CHAPTER 5

By 9:30, Matt and Rich had put together the presentation for the press conference and were showing it to both Weston and MacLemore. "That looks like it should do the trick." The Fire Marshal took a look through the small window on the door leading to the room where members of the press were already set up. "Oh boy – we've got some national news people out there." He looked again. "Oh hell…that damn Tamara Placer is here, too."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Just like a bad penny."

Michael Hoyt walked up to the group just then. "Got enough excitement this morning, PI?"

Houston looked up and grinned. "Yeah, more than enough." Taking a sip of coffee he looked at his friend again. "How's my girl Kathy doing?"

"She's fine. Broke up with Nick."

"Oh, boy. Well, that was the first one. What did you do?"

"Took her out for ice cream last night and we had a long talk. See what you get to look forward to?"

"I like ice cream just fine, no problem." Matt snickered.

A few minutes later, MacLemore gave the signal and the group walked out onto the platform as camera flashes temporarily blinded them. As the Fire Marshal began the briefing the room fell completely quiet and he delivered the presentation, asking for the public's help in locating Gregory Ashford who was wanted for questioning. At the end, he agreed to take a few questions, and managed to skillfully avoid Tamara Placer in the process. When they filed out of the briefing, Hoyt began to chuckle. "What?" Matt gave him a questioning glance.

"Tamara Placer was giving you the evil look from hell. Hope she doesn't have a voodoo doll."

Houston's phone rang. "Hey, Babe."

"Just wanted to let you know that I've run the check on Ashford's financials. He has an overdrawn checking account and several businesses after him. There are no credit cards, so unless he had a stash of cash on him…"

"Or he got paid by someone…" They both thought for a minute. "I haven't seen anything about a wife or a girlfriend, have you?"

"Not at all."

"Okay." He leaned against the wall. "Have you talked to Uncle Roy this morning?"

"I did right before I called you. He said he's going to be talking to the other employee's from the first theater and see if they've seen or heard anything suspicious."

"Good. I'll send him a list of the one's from this fire, too. Okay, well…I'm gonna hit the streets and see if I can find this guy anywhere."

"Watch yourself, Cowboy. Love you."

"Love you, Babe. 'Bye." He hung up and passed along what she had told him.

"We've just gotten a search warrant for the aunt's house." Hoyt held up a stack of papers.

"We, huh?"

"Yep, the chief has assigned me to this. Guess he figures you fire boys need all the help you can get." He let out with a grunt as Houston popped him on the back of the head. "Let's go, Gramps."

"Do NOT start that with me today, Houston. Lousy PI's…" He continued his usual grumble as the two friends went out and geared up, putting on their vests and checking their pistols before pulling out of the parking lot in the truck.

Matt made the trip back down to 159th Street in South Lawndale, calling Roy with the list of employees that had been provided to Mark Weston earlier that morning by the theater manager that had showed up on the scene. Michael handed his friend the warrant and circled around to the back. After giving the cop a chance to make it to the back door, the PI began knocking on the front but there was no answer. He knocked again with no result. "Miss Frazier? It's Matt Houston with the LA Fire Marshal's office. We've got a search warrant." There was no reply and he walked to the edge of the porch and looked around the corner of the house; the woman's car was in the driveway. After knocking once more, just in case she was in the shower, Matt pulled out his cell phone and called the number. As he stood looking around he heard it begin to ring, but the sound wasn't coming from the house. "Oh no…" He walked over to the car as it continued to ring. "Michael…" The cop stuck his head around the back of the house and then came to the car.

"I think she's in the trunk." The pair exchanged a look before Matt knelt down and removed the set of lock picks that was always in his left boot. In a matter of seconds the trunk was opened and there was Christine Frazier – semi-wrapped in an area rug, bound, gagged, and beaten to death, her skull split wide open and wounds covering her body.

Michael pulled out his phone and called for a crime scene tech and a patrol car to guard the perimeter while Matt called Don MacLemore and told him what they had found. "No sir, we haven't been inside yet…Yes sir." He hung up.

"Given the circumstances I think we would be wise to keep an eye on the house and car until our help gets here." Michael eased the lid on the trunk back down with the barrel of his pistol as Matt nodded. The cop went back to guard the back of the house while Matt stood out on the curb to keep watch on the front and both sides.

It wasn't long before not just one but two patrol cars showed up along with Detectives Jennings and Trenton. While the uniformed officers put up the familiar yellow crime scene tape, the four detectives made entry into the house, first clearing it and then searching it for clues to the whereabouts of Gregory Ashford. There was blood in the kitchen as well as a bloody hammer and it became clear that the area rug had come from the back bedroom of the house. Kneeling down, Matt shone his flashlight across the kitchen floor. "I think he took her out the back; there's a real faint track."

