A/N: I posted two chapters, please read chapter 4 first. Thanks again.
Part 2: The Figurehead
Chapter 5
Thursday, March 7th, 2002
~"Rows of houses all bearing down on me
I can feel their blue hands touching me…"~
Three locks were bolted shut as Sara locked her apartment door. She set the alarm before reaching down to pet her brown lab, Joni, on the head. It always took her time to unwind so she'd created a routine that helped to ease the stress and ever-ending commotion in her head. She grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and took a few drinks as she made her way to the bedroom. The tub water ran hot as it filled the tub while she undressed, put her hair back, lit a candle, and then got into the steamy hot water.
It took a moment for her body to adjust but soon she was melting into the water. Picking up the beer bottle off the floor, she took another drink. When it got too quiet, a noise would creep in. A hum that started in the back of her head. She never could make it out. The sound, the vibration, it sent through her mind was like a whistling from a past she had no memory of. What she did have was a feeling. A forbidding that not all her life was what it seemed.
Her cop instincts were telling her a lot of things, and she knew her parents were keeping secrets. She's known that for a very long time, but breaching the subject felt all kinds-of wrong. They raised her, saved her, and if they thought they were protecting her, she honestly didn't want to put them into a position that could hurt them, or her, with the truth. Yet, at the same time, she wanted to know the truth. The feel of it was so close, like hands guiding her through a world she couldn't see, she felt it there, nonetheless.
She felt her body slide down the porcelain tub as she slipped under the water.
~"All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole…"~
If only she could remember on her own, then she wouldn't have to tear them apart to get to the truth. The parental trust could stay intact, and with it, their relationship. She could say she remembered the black hole her mind went down when she tried to remember. It was like everything before the age of eleven was wiped out; gone. Granted, she was young, a child, and if it'd been traumatic then of course she couldn't' remember.
Her mother had been murdered. Her father was still missing, and a possible suspect. What if she'd been a witness? What if she'd seen the real killer? What if she knew what happened to her biological dad? All the answers could've been locked away somewhere inside her head, and she had no idea.
She took another drink, draining the bottle, before she finished the soak in the bath and got out. Tying the robe around her waist, she headed out to the balcony. Below the balcony was a Spanish courtyard with a fountain. As she sat in the metal chair at the small round table, she pulled her legs up and listened to the water as she watched the clouds move across the night sky.
~"And fade out again
And fade out again..."~
Her parents were dogged, and so was she.
She woke up early that morning, dressed, grabbed her keys, gun and badge, and after taking her dog next door to Carol's apartment, she left. Getting into her car, she headed to the address on West 120th Street that was on the westside of the 405 in Hawthorne. It was a pale gold-colored bungalow with a single car garage. A walkway led from the sidewalk to the small porch. Shutters blocked the kitchen window, and there were two windows overlooking the porch, and another set of windows with shutters in the front room. There were bushes and trees around the perimeter of the house going into the fenced backyard. It was perfectly mowed. All the plants thriving in the dry basin.
~"This machine will, will not communicate
These thoughts and the strain I am under…"~
At six o'clock exactly, the garage door opened as a 2002 Mercedes Benz S-class 500 drove down the driveway and took a left, heading east. She shifted her car into drive and followed. Pulling into the Galaxy Café four minutes later, she watched as Grissom exited the car. He was clean shaven in the driver's license photo but had since grown a beard. He wore sunglasses and a blue buttoned-down dress shirt open at the collar, black slacks, and black leather loafers. He set the car alarm and headed into the cafe.
Above the entrance was a globe spinning around a neon green pole with the word Galaxy spelled out in bright white curvy letters. He held the door open for a couple leaving. Just inside the door was a newspaper stand with various papers. He grabbed one of each; five papers in total.
She waited a couple minutes before turning off the engine and going inside. The papers in the newsstand were the L.A. Times, a local community paper called the Hawthorne Echo, the Los Angeles Business Journal, a local real estate paper with all the latest rentals and buyers guide, and a hotel guide.
