G'Day USA (19 page)

‘
Right you will, Mr. Fitzpatrick.’

‘
My friends call me Fitzie.’ Danny smiled. You found fun where you could.

‘
Well, Fitzie, be smart, okay?’

Danny watched them walk away, showing Ellie’s picture and taking notes. ‘Fitzie. I like Fitzie.’

‘
Your name isn’t Fitzie though. Isn’t it Danny something? Hey, I’m looking for Ellie. You seen her around?’ Kent stuck out his hand. ‘Kent Williams. An acting friend of the tall lady.’

Danny slowly stood and took his hand. ‘An acting friend standing in until the real friend comes along?’

’
Funny guy. You seen her today?’

‘
Oh, yeah. I saw you with her yesterday morning. Breakfast. You and another smaller guy.’

‘
Yeah. Charlie Bates. Anyway, nice meeting you and all, and have you seen Ellie around?’

Danny looked at the receding backs of the two cops. ‘This morning. She said she was going to Oxnard, but just to throw the fuzz off her tracks. I think. She doesn’t have her car and her face is plastered everywhere, so I don’t see how she can get anywhere.’

‘
Kinda hard to miss a tall, thin long-haired piece of work like her.’

‘
Actually, that describes half the girls around here. They’re all from the same cookie-cutter. It’s short now.’

‘
Short? She’s not short. Too much pot man. You’re making no sense.’

‘
No, her hair is short. Cut it almost all off. Really butch looking.’

‘
Damn. Really? Shame. Loved it long.’ He cocked his head. ‘Really? When did she cut it? It was long last night at the premiere. When would she have had time?’

‘
So like it had to be between the premiere thing and breakfast this morning and it’s really,
really
short now. Didn’t recognize her.’

‘
She color it too?’

‘
Nah, I don’t think so. What was left was still blonde.’

Kent looked up and down the boardwalk, as if he might suddenly spot her. ‘So she’s
not
going to Oxnard, or she
is
going to Oxnard? You weren’t too clear on that.’

Danny sniffed and shrugged and started looking at his juggling paraphernalia. He had work to get to. This guy was holding him up. ‘Look, Kenny.’

‘
Kent.’

‘
Right. She told me to say she was going to Oxnard. Maybe it’s a double twist, telling everyone where she’s going so no one will believe she’s going there, but then going anyway. Or maybe she’s hanging out locally, sleeping on a park bench and living it rough. Why do you care?’

‘
Why? Why do I care? I’ve known her since we both acted together in Australia. She’s a very good friend. I’m concerned for her well-being. How the hell do you know her? You just mooch off her, caging free breakfasts whenever you can.’

Danny took a step back. ‘Whoa, dude. Dial it back a bit. Appreciate you’re a good friend. I’ve only known her for three months and yeah, she feeds me on occasion. But we’re still close. Like brother and sister close. I’m concerned about her too, but she’s not a baby. She’s smart, she’s strong and she knows what she’s doing.’

‘
Really doubt that.’

‘
What?’

‘
That she’s strong or knows what she’s doing.’

‘
Trust me. She’s strong. All that training for the movie? She was telling me about the hand-to-hand combat training she got from some ex-Navy Seal. She’s hard as a rock.’ He cleared his throat. ‘And I’ve got to assume she knows what she’s doing. There’s no other reason for her to be out here and not talking to the cops about this bullshit.’

‘
What, you don’t think she did it?’

Danny shook his head. ‘I thought you said you knew her. No fucking way, man. You think she did?’

Kent shrugged. ‘I assumed so. Sweeney
was
a dick, and he screwed her over big time. With him getting out of the slammer I figured she just snapped and did him. Wouldn’t put it past her.’

‘
You really don’t know her, man.’

‘
We have been out of touch for a while. If you see her, let her know I’m looking for her. Just want to help.’

‘
Okay, I gotta get set up here. People expect me to do a show at 1:00 and I’m running a little late.’

