Last Man's Head (15 page)

THIRTY TWO

Leroy felt his
legs go weak, almost buckle under him. He put his hand on the wall for support. ‘But I was only….  What happened?’ he asked.

Another male officer spoke. ‘It was this afternoon, Sam. A patrol car noticed their vehicle in a side street, parked with its hood right up against a dead end.  They figured everything was okay – you know, that they were handling something. There had been no call for back-up or anything. They passed by the same street an hour or so later. The car was still there, so they decided to check it out.’

‘And found what?’ asked Leroy, straightening up.

The officer swallowed first, then replied. ‘They found both Detectives Domingo and Connor in the front seats, each with
a gunshot wound to the head.’

‘Both dead on the scene?’ Leroy asked. ‘You know, sometimes in the heat of the moment, you make an assumption -’

‘The officers checked for vital signs, Sam. There were none.’

Leroy looked around. ‘Where’s Perez?’

‘The lieutenant’s gone down to the crime scene,’ replied the officer, ‘with the captain.’

‘What about the officers who found them?’ Leroy asked.

‘I’m not sure,’ the officer replied. ‘I think they might still be at the scene. The captain and lieutenant will want to speak with them.’

I’m sure they will.’ Leroy ran his hand through his hair as he spoke. ‘Somebody else will, I’m sure.’

‘What do you mean, Sam?’ asked the officer.

‘For a start, I will. Then the investigation will be passed to another Division. Standard procedure.’ Leroy sat down on a desk and paused a moment. Then asked, ‘Where did it happen?’

‘I’m not sure…  I don’t…,’ the officer stammered. He looked around at his colleagues. Anybody know?’

‘Anybody know?’ repeated Leroy, addressing the half dozen officers milling around.

‘I know,’ a female officer called from the back. She stepped nearer to Leroy as she spoke. ‘It was a side street off Erwin.’

Leroy frowned. ‘Erwin? Where’s that?’

Another officer spoke. ‘It’s North Hollywood. Just off Lankershim before it hits Victory Boulevard.’

‘What in the hell were they doing up there?’ Leroy asked, posing the question out loud to himself more than the other officers.

There was a general mumbling and shaking of heads. Nobody could answer him.

Leroy spoke again. ‘When we spoke around midday, they were off to the
Rape Crisis Center. Where’s that? UCLA isn’t it?’ The female officer nodded. ‘So,’ Leroy went on, ‘they must have either not gone to the RCC, or headed up there as soon as they were done. Let’s give the Center a call – see if they actually showed.’

‘We would have heard if they hadn’t, Sam,’ said the first officer. ‘They wouldn’t leave a victim just waiting indefinitely.’

‘No, you’re right. I just can’t -’

Leroy was interrupted as the doors opened and Lieutenant Perez walked in, some two steps behind Captain Patterson. The captain just walked through the room, not speaking to the officers. His eyes darted to Leroy’s as he passed, but he said nothing. With a grim expression on his face, he went straight into his office, and closed the door. Perez, however, stopped and addressed the officers.

‘Guys: just a few words. By now, you all know about the tragic circumstances concerning Detectives Domingo and Connor.’ He paused. ‘The investigation into their slayings is being carried out by officers from the Major Crimes Division, and I’m sure you are as confident as the captain and I are that they will leave no stone unturned until they bring the perpetrators to book.’ He paused again. ‘Once the necessary, er – arrangements have been made, I will update you all. Now please return to your duties, as I’m sure Detectives Domingo and Connor would have done.’

The officers started to make their way out. Perez turned to Leroy. ‘I’m glad you’re here. Come in, will you.’ He stepped into his office; Leroy followed. ‘Close the door, Sam, will you.’

Leroy gently closed the glass door and turned to the lieutenant.

Perez collapsed into his chair and leaned forward onto the desk. ‘Great start to my first day.’

‘Not so great for Domingo and Connor,’ replied Leroy as he sat down.

Perez looked up. ‘I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… I don’t know.’

Leroy spoke softly. ‘What exactly happened, Roman? What the hell were they doing up in North Hollywood? I spoke to Liza around midday and she said she was off to see someone at the Rape Crisis Center. And that’s in UCLA.’

Perez shook his head slowly. ‘I don’t know at this time, Sam. They went to the Center. Liza spoke to a rape victim there. That took about an hour, according to the Center manager.’

‘Any record of a call they might have received? What about the GPS record for their car?’

