THEY CLEARED THE table, piling the china and silver into a tub of warm, soapy water. Cindy donned an apron and rolled up her sleeves. “Do I wash or rinse or what?”
“Just rinse them off and place them on the towel. I’ll load the dishwasher. It’s not only Shabbos ready but programmed to go off at three in the morning.”
“Don’t you just love that? You wake up the next morning and everything’s sparkling clean. I’m still so thrilled with the kitchen. Mike Hollander did a fabulous job. I think he went the extra mile because I was your daughter. Or maybe it was because you made him feel like a detective again.”
“He was a detective again. He found the technology that led to identifying Beth Hernandez. Even though he’s retired, Mike’s a handy guy to have in reserves. You can’t put a price on all those years of experience.”
Cindy lifted up a bundle of silver and gave it to Decker. “So what specifically is it about Mr. Banks that spoils his good looks?”
“Well, he’s foulmouthed, he’s involved in a number of lawsuits, he’s been accused by several people of ripping them off, he breaks appointments, and he seems entirely unreliable in all capacities. But it is not for me to judge, only to interview, and I’ve had a rough time getting hold of him.”
“And why do you want to interview him with regard to Primo Ekerling’s death?”
“Ekerling was the push behind the Doodoo Sluts lawsuit. He claims that Rudy Banks released the ‘best of’ CD without paying his ex-band-mates.”
“So who’s taking over the lawsuit now that Ekerling is dead?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve met the two other members. The drummer, Liam O’Dell, absolutely detests Banks. The other member, Ryan Goldberg, is nonfunctional. Mental problems. Ekerling was still producing records—still in the business—so I suppose it made sense for Ekerling to initiate legal action.”
“And you think Rudy finally had enough and either killed Ekerling himself or hired Geraldo Perry and Travis Martel to kill Ekerling?”
“I’m not saying Banks did anything to Ekerling. I’m just saying that Ekerling was behind a couple of lawsuits against Banks.”
“Okay. So I can understand Banks possibly being involved with Ekerling. But what does he have to do with your cold case?”
“Banks was a student at North Valley High when Ben Little taught there.”
“Aha. Any contact between the two?”
“Still to be determined. I’m interested because the two murders have similar MOs. Both victims were stuffed in the trunk of their own Mercedes.”
Cindy said, “I don’t think that L.A. is overrun with cases involving dead bodies in trunks, but it’s not unheard of.”
“In almost all cases where the crime scene differs from the body drop, the body is transported in a motor vehicle to the dump spot. And most of the time, the felon will use the trunk to transport the body. But to find a car with the body still inside—and an intact body at that, one that hasn’t been dismembered or burnt or disfigured for ID purposes—that’s a little different.”
“What about the teens they have in custody? Are you totally comfortable with eliminating Perry and Martel as suspects?”
“Not at all. Their fingerprints were lifted from Ekerling’s car. If they were the only ones behind Ekerling’s murder, Little and Ekerling aren’t going to be related. But let’s assume for the sake of argument that their story was true.”
“Okay, let’s assume that Perry and Martel went to Jonas Park, looking for drugs, and happened upon the Mercedes with the keys in the ignition and a body in the trunk.”
Decker smiled. Stated succinctly, the tale sounded far-fetched. “If you murdered someone and stuffed the body in the trunk of his or her own car, you’d want to get the car away from the crime scene and in a place where a parked car might not stand out so brazenly. The parking lot of a public park sounds like a good idea. It’s usually an isolated area at night and no one’s around to watch your movements.”
“Yes, but then there’s a flip side. How does the murderer get away? Not a lot of public transportation.”
“There had to be more than one person—or the murderer called up someone to ask for a lift. Now we know that Perry and Martel dumped the car and called up buddies for a ride back to the ’hood. But they called in from a restaurant on the Strip, not from a tower near the park area.”
Cindy nodded.
Decker groused. “So if we’re assuming that Perry and Martel really did find the Mercedes at the park, then Ekerling’s killer may have left in a second vehicle. If Rip Garrett and Tito Diaz had bothered to check out the story, maybe they might have found not only tire tracks from Ekerling’s Mercedes but also another set of tire prints from the getaway car. As it stands now, what has it been…three weeks ago? The original scene has been violated if not obliterated.”
Cindy gave his words some thought. “Okay, so even if someone besides the teens killed Ekerling, why do you suspect Rudy Banks? Was the lawsuit between Banks and Ekerling particularly nasty?”
“I don’t know. From what I understand, Banks is involved in a lot of lawsuits.”
“So why would you suspect that he’s made the jump from suing people to murder?”
“I don’t suspect anything. I just want to talk to the dude.”
“Nonsense, Daddy, you wouldn’t waste your time just ‘talking’ to him unless you were going for something more sinister.”
Decker bent down and rearranged the china to fit more plates into the dishwasher. When he was done, he stood up and stretched. “I suppose I’m stirring up the pot to see if anything rises to the top.”
“Surely you’re investigating more avenues that just Banks.”