~"Be a world child, form a circle
Before we all go under…"~
The diner reminded her of the one in the movie Pulp Fiction and she wondered if it was the same place or at least the same developer. It had pale blue seating at the counter, beige cushioned half-moon shaped booth seating throughout, and blue neon lighting around the ceiling trim. There was an outdoor seating option under a roof of neon white lights. It had a whole old L.A. theme that felt almost like she'd been transported back to another time and place.
Grissom was at the counter already sipping on a cup of coffee. She took a seat at the opposite end with a straight sight view of the interior diner, the door, and the suspect. He kept his head down, never looking up even when his plate of food was placed in front of him. He used a pen to write on the folded-up newspaper beside the plate of breakfast. She got coffee with an omelet, side of toast, and a fruit bowl.
Then she waited.
He took his time, a whole hour, before he was done with his third cup of coffee. Grissom took all the papers with him as he left.
~"And fade out again
And fade out again…"~
He drove up Imperial Highway to the 105 east, the 405 north, and exited onto Sunset Boulevard. The boulevard took them to Bellagio Road and then up to the rolling hills of Mulholland Drive. They eased around the road to a gated driveway where he punched in a code and drove right in like he owned the mansion on the hill.
She kept driving, passing the driveway and made a U-turn and parked. She ran the address and saw that the owners were Edward and Catherine Willows. An hour later she watched as the gate opened and the Mercedez took a right, heading back down Mulholland through the trees. Thirty minutes later, he pulled around the circular building of Capitol Records and into the gated parking lot. Through the bars of the iron fence, she saw the car park.
Grissom got out of the driver's seat. He'd donned a black blazer over the blue dress shirt, along with a matching tie. Opening the back door, a beautiful blond stepped out. She was dressed in a nice business suit, cell phone up to her ear, and an expensive Louis Vuitton bag on her shoulder. The blond businesswoman gave Grissom a kiss on the cheek before telling him something with her hands. She knew sign language. He nodded, signed back, and shut the back door before getting back into the driver's seat.
~"Ah-na-na, ah-na-na
Ah-na-na, ah-na-na…"~
It took twenty minutes to cross the city to the last warehouse on District Boulevard on the other side of the Los Angeles River. The two-story building bordered the empty river, the dead-end train tracks, and on the other side of the street, adjacent to the warehouse was a middle school. On the opposite side of the street was a business center and burger joint. Further down the boulevard, behind the warehouse was a wholesaler of home decor.
~"Ah-na-na, ah-na-na
Ah-na-na, ah-na-na…"~
Grissom parked the Mercedez and went into the warehouse. She parked her sedan in the parking lot of the Burger Palace and waited.
Hours later, once the sun had already set over the ocean, Grissom finally emerged from the warehouse carrying a bag. There had been a silver '01 Chevy Impala parked in front of the warehouse the entire time she had eyes on the place. She ran the plates and discovered that the car was also owned by Grissom. He got into the Impala and left the parking lot.
~"Cracked eggs, dead birds, scream as they fight for life
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes…"~
They crossed the bridge that went over the Los Angeles River and got onto the 710 and drove the freeway north until the bright white lights of on-coming traffic faded into red lights in the distance behind them. They exited off at Valley and took it around the streets up into Pasadena. She wondered what he was up to as he pulled into a catholic church parking lot. There's no way he came all this way to go to church. It was nine o'clock at night. On a Thursday.
She passed the church parking lot and made a U-turn to head south along Fair Oaks Drive Avenue. Grissom stood on the corner of Chestnut Street wearing a black leather jacket over his blue shirt. Over his right shoulder he held the strap to a black backpack. He had eyes on the hotel across the street. It was a very expensive hotel called Old Town at Pasadena. The palm trees swayed in the breeze against the hotel's arches and tall windows that Grissom passed under. She parked on the street, got out, and headed under the tall archway that led to the main entrance.
~"All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole…"~
She suddenly had a bad feeling about all of this. A sense of anxious trepidation twisted her gut as she felt the weight of her gun on her hip. Grissom stood at the service desk where he received a keycard before he went to the elevator. She watched as he went to the fifth floor. Showing the police badge to the Night Manager of the hotel, she asked, "That man, what room is he staying in?"