There was a weary tone in Perez’s voice. ‘It’s all been passed to the Major Crimes Division. Captain’s orders.’

Leroy shrugged. ‘Standard procedure.’

‘That’s right. So they will be looking at those questions. The captain wants us to focus on our own enquiries and let the MCD guys do their job.’

‘What about the officers who found them?’

‘The captain
and I spoke to them. They’ve made statements. The captain sent them home; they were both pretty shaken up.’

‘Did you…?’

Perez nodded. ‘Nothing had been moved when the captain and I arrived, though the crime scene guy was there. They were both sitting upright in the car, though Domingo had leaned slightly to the left so she was almost resting her head on Connor’s shoulder.’

‘Connor was driving?’

‘Mm. He had entry and exit wounds on either temple; she had one right here.’ He pointed to the centre of his forehead.

‘Almost like an execution.’

‘Possibly. That’ll be part of the investigation. One line of enquiry out of many.’

‘Any idea who’s going to be dealing with it? From the Major Crimes Division, I mean.’

‘Not yet. But, I repeat: the captain wants us all to let them do their job without any assistance from us. He was quite insistent. You won’t be playing out of the box on this, will you?’

‘Don’t worry. I get the message.’ Leroy stood up
to go. ‘You’ll let us know about the funeral, any memorial, won’t you?’

‘Of course I will, Sam. Liza was Catholic, so I guess the
re’ll be a wake, a big affair. She was single, wasn’t she?’

‘She was, as far as I know. But Connor – Jesus, Roman: he had a family.’

‘I know. I’m just off to see his wife.’

Leroy said nothing. The expression on his face said it all.

Perez stood up and walked round the desk. He touched Leroy’s arm. ‘You go home, Sam. Get some rest. See you in the morning.’ He opened his office door and slowly walked out. Leroy watched him walk down the corridor.

Deep down, now he was glad he didn’t get that promotion after all.

THIRTY-THREE

For every Police
Headquarters building, somewhere within a two block radius, there will be a bar, used almost exclusively by the men and women from the Area.

Martha’s was no exception. Situated on
Iowa Avenue, between Colby and Butler, Martha’s had been an established watering hole since the early eighties. Martha herself, the granddaughter of an émigré from Germany between the two World Wars, had retired to Palm Springs seven years back and the bar was now run by her son Kenny. Since Martha had left, nothing had changed: Kenny had retained his mother’s name for the bar, the food was just as bad, and the same clientele visited.

Kenny passed another beer to Sam Leroy, who leaned forward and took a mouthful. Once Lieutenant Perez had told him to go home, Leroy did not need telling twice. He cleared up his desk, logged off, and walked down to the bar. Always mindful of how much he could drink without going DUI, he planned on only staying half an hour or so. Then he would drive home and get really smashed. Hold that thought – he had arranged to see Julia that night. He contemplated calling her and cancelling, but decided not to. He felt he needed to talk.

Kenny noticed Leroy deep in contemplation, and stepped over. Kenny could always be seen with a red dish towel over his left shoulder. He leaned forward and wiped the bar top in front of Leroy. ‘Penny for them, Sam?’

Leroy looked up. ‘Huh?’

‘You were deep in thought. Bad day at the office?’ This was Kenny’s stock phrase if one of his customers had had a rough day.

‘Yeah, you could say that.’ He looked up at Kenny. ‘Liza Domingo got hit today.’

Eyes wide open, Kenny stopped wiping. ‘No way. You mean…?’

‘Her and her partner.’

‘Who was her partner again?’

‘Guy called Connor.’

‘They both…?’

Leroy nodded.

‘Jesus, man,’ said Kenny. ‘I’m so sorry, Sam. How did it happen?’

Leroy shook his head. ‘Not sure yet. Seems to be a professional job. By that I mean a clean hit. They were both still in their car. Pop pop.’

‘I didn’t know Connor,’ said Kenny.

‘He had only been with her a short while. Had a wife and family.’

‘Fuck me. Make sure you get the sons of bitches, Sam.’

Leroy finished his beer. ‘Don’t worry, Kenny. We will.’ He stood up to leave.

‘You going already, Sam? Want something to eat?’

‘Nah. Need to get home. Meeting up with a lady friend.  Having a bite to eat with her, then have a few more of these.’

‘Alrighty. Take care then, buddy. See you soon.’

‘You too, Kenny.’