"Well that rug sure kept it from leaving an obvious blood trail. Although from the look of it, she lost the majority of it in here."

"Yep." The PI regained his feet and moved into the back bedroom that appeared to have been used by Ashford. Starting with the chest, he began methodically working through the layers of dust and dirty clothing that was strewn about the room. He found the checkbook to the account that CJ had checked earlier and a couple of bottles of Scotch, one nearly empty and the other about two-thirds full.

Hoyt was on the other side of the room checking the bedside table as Jennings went through the closet. "I've got a phone number." He pulled out his cell and called Luis Sanchez for a reverse lookup. "Alright, go ahead." After jotting down the information he got the clerk to run a check on the woman. "Nothing. Okay, thanks." He turned to Matt. "The number is for a Naomi Benson – who happens to live in Beverly Hills."

"Uh huh…well that sure doesn't go with this." Motioning around the PI shook his head. "I haven't found squat. Let's go out to the truck and run a check on her." The two friends walked through the kitchen as Bob Wisnewski and Cheryl Crawford came in through the front of the house.

"Wow, look Bob! It's the two celebrities!" She gave Matt a wink as Hoyt grumbled under his breath and rolled his eyes and the PI just gave her a big smile.

Outside Houston climbed up into the cab of the truck and opened up the laptop and began running a check on Naomi Benson. Yawning he turned the computer so that Michael could see it as well. "Not much there other than she likes to go to the clubs. Mom and Dad came from old money and Naomi has never worked a day in her life."

"So let's go see if we can find her." Hoyt called Jennings to let him know they were going to work on that angle as Houston started the truck and headed for Beverly Hills. On the way over, Matt was uncharacteristically quiet. "Something wrong?"

"No…yeah." He sighed. "I wonder if he killed Christine Frazier because I showed up there yesterday?"

"Even if he did it isn't your fault. You know that." He watched as Matt rubbed his eyes while stopped at a light. "Haven't gotten much sleep the last two nights have you?"

"No. I've been trying to study for my next test but there's so much going on…" He shook his head.

"How's the Chemistry class?"

"It's good – really interesting." He yawned again. "Damn I need some coffee." Pulling into a Burger Nerd drive thru he placed an order for two cups of coffee, parking in the lot for a minute to drink some of the hot liquid. When the cup was half gone he pulled back out on the street. "Okay, now on to Beverly Hills." Both were quiet until Matt uttered a curse and pulled out his phone calling Rich. "Hey, how did the fires get called in?"

"The first was by the security company after the fire alarms went off and the second…huh, the burglar alarm went off first and PD was called and then the fire alarms went right after that."

"So how did he get into the first without setting off the burglar alarm but didn't get into the second without triggering it?"

"Good question. The boss told me about the aunt…hang on…" Matt could hear him rustling in the background. "Tell Michael to stop at the nearest station. We've got an arrest warrant for Ashford for murder now – the prints on the hammer were his. That should get you into the house in Beverly Hills."

"Great, I was worried about that. Thanks." He hung up, passed the message along to Michael and pulled into the station on Culver Boulevard. The cop scurried inside and picked up a paper copy of the warrant. A short time later they pulled up to the house on Cold Water Canyon Drive and rang the bell. It was soon answered and Hoyt produced his badge and announced that they had a warrant for Gregory Ashford.

"There's no one here by that name, I'm sorry." The elderly lady began to shut the door.

"Ma'am, would it be possible for us to speak with Naomi Benson?" Matt spoke up.

"Let me see if she's available." She led them into the parlor. "Please wait here."

Both men looked around the room, not really expecting to see anything that related to Ashford but making the attempt nonetheless. A couple of minutes later a blonde woman of about 25 came to the door of the room looking as though she had just emerged from a drunken slumber. "Who wanted to see me?" She gave Matt an appraising look up and down and smiled.

Once again, Michael produced the badge. "We need to ask you some questions about Gregory Ashford." The words had a sobering effect on her.

"Why?"

"Do you know where he is?" Matt stepped forward.

"Again – why?" She didn't look as fond of him as she had previously.

"Because we have a warrant for his arrest – for the murder of his aunt. He's also wanted for questioning about a couple of fires that were set."

She waved her hand dismissively. "I don't know where he is."

"If you do, you would be wise to cooperate with us." Matt's voice lowered. The hair on the back of his neck was beginning to stand on end and he had a feeling that Ashford wasn't very far away at all.

"Is that a threat? Did you just come in here and threaten me?!"

"No ma'am – that was a piece of advice." Houston's eyes flashed with anger.

"You'd do well to heed it. If you're hiding him you could be up on accessory charges." Hoyt noticed Matt's reaction and knew that he most likely had one of his famous gut instincts.

"Get out. Don't come back either - unless you want to end up dead." She turned and started to leave.