The manager, a guy by the name of William, told her, "Room 505. End of the hall."
"And how and when did he book the room?"
He typed on the keyboard and after a moment told her, "He reserved it this afternoon, around one, and registered for the night."
"How?"
"Email. He requested the room and made a note that he'd be in at nine o'clock tonight and to hold the room for him."
"Thank you."
"Should I be worried?"
"No," she told him as she used the elevator and went up to the fifth floor.
There were French doors at the end of the hallway next to room 505. She looked out the glass in the doors and saw that it overlooked the courtyard at the other end of the building. There was a pool down below. Stepping out onto the balcony, she leaned on the side and looked to the right. There was another balcony.
~"And fade out again
And fade out again…"~
It was dark, no lights were on, and she didn't have a good angle. What she had a perfect sight of was a couple. A fire burned in a pit beside the pool where the woman swam as a man stood and watched. A blue light lit up the pool from the bottom. Palm trees swayed, it seemed, to the tone of their laughter. They appeared happy. A bottle of wine was on the ground next to a lawn chair, towels tossed over another one, along with their clothes.
They were the only two, it seemed, in the world that existed. No one besides a couple of voyeurs up on balconies watching.
~"Ah-na-na, ah-na-na
Ah-na-na, ah-na-na…"~
The man walked backwards to the lawn chair where he spread out. The woman rose from the water, dripped water over the ground, and then spread out over top of him. They kissed as their hands roamed over their wet bodies.
~"Ah-na-na, ah-na-na
Ah-na-na, ah-na-na…"~
From the dark corner of the balcony, she saw a flash. It was from a camera.
~"Immerse your soul in love (Ah-na-na, ah-na-na)..."~
As the couple continued to make out, their desires and intentions growing more intense, the camera flashes kept coming until they grabbed their towels, the wine, and clothes and headed back into the hotel as they disappeared under the floor of the balcony she stood upon.
~"Immerse your soul in love."~
Ten miles north of downtown Los Angeles, in the suburb of Glendale, where the San Fernando valley met the base of the San Gabriel mountains, Sara opened the blinds to let in the morning sun. Palm trees and a terra cotta roof greeted her. Behind her on the kitchen counter coffee brewed in the four-cup coffee pot and as she went about getting ready for the day. First up was a run. She grabbed the dog leash and clipped it onto Joni's collar. The lab licked her face in return.
"Ready?"
Joni barked and wagged her tail.
Grabbing her MP3 player and headphones off the kitchen counter, she headed out the door. A Spanish courtyard with a fountain was at the bottom of the concrete steps. She stretched her legs on the edge of the fountain. She bypassed the main entrance that house the security guard as she used her key to open a side gate. A row of palm trees lined the street as she started jogging. The Mediterranean climate in the valley meant it was the perfect weather nearly year-round. It was always bright and sunny with low humidity. She chose a path north towards the mountains as she crossed under the freeway on Verdugo Road. Her preferred route given it went through the community college campus and away from the busiest section of the city. It also offered the best view. In front of her were the mountains.
She would normally put in a solid three miles and then stop at the farmer's market. Her morning run today had to be cut short, she had a deposition at nine at the Hollywood precinct. Crossing the aqueduct, she circled the Verdugo Woodlands before heading back home after only a mile. Through the tree lined streets, she neared the apartments and slowed to a jog as she spotted a familiar sedan parked on the street next to the cherry tree.
Walking through the Spanish courtyard and up the steps, she didn't bother with her keys. The front door was unlocked as she entered. Standing out on her private balcony, and sipping on coffee, was her dad. Jim was dressed in his usual work attire. Dark suit, white button-down, and tie. Clipped onto his belt was a LAPD badge and gun.
The moment she unclipped the leash from Joni's collar, the dog sprinted across the living room and out onto the balcony. She dropped her MP3 and headphones on the counter, and after downing a glass of water, filled a cup with coffee. Grabbing an orange, she went out to join them.