“Of course. I have a guy named Darnell Arlington. He was Bennett Little’s charity case, but eventually Little kicked him out of school when Arlington was caught drug dealing. The problem with Darnell is that he was over fifteen hundred miles away when Little’s murder went down. We’re checking out the possibility of murder for hire because Arlington had some thuggish friends.”
“How’s that going?”
“Just found out the names. Unlike TV, we just don’t cut to the next scene. Locating people takes a while. Also, I had a retired cop who might have helped me with the Little case, only now he’s dead—like on-purpose dead. Suicide.”
Cindy stopped working. “Who’s that?”
“An LAPD detective named Calvin Vitton. He originally worked the Little case. I had an appointment to talk to him and when I showed up at his house, he appeared to have killed himself. Empty pill vials, then a gunshot to the head.”
“So why do you say he appeared to have killed himself?”
“Because I haven’t gotten the final path report. I got the feeling that if Cal were going to kill himself, he’d do it like a man. Just aim and shoot—no pills for him to soften the act. So I’m thinking cause and effect. I bring up Ben Little to Cal Vitton, and the next thing I know is that he’s dead. It’s not inconceivable that Cal called someone who came over, knocked him out with pills, shot him, and then staged the scene.”
“Did Cal have residue on his hands?”
“Yes, but someone could have wrapped the gun around his own hand and pulled the trigger for him. And if he did kill himself to hide something, what’s the secret?”
“More important for Hollywood Homicide and me: What do Vitton’s suicide and Little’s murder have to do with Primo Ekerling?”
“That’s legitimate. I don’t know that they have anything to do with it.”
Cindy cocked her hip. “I understand why you think Vitton’s suicide is related to the Little homicide. It’s not just a coincidence. But I don’t see what Vitton or Little have to do with Ekerling’s murder.”
Decker began to wipe down the counter, busying his hands while his brain fired—or misfired—ideas. Maybe he should stop trying to shove the two cases under the same umbrella. “The connection is Banks, and it’s tenuous. In the back of my mind I’m thinking that if I find out who really killed Ekerling, it might shed some light on Ben Little’s murder. I need to find out more about Banks, especially because Marge thinks that there may be a connection between Banks and Darnell Arlington.”
“The suspect that was over fifteen hundred miles away when Little was murdered with the thuggie friends that you’re looking for.”
“Exactly. Marge flew to Ohio to interview Arlington about Little.”
“And?”
Decker stopped cleaning the tile and sat down on a kitchen chair. “And when Margie asked about Rudy Banks, Arlington acted edgy. Darnell remembered Banks as an upperclassman and being in choir with him except the two boys weren’t in North Valley at the same time.”
“Maybe Darnell knew Banks from just hanging around.”
“If that’s the case, why not just say, ‘Hey, I knew him from hanging around.’”
“Because people get nervous and are afraid to say things because they don’t know how their words will be twisted around.”
“I take offense. I do not twist people’s words.”
“Okay, not twist. Misunderstood.”
Decker gave her a sour look. “All I’m saying is that there’s a definite connection between Arlington and Little, and a possible connection between Banks and Arlington. Furthermore, there’s a connection between Arlington and Cal Vitton.”
Cindy perked up. “Really?”
“Vitton interviewed Arlington over the phone. That’s right there in the charts. But Darnell claims he doesn’t remember the interview or the cop who talked to him.”
“That’s a bunch of bullsh…malarkey. You don’t forget those kinds of incidences or names.”
“Do you have any thoughts?”
“I still think there’s a good chance that Ekerling and Little are unrelated, unless…” Abruptly, Cindy flushed with excitement. “What about Banks and Vitton, Daddy? Cal Vitton was still an active detective when Banks was in high school, right? Rudy didn’t become a bad boy overnight. I bet he had run-ins with the police when he was in his teens. Maybe even with Vitton.”
Mentally, Decker hit his forehead. He leaned over and kissed his daughter’s cheek. “Good call, Cin; hold that thought. I may need you to retrieve it for me as soon as Shabbos is over.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t it be great if you found out that Vitton arrested Banks for possession or—” Cindy stopped abruptly. “If Banks was arrested in high school, wouldn’t his juvenile records be sealed?”
“Not always. Sometimes they’re not.”
“Or maybe he got arrested as an adult.”
“That I have checked out. Banks was hauled in for disturbing the peace, drunk and disorderly, and a DUI when he was in the Doodoo Sluts. The incidents took place in West Hollywood and out of town. Nothing he did went down in our district, so Vitton wouldn’t have dealt with Banks on those charges.”
“Too bad.”
“I’m still thinking about what Banks could have done as a teenager…” Decker drummed his fingers on the kitchen table. “It’s true that Banks’s juvenile records might be sealed. But even if the records are sealed, memories aren’t. Vitton’s partner, Arnie Lamar, is still alive—at least for the time being.”
Cindy made a face.
“I meant it as a joke, but maybe I’m a little worried about him. Anyway, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to pay Lamar a visit on Sunday and tell him my concerns. And while I’m there, I’ll ask if a guy named Rudy Banks ever showed up on their radar.”