"Hoyt, I believe that was a threat."

"Congratulations Miss Benson…" Hoyt moved behind her and pulled her arms behind her back. "You're under arrest."

"What for?!"

"California Penal Code 422 also known as the Criminal Threats Law. You have the right to remain silent…" He began rattling off the Miranda Warning as Benson began sobbing and then screaming.

"You can't arrest me!"

"Just did." Matt called Luis Sanchez who arranged for a patrol car to ferry Benson to the station. "Have a seat." He took the woman to a couch and had her sit down, then turned to the housekeeper who was standing in the doorway in shock. "Ma'am – do you know if anyone else is in the house?"

"I…I don't think so. I don't know."

"The man we're looking for has set two fires and is suspected of beating his aunt to death. I really don't think you want him in here."

"No. But really – I don't know if anyone else is here. I've been downstairs all morning cleaning and…" Just then there was the sound of a car engine starting and tires squealing.

"I've got it." Houston ran out the door in time to see a Lexus SUV peeling out of the driveway headed south. He got in the truck and began following, pulling out his phone and calling Sanchez again to request backup as he hit the lights and siren. He caught up to the Lexus as it flew through the intersection of Cold Water Canyon and North Beverly, grateful that the light for the road he was on was green. He could hear the sound of an approaching siren and was relieved when he saw blue lights up ahead traveling north. The driver of the Lexus hung a left onto Lexington Road and Matt followed, then slowed slightly as the Lexus blew through the red light at North Rexford Drive. Once clear of that he picked up speed and was keeping the driver in sight when the Lexus nearly caused a collision with four other vehicles as he turned onto Sunset Boulevard. Houston once again slowed as he went through the intersection and then took off again making up a little bit of distance between himself and the vehicle he was chasing. He could still hear the sirens behind him and kept on the tail of the Lexus when he turned left onto Mountain Drive. Fortunately the other motorists on the road had seen what was going on and stopped, keeping a bad situation from being even worse for which the PI was grateful. The Lexus turned left onto Loma Vista Drive, an area which Matt knew because of Ramona Landers, the elderly movie star from whom he had bought the ranch. The next turn was a right onto Doheny Road and the flashing blue lights were now right behind Matt who couldn't believe his eyes when the Lexus rammed the gate at the home of Ramona Landers. He pulled in and blocked the driver's attempted exit as he squealed the tires around the fountain located in the driveway. Officers blocked the other side of the circle and rushed the Lexus as did Matt who was then promptly slammed against the hood of his truck with a pistol at his ear. "Easy fellas, I'm on your side. My ID is on my collar. Calm down." He was cuffed and his pistol removed from its holster before he was turned and the ID checked. Another siren was heard as yet another patrol car pulled in behind the others.

Michael Hoyt emerged from the patrol car, his badge held in the air. "He's with us, Sergeant."

The man who had cuffed Houston required an explanation and a thorough look at his Fire Department ID before he relaxed at all. "This is Beverly Hills jurisdiction, Mr. Houston – Lieutenant."

"I understand that but we're working on the Thorson Theater fires. Houston here is an advisor to both LAPD and the Fire Marshal's Office. Please release him."

After the cuffs were taken off and Matt's pistol returned to him he finally got a look at the driver of the Lexus – none other than Gregory Ashford. "Looks like we found our suspect." He looked up to see a bewildered Ramona Landers standing at the front door of the home as Hoyt and the sergeant began arguing over custody of the suspect. Straightening his vest and returning his pistol to the holster he walked over and removed the ball cap from his head. Giving her a smile he spoke. "Hi, Miss Ramona."

"Oh my goodness! What in the world…? Houston, I…well, it's good to see you again." She laughed as the tall private investigator leaned down and gave her a hug. "What on earth happened?"

Matt began explaining the fires, the murder, and the chase. "And here we are." He laughed. "Sorry if we scared you."

"I'm just glad you caught him. Who knows what he would have done?"

"Ms. Landers, is this man bothering you?" The grumpy sergeant made his way over after finally turning over custody of Ashford to Hoyt – but only after his captain had ordered it.

"Why no, he's a good friend of mine." She put her arm around Matt as Michael walked over looking slightly star-struck.

"Miss Ramona, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine – Lt. Michael Hoyt. From the look on his face I think he knows who you are." Matt grinned.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant." She shook the surprised looking cop's hand.

"Pleased to meet you. How do you two know each other?"

"Houston bought a ranch from me." She turned to Matt. "You do still have it don't you?"

"Yes ma'am…" He pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture of CJ and Catey. "…and it's slightly more populated now."

"They're absolutely beautiful! Now that's the young lady that was with you when you were here before, isn't she?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I'm so happy to see you settled down. And you're getting famous, too – I saw you on TV this morning."