Kent shook his hand again and Danny watched him walk up the boardwalk in the same direction the cops had gone about fifteen minutes earlier. ‘Ellie, hon, you better keep your head really low.’ He reached into his satchel and scratched his puppy on the crown of its head, getting a lick as a reward. ‘Damien, dude. You ready to freak out some nice little old ladies?’

T
he Killer’s frustration level reached dangerous levels. He needed to vent or the pressure would cause internal damage. He was sure of it. He watched the cops looking for Ellie and cursed her for going off grid. He had a fool-proof way of tracking her. Had it locked. Could dial her in to within thirty feet, easy. And she somehow found out and neutralized it.

‘
You’ll pay, bitch, when the time comes. You’ll pay.’

An old, shabby bag-lady in about six jackets approached him for something and the smell was overpowering. ‘Back off, slag. Get a fucking job.’

She muttered something he couldn’t hear, spat at his feet and turned to walk away.

He grabbed her by the arm, held her close to him and spoke in a low growl. ‘Hey, bitch. Big mistake. Fuck off and get out of my sight. Next time you see me you’ll be looking up through water.’

He pushed her away and continued his search for Ellie.

Chapter Seventeen

I knew I was only three or four blocks from Marina del Rey, the marina of the moderately wealthy, but my surroundings didn’t reflect that at all. I wandered inland from Venice. The streets were narrow and the quality of the neighborhood diminished rapidly. I saw more homeless people than I expected to see this close to affluence. It was disturbing. I had no idea.

But there was nothing I could do about it now. I had to find out what was going on. I ducked into a back alley off Pacific and sat against a wall. An old guy scavenged through trash bins looking for either bottles to return for money for food, or for food. I had almost $300 in my pocket. I could give some of it to him, but I had no idea how long I was going to be on the street.

I turned on my phone. More battery was dead than alive. I needed to get this charged soon. Or something.

I called Kent. An update on the goings on would be good. He answered almost immediately.

‘
Ellie, that you? You in Oxnard?’

I smiled. ‘If that’s what people are saying, it must be true. I called to ask you about your contact in the police department. Is she reliable?’

‘
Yeah. Why?’

‘
The witness thing. No way a person saw me there. I wasn’t there.’

‘
Well, that’s what she said. The witness, I mean. Stevie told me she read the witness statement and it was unequivocal. Saw you, identified you from a photo line up without hesitation. You tell me you’re not there, then I guess I have to believe you, but someone looking very much like you was there. Close enough the witness thought it was you.’

‘
But it wasn’t me. It’s like they’re hanging all of this on a single witness.’ I slumped against the wall and batted away some flies. ‘I need to meet her.’

‘
Yeah, I saw your text, but no way. You’d have to turn yourself in. Let me find out more.’

‘
Can you get her address?’

He paused before answering. ‘That would be considered tampering with a witness. Not really a good idea.’

‘
What the hell have I got to lose? They’re stringing me up as it is. It can’t get any worse. Might actually help, for all you know.’

‘
You’re right, it couldn’t get much worse.’ He exhaled. ‘Okay. I’ll see what I can do. No guarantees though, and if you go ahead with this, my name isn’t attached.’

‘
Yeah, sure. Just find her for me, okay?’ I hung up. I was getting nowhere. Every step I took put me in a worse situation. I had to find a way out of this.

I was about to turn off my phone to save battery when it rang, startling me. I dropped it. ‘Shit.’ I scrambled and retrieved it from the sandy ground. It was like an inland beach here. I looked at the number. It looked familiar. ‘Hello?’

‘
It’s Charlie, Ellie. Thank God I caught you. Where are you?’

‘
Oxnard.’

There was a pause. ‘I don’t think so. There’s been a warrant served against the phone company. I had to turn over all your call records and triangulate your location. You’ve been clever, haven’t you, keeping your phone off? The last time I triangulated you, you were near the Venice Fish Pier. I’m looking at my call details right now and the cell site you took this call on is the one northwest of Marina del Rey. You’re still in the general area. You’re being foolish. They’re going to come asking me to triangulate you again. I can’t refuse; someone else will do it if I don’t, anyway. And if I do catch the task, I can’t feed them false information. They
will
find you. You’re much better off turning yourself in and dealing with it straight up.’

