortunately, both are shot from above and don’t clarify a thing.”
Before showing the images to Milo, I studied them.
The camera was positioned high enough to turn the top of Michael Heck’s head into a small dark disk.
Same for the platinum cap of a black-clad female form stepping into the elevator ahead of him.
Heck’s free hand on the pop-up handle of a wheelie bag. Same sequence upon exit.
Alicia said, “Looks like a wig to me. Which I guess makes sense if she’s stepping out on her husband and is being paranoid. Or she just gets off on the mystery-woman thing. I sent Bel Geddes’s photo to a desk clerk who’d been on duty that day but it meant nothing to her.”
Milo said, “Does the height fit?”
“Hard to say from this angle but she doesn’t look huge, so I guess.
The hotel’s still looking for files with parking lot shots, they’ve had some technical issues with the cameras.
DMV lists two rides for Bel Geddes. A two-year-old red Porsche 911 and a brand-new white Range Rover.
We’ve been good little detectives, maybe one of those will show up. ”
“Thanks, kiddo.”
“Hey, I’m motivated, L.T. We nail her for obstruction, wouldn’t that be something? Even better, we somehow tie both of them in to Martha? That happens, I’ll be thanking you. As in forever.”
“Thank Alex, he thought of it.”
“Did he? The way your mind works, Doc.”
—
No conversation for the remainder of the freeway ride. Same for the trip up the Glen to Mulholland and the descent toward the L.A. portion of the snaky road.
As we neared the unmarked turnoff leading up to my house, Milo looked at his watch. “Nearly an hour since she called in…I know it takes time to find more video…her and Hector…maybe something’s happening.”
Pulling his phone from his pocket, he gave it the longing look of a reformed drunk contemplating a bottle. Muttered, “Bugging her’s not gonna change anything,” stashed it back in his pocket, and dropped me off uttering a rapid, “Thanks for your time,” before roaring away.