Cleaning Up Chapter 2

Six weeks later

"So, how do you like being Bradford's gofer?" Lucy asks Thorsen as they pick up their war bags.

"It's OK," Aaron declares. "You know how he is about the Rams. My mother is doing a reality show with the wives of some of the players. That gives me a good line on getting tickets and inside information. I can keep him happy enough so he doesn't come down on me. My final training with Nolan gave me a great start, but Bradford knows a lot of legacy stuff about the department. That comes in handy. But when you were with him, did you notice what a hate he has on for drug dealers? I can see how hard he works sometimes to keep from slamming them around."

"I think that has to do with his ex-wife," Lucy offers. "But he wouldn't want me to tell the story. When he gets comfortable enough with you, he might tell you himself."

Aaron shakes his head. "I'm not holding my breath on that one. Once we get past sports and LAPD history, he's not exactly a fount of information."

"I know what you mean. But I was wondering if he said anything about Rosalind Dyer, whether anyone's found any of her connections besides Beth Veston. I was busy every minute with my training in Sacramento, so I didn't hear anything. Chris can't tell me anything either because he's a victim, so Del Monte is keeping him away from the investigation. And Lopez and Harper are off on a case, so I haven't been able to get anything out of them either."

Aaron hefts a war bag on each shoulder. "Sorry Lucy, but Bradford hasn't said anything about Rosalind Dyer. You might try hitting him up later if you get the chance. He's softened up a little since his sister moved back to LA. And they were supposed to get together last night. So he might be in more of a giving mood. He usually likes to go to the Ram Wagon for lunch if we're anywhere near where it's parked.

"I remember," Lucy recalls. "Not a healthy thing on the menu."

"Yeah, but it's been parking next to the Green Cooking Machine lately. You might be able to get something there and still catch him. I can send you a text if we're headed in that direction."

"Thanks, Thorsen. I owe you."

"No, you don't. You were the only one who offered to let me do my rookie venting to you. But I'm glad I had Nolan while you were gone. He turned out to be a better TO than I thought he would be. He asked me the right questions to keep me alert and didn't slam me too hard when I screwed up. And he's the only TO left in the division. So whoever the next rookie is will get lucky. Anyway, I can't keep Bradford waiting."

"I know how that is," Lucy sympathizes. "Maybe I'll see you later."

The color fades from Nolan's face as he hears the voice on the other end of his phone. "Hello, John. I just thought I call to see if you're lonely, now that you're driving by yourself again. But you'll have a new apprentice soon, won't you?"

John presses an icon on his phone to initiate a trace. "I don't take apprentices, Rosalind. The LAPD trains cops to think for themselves, not be in thrall to some psychopathic puppet master."

"Psychopathic puppet master, John? That's not very nice. And I was calling to do you a favor."

"No thanks, Rosalind. Your favors always come with too many strings – of dead bodies."

"No strings on this one John. It takes more than one body to do that. Go back to my favorite zoo. There's a new present for you there." Nolan hears the sound of a blown kiss. "Until next time, John."

Nolan drives as fast as he can to the outdated and largely abandoned LA Zoo. He considers calling for backup, but if Rosalind is pulling a number on him, it will just keep cops from answering real emergencies. He can feel the burn in his throat as he approaches the area where a body, thank God, not Lucy, was in a drum. He can feel the desperation he felt fighting with Caleb in an underground tunnel. Knowing Caleb's dead doesn't make it any better.

All the signs of Caleb's occupation are gone now, the crime scene cleaned as if it never happened. But the tunnels still exist. John pulls out his flashlight. The beam is strong enough, but he wishes the cylinder was as big and heavy as the ones old-timer cops used to carry. If he needs to have something in his hand, he'd prefer it be something he could use as a weapon. Still, he has his other hand on his gun. Alert for any sound, he begins his search for whatever Rosalind might have left.

Finally, John illuminates a body, but not a human one. It's not a zoo animal either. John believes that he recognizes it as the dog belonging to his neighbors, the ones Bailey was house-sitting for when she showed up at his door in a towel. He checks the tag on the dog's collar. He was right. God! Somehow Rosalind knew the story. And she or one of her pawns was in his neighborhood!

John forces a shaky breath up through his chest and out his mouth. He's a cop. The dog is a clue. Someone should be able to determine how long it's been dead. And along the route from where it was taken are cameras. So whoever made the kill, Rosalind or one of her minions should be trackable. John reaches for his radio. It's time to call in some help.

Bailey wraps herself around John. "The dog! That's so sick! And we knew Rosalind knows about me. So she killed what brought us together. That's …. Oh, God! So what are you going to do?"

"Already done. I brought Lopez and Harper back into it. They're backtracking whoever dropped the dog at the zoo. The crime lab techs are vacuuming every molecule from the scene, and a team of volunteer recruits from the academy is scrubbing the video. They've completed their training. They're just waiting to graduate and get their assignments. Pitching in gives them a jump on the job."

Bailey leans back in Nolan's arms. "You could meet your new rookie early."

"No, Lopez and Harper want to keep me away from the investigation and Grey agrees. They're afraid if Rosalind has someone watching me, it will cue her in more on whatever they find. Actually, if Rosalind's focus stays on me, it will distract her from any actual plan to recapture her – if Lopez and Harper can come up with one. But if Rosalind or her puppets are watching me, they're watching you too. I know you gave up your apartment, but maybe you should bunk at your firehouse or a hotel or something for a while."

"John, if Rosalind wants to know where I am, she'll know where I am," Bailey points out. "And this may be her twisted way of getting what she wants. If I leave you, she'll have you to herself. I'm not giving her the satisfaction. If we allow Rosalind to screw with our lives, she wins. No way am I letting her win. And you know I can defend myself. You weren't the only one to take out bad guys at the border."

"That's true. Ellroy got one," John teases before Bailey lands a punch on his arm. "All right! You're right! And Grey has a surveillance team on the house anyway. Whatever Rosalind has planned, this time she's not getting away with it."