THE PREPARATION OF THIS BOOK has been most difficult, not only because of the obvious personal conflicts that arose from the discovery of each new murder, which like distress beacons kept rising to the surface in a sea of crimes, but also because of my new and unexpected role as narrator, and the sub rosa nature of the investigation, which required the strictest secrecy.
A number of people need to be recognized for their help in telling the story. Most were unaware of their assistance, but all should now know that their individual contribution, small or large, aided me in piecing together the many scattered thoughtprints.
First is Roberta McCreary, who as friend/confidante/researcher was at my side and in the loop from the very beginning. Roberta shared my shocks and sorrows, and her diligence and careful review of hundreds of microfilm articles at UCLA and other Los Angeles libraries unquestionably resulted in many murders being found that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. No crime investigator could ask for a better “partner.”
In Sydney, Australia, my deep gratitude goes to the constant and true friendship of Murray and Jodi Rose, who sent their strength and love from Down Under.
In Bellingham, Washington, a special thanks to my good friends: Dennis, Dave, Debra, Ruth, Barbara, and Joanie at the law firm of Anderson, Connell, and Murphy, for their mutual support. Dennis’s dual role as personal friend and objective counselor provided much necessary balance. A big hug and thank you to attorney Jill Bernstein for her further support and encouragement along the bumpy road. To my ex-wife, Marsha, the mother of my children, who kept her word and respected my need for confidentiality, my heartfelt thanks. To longtime friend and mystery writer Mark Schorr in Portland, many thanks for the jump-starts. Professional kudos to my forensic expert Hannah McFarland in Seattle, who, along with her handwriting analysis, provided me with new insights into her specialized field.
In Los Angeles, to Head Deputy District Attorney Stephen Kay, whom I have known and respected as a professional colleague for thirty years, I say: Stephen, your contributions to the case have been inestimable. Thank you for your time, objectivity, ethics, and decades of dedicated public service to our city.
To my ex-ex-wife, Carole Hodel, and Ron Wong, thank you both for your help and encouragement. Gracias to my ex-partner Bill Everheart and his wife Judy for providing me with some “retreat time” in their beautiful Big Bear home.
To my literary agent, Bill Birnes, and his wife, Nancy, a special thanks for their early recognition of the importance of the story, at a time when not all the evidence was in, and for Bill’s persistence in helping find the right publisher.
Special thanks to my editors/publishers, Dick and Jeannette Seaver, at Arcade Publishing. Dick’s Herculean labors, experienced editing, reorganization, substitution of happier words and cleaner structure, and translation of “cop report writing” into a more palatable language have been invaluable. Arcade editor Greg Comer also deserves thanks for his diligence and dedication throughout the long editing process.
My deep gratitude to those who contributed so much without knowing: “Mary Moe,” “Bill Buck,” Kirk Mellecker, Myrl McBride, and my mother’s old and my newfound friend, Joe Barrett.
Thank you, sister Tamar. Know that my heart is filled with joy now that your truth has at long last been told. Duncan, I know these revelations will bring you and the rest of our extended family much sorrow. Try to find solace in knowing that light dispels darkness. To Kelvin, I can now say, understand, dear brother, that it wasn’t you: our father was incapable of loving anyone. To my two sons and to all future generations of our family, I say: Wear the Hodel name with courage and pride. Trust in your own inner guidance, and know that right motive, followed by right action, is the key to finding happiness and understanding life’s mysteries. To my Filipino brother and sisters, Teresa, Diane, Mark, and their mother, Hortensia: while our contacts have been few, and our estrangements many, we are united through a common destiny.
To the wronged dead, and the many heroes and heroines in our story, my posthumous gratitude to you all. To LAPD Sergeant Charles Stoker: Thank you, Officer. Though it cost you everything—your name, your profession, and your peace—you single-handedly stood up and spoke out against the many abuses and corruptions of your day. Thanks too to the 1949 renegade grand jury and its foreman, Harry Lawson, for their brave stand against the corrupt politics of the time. Like Stoker, they saw and knew the truth, but were also branded and silenced.
Also to be acknowledged is the Fourth Estate, with its many voices, such as city editors James Richardson and Agness Underwood, whose bold editorials fought for the truth in hopes of protecting the public interest. Thanks too to the press’s many unnamed reporters, whose relentless investigative prying and searching would eventually assist in the ultimate solutions, by documenting many of the connecting links to the serial killings. History has many such unsung heroes, men and women who were never, and never will be, recognized for the important roles they played in serving as guides to future truths.
Every now and then, something does come forward and present itself as a curiosity. It may be something as simple and unsuspecting as a fifty-year-old photograph. A two-by-three photo in a private family album. A never-seen or long-forgotten picture of an attractive young woman with raven hair and a natural innocence, waiting for some mental dust to fall upon the silver plate that hides her face, which then raises the picture’s latent, dormant potential and reveals it to be a thoughtprint. A thoughtprint containing the answer to a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.