Leroy straightened up and left the bar. As he got out onto the street, turning left to walk back to the parking lot, he bumped into Captain Patterson. The captain had finished his shift; now wearing an open-necked shirt, he was on his way into Martha’s. He and Leroy stopped and faced each other.

‘Sam,’ said Patterson.

‘Captain,’ Leroy replied.

‘I take it you heard about Detectives Domingo and Connor,’ said the captain.

Leroy said nothing, just nodded.

‘Terrible business. Terrible,’ muttered the captain, almost as if he was talking to himself.

‘Lieutenant Perez says it’s being investigated by the MCD. Is that right?’

‘Yes, it is.’ Patterson seemed taken slightly aback by the fact that Leroy knew this. ‘I think it’s best. A complete and objective enquiry.’

‘Objective?’

‘To avoid the danger of some of their former colleagues being out for revenge.’

‘You’re not saying…?’

‘No, I’m not. I am merely ensuring that we can get a conviction. Don’t want them to get off on a technicality. Do you agree, Detective?’

Leroy nodded. ‘Do you know who at the MCD is dealing?’

‘No, not as yet. Why? Do you know anybody there?’

Leroy shook his head. ‘No. Just curious, that’s all.’

Patterson paused a moment, then said, ‘Well, goodnight, Sam. See you tomorrow.’

‘Night, Captain.’

Patterson pushed open the bar door and Leroy resumed his walk back to the car. He rubbed his temple as he walked back: maybe it was him, but recently all of his conversations with the captain tended to have a surreal feel.

Once back at HQ, he stepped inside for a restroom stop. Inside, the atmosphere was still subdued. Leroy had no wish to linger; he went straight back out to the car.

He checked his watch as he got back home: despite the detour to Martha’s, he still had plenty of time to freshen up and get over to Julia’s. Their plan was to head for the Third Street Promenade in
Santa Monica, have a meal, and take in a movie. He stepped in and out of the shower, put on a fresh set of clothes, and got back into his car. The journey to Julia’s place took just over five minutes; he parked in one of the spaces in front of her building, and briskly walked to the intercom. Pressed her buzzer and waited for her voice.

‘Hello?’

‘It’s me.’

‘Hey, Sam. I’m nearly ready. Come on up.’

There was a click from the entrance doors; Leroy pushed them open, and climbed up to Julia’s door. She was standing in the doorway, her auburn hair down, and wearing a short black dress. She was barefoot.

‘Come on in,’ she said, holding the door open. She reached up and kissed him as he stepped in. ‘I’m almost there,’ she called out from the bedroom as he wandered into her kitchen. ‘How was your day?’

Leroy got himself a glass of water and stood in the kitchen. He looked over at Julia as she stood in the doorway, now also wearing a pair of black shoes. ‘Well?’ she asked.

He put the glass down. ‘Very nice.’

She smoothed down her dress. ‘Thanks. But I meant how was your day?’

He wiped his mouth. ‘You don’t want to know.’

‘Oh, that bad?’

‘Worse,’ he said.

Julia raised her eyebrows. ‘Mm?’

‘I lost a partner today.’

‘Lost? You mean…?’

Leroy nodded.

She put her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh my God, Sam. I’m so sorry, Sam. What happened?’

Leroy proceeded to relate to her what had happened; as he did so she stood in the kitchen doorway, nodding, still with a shocked look on her face. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said again, when he had finished.

‘Thing is,’ he continued, ‘I’ve lost partners and fellow officers before - not that many, but it still doesn’t get any easier.’

‘Nor should it. God, it’s awful. I don’t know how you can deal with it. How long had you known them for?’

‘I’d only met Connor a few times, didn’t know him that well. He was fairly new. Had a family.’

‘Oh, no,’ said Julia.

‘But Liza, I’d known for a few years. We were partners for a time a while back, and she was partnering me temporarily until this morning when we got pulled off the enquiry. Connor was her actual partner.’

‘Oh, that’s right; you told me the other night. Your partner’s on vacation.’

‘Honeymoon. Due back any time now.’ He paused a moment, then stood up. ‘Come on, we won’t have time for the movie.’

Julia stood up too. ‘Be honest, Sam; do you really feel like going out? I can fix us something.’

Leroy took a deep breath. ‘Okay,’ he said, putting his hands in his pockets.

Julia took two steps forward and looked up at him. ‘You shouldn’t be alone tonight,’ she said, reaching up and putting her hand on his cheek.