LAPD HOMICIDE SPECIAL SECTION
RE: BENTLEY ROYCE, MISSING PERSONS
•Dave Nagao, Nobu, apprentice sushi chef
•Dr. A., therapist
•Maureen Reynolds, Mulholland Hall, Honors English teacher
•“Venice,” probable transient, frequenting Santa Monica library
•“Chicago Bulls Cap,” probable transient, frequenting Santa Monica library
•“Spots,” probable transient, frequenting Santa Monica library
•“Fox,” probable transient, frequenting Santa Monica library
•Joshua Lee, Reference Desk, Santa Monica library
•“Lawrence,” meeting leader, Santa Monica Seventh Street meeting, AA
•Porsche Royce, sister
•Mercedes Royce, mother
•Maybach Royce, brother
•Guadalupe Flores, housekeeper
•Jeff Grunburg, Lifespan Network president
•Razz Jazzy White, head of Whiteboyz music label, father of T. Wilson White
•Pamela Pearson, Rolling with the Royces, producer
•Ronda Mahoney, CAA, agent/manager
•Tracey from Hair & Makeup, freelance, frequent home visits (according to sister)
•Brad B from TryCycle, instructor, three times weekly
•Ileana Raku, skincare facialist, Friday appointments
•Louis from Barneys shoe department, friend (note: self-described)85
Harry turned the pages in the file and kept reading. To his dismay, the sworn statements weren’t much help either.
“Two vegetable soybean rolls, extra shiso, two spicy tuna, one tofu special. Cold soba noodle salad. She used to come in with her brother every night and pick it up. I think she liked me.”
—DAVE NAGAO
“Miss Royce was a deep thinker with college aspirations. I wasn’t expecting that. I wasn’t expecting much. Not from her, not in my class. You know celebrities. I mean, you probably know celebrities. Can’t swing a dead cat without hitting one at Mulholland Hall’s Upper Campus, right?”
—MAUREEN REYNOLDS
“Always on time. And a great, full brow. Really natural. I just cleaned it up, really can’t take any credit for the shape.”86
—TRACEY FROM HAIR & MAKEUP
“I don’t know anything about that missing actress from the news. Why would a famous reality television personality come into a library? And wouldn’t you think I’d notice, if she did? And if she was famous, why would she even talk to me? In fact, why are you talking to me? Don’t talk to me. This is a library. In fact, just don’t talk.”
—JOSHUA LEE
“Bentley? No puedo hablar ahora. Mi jefe me va a matar. Usted no sabe Mercedes Royce. Ella es una perra fría.”
—GUADALUPE FLORES
“Bentley’s been with us for six seasons. She’s no Porsche, of course, but then who is? Her presentation was getting better. We were encouraging her to spin, to take care of herself. The attitude needed a little work, to be honest, but we have people for that. She played Bentley Royce perfectly, we never once thought about recasting. We’d even talked about giving B her own story line. But I think we all know how that turned out.”
—PAM PEARSON
“Doctor-patient privilege. All I can say is, she liked animals.”
—DR. A.
“Something was wrong. She had eaten shellfish, and possibly nuts, during the last week. She tried to deny it, but I could see it in the pores on her forehead. It was like her skin wanted me to know, you know? And while I can’t say she herself was smoking, she was definitely letting herself be smoked on. There was clear blockage, borderline pre-blackheads. It was absolutely tragic.”
—ILEANA RAKU
“Was Bentley Royce a member of our Pack? I really couldn’t say. Was she taking her journey with us? You’d have to ask her. Celebrity client privilege. At TryCycle, we take that very seriously. This isn’t SheWheel, for god’s sake. We don’t just light a candle, toss you a water bottle, and give you a mini cupcake on your birthday. We give you a vegan, gluten-free one.”
—BRAD B.
“Do I know a Bentley? AA doesn’t stand for Alcoholics All-Identified, for the public’s gossip-mongering pleasure. If I knew her, I’d probably tell you she was a person, and she was hurting, and she was determined to stop living in the problem and start living in the answer. But I’m not saying I know her. You get me?”
—LAWRENCE
“Are you going to finish that cake?”
—VENICE AT THE LIBRARY, LAST NAME UNKNOWN