‘
I think I’m too far gone now. But thanks for the phone tip. I’ll have to do something about that. Thanks for the call and the concern, Charlie, but I’ve got to go.’ I hung up.

Shit. I needed to get a new number.

Still no chance to turn off my phone. Marty called.

‘
Hey, Marty. What’s new?’

‘
Jesus. I’ve had cops here three times now. They think I’m hiding you somewhere. Call them and tell them I’ve had nothing to do with this, would you? My wife is actually starting to think I’ve spirited you away somewhere to avoid the police.’

‘
Are you kidding? Sorry Mar. This is out of control now. Get them to polygraph you or something. I can’t talk long. The police are tracking my phone.’ I had a thought. ‘Wait, Marty, before you go, can you get me a shitload of money?’

‘
No. Wait, why? How much is a shitload?’

‘
Hundred grand or so. I need to get out of the country. I can’t fly and I can’t use anything needing identification. But if I can sneak into Mexico I should be able to get a flight back to Australia. Once I’m there I’m clear.’

‘
Oh, that would be monumentally stupid. Not only can I not get you any money, I wouldn’t if I could. Turn yourself in. I can’t stress strongly enough how important it is for you to turn yourself in. If Perkins and his what’s-his-name partner come by again I swear I’m divorced. And I can’t afford to give her half of everything. If for no other reason than my financial security, turn yourself in.’

I laughed. ‘She’s not going to divorce you. You take too good care of her.’

‘
Don’t bet on it. If the cops talk to me again, and the odds are heavily in favor of that, what do I tell them? Oxnard?’

‘
Why not. Maybe they’ll really believe it. Or maybe they’ll think I’m trying to fake them out and discount it, and then I’ll go there, free in the knowledge nobody is looking for me there.’

‘
Don’t tell me anything.’

‘
Tell them I’m going to Tustin. Tustin is a beautiful place. Might stop at Disneyland on the way.’

‘
Take care of yourself Ellie, and stop being a dummy. I’ve got to go. A cop car just rolled up the driveway.’

‘
And I’ve been talking too long. They’re triangulating me. Did you know that? I’ve got to shut this off and get a new number. It’s been great knowing you Marty. Sorry to put you through this. Talk to you later. Or maybe not.’

I hung up just as he answered. But there wasn’t much he could do for me now. And there was no point dragging him further into the quagmire I was in. I needed to get some cash out of the bank and then I’d do like I told him. Go to New Mexico, sneak into the
old
Mexico, see if I could get home from there. No idea how I’d do it, but there was no way I was going to be nailed for Sweeney’s murder.

But once again, as I was turning off my phone, another call came in.

‘
I can’t talk long Jacob. You guys are triangulating me and I really don’t want to be found right now.’

‘
Not now? When then? What is it you actually think you’re accomplishing? Every minute you’re not talking to the police voluntarily the hunt ratchets up. I like you Ellie. I really like you. And I know you’re smarter than this. Go to the nearest police station and tell them to call me. I’ll make sure you are treated very fairly. I’m sure a self-defense defense could be used here.’

‘
Jacob, I didn’t do it. I wasn’t anywhere near there. Read my fucking lips. I. Didn’t. Kill. Sweeney. I had nothing to do with killing Sweeney. Get the security video from my apartment and see who came in while I was away and doesn’t live there. The place has cameras at the doors and each lift lobby. I’m sure you’ll find someone who doesn’t belong, but attached somehow to Sweeney, in there when I wasn’t. Trust me, Jacob. I’m not bullshitting you.’

I heard him sigh on the other end of the phone. ‘The evidence says you did it. I’m not on this case. I can suggest the homicide boys look at the video, but they really don’t have any reason too. The evidence is just that strong.’