He smiled at her while petting Joni. "There you are. 'Bout time. How was the run?"
"Not nearly long enough. You didn't have time to drink your coffee, or fix anything, or put up the new curtains for me. I'm surprised you didn't set off the alarm when you broke in," she teased as she stepped out onto the balcony that overlooked the courtyard.
She sat in one of the metal chairs. The teal color of the bistro set glared against the white stucco walls. A palm tree swayed in the breeze above her head. Joni nudged her leg as she sat beside her.
Brass leaned on the edge of the wall, sipped his coffee and stared out over the rooftops. "Ah, what can I say? I've been a cop way too long to not have gotten good at breaking and entering. Helps when you have a key, and the alarm code."
"And can sweet talk the security guard in the lobby."
"He's a decent guy. We're getting dinner."
She laughed. "Where's mom?"
"Ah, she had a meeting." He smiled as he said, "How are you? You look like you haven't slept in days."
"I'm good," she answered. "Busy night."
He sat in the other chair. Placing the cup on the table, he stretched out. "How'd it go?"
As she peeled the orange, she told him, "I think he's working for someone. I followed him from the Willows residence on Mulholland out to a warehouse by the Los Angeles River, then up to Pasadena before he finally went home."
"Why did he go to Pasadena?"
"To take pictures, and not the professional kind either."
"What other kind is there?"
"The kind that people pay good money to keep hidden."
"Ah. The sleazy kind. Who was the scandalous couple giving the peep show?"
"I had to question the manager to find out. It was Wayne Gleason and Audrey Michaels."
Brass took a sip as he worked those names over. "The hockey player and the wife of Mr. Hollywood Stars himself?"
She shrugged. "I don't know whose wife or husband, all I know is that my main suspect is a Peeping Tom."
"With a license to peep. He's not doing anything illegal. As long as he didn't trespass."
"He didn't. The very thin line between snooping and violating had been tightly and thinly walked, but he never crossed it. Even if he did, I wouldn't have blown my own surveillance."
"Good thinking because we need more evidence. The DA would've kicked any trumped-up charges as quickly as they crossed her desk. In and out, and I'm not talking about the burger place."
She chuckled as she ate the orange. "He's a creature of habit. At exactly six-oh-four this morning, he'll be at Galaxy Café. I plan on being there again."
He checked his watch. "You've got an hour."
"I'll be there." She finished the orange and coffee as Brass stood and downed his coffee.
He hesitated a moment. A sudden weight appeared on his shoulders and worried his face. She's seen that look plenty of times over the years.
"What is it?"
"This case. The, uh…the higher-ups want you to go all-in with this guy. I guess they agree with you that he's a viable suspect."
"What'd you mean? Like…undercover?"
"Technically, yeah. They think you can get close to him. Look, I know you're anxious, but we can't jump the gun here. Go to the diner this morning, do what you can, but then get to the department. All undercover ops have to go through your Lieutenant. You need a plan. And since we don't have a warrant, yet, it'll be no longer than 24-hours. Your partner will be tailing you every step of the way. Is that understood? I don't want you to meetup with Grissom alone and on your own."
"Yes, of course. You said mom had a meeting this morning. Is she trying to stop it?"
He shrugged. "It's an issue for her. I think she's trying to fight it—"
"That's not her call—"
"I know. That's what I told her. It's just….It's this case. She caught it twenty years ago. It went cold, and now, you caught it. And this guy, he's, uh, he's been around all this time and…I think she's just worried—"
"Well, tell her not to be. It's the job. My job."
"It's not that simple."
"Why not? Why is this such a big deal? I was Vice, I've been undercover—"
"Hey, I'm with you on this. Okay. I'm on your side. Your mom, she has history—"
"Then she can share that history with me. Might help with the case."
"You know your mother, she's not very good at sharing."
"Yeah, well, I'm her daughter and I'm not handing this case over to anyone. I caught it, I'm keeping it, and I'm going to finish it."
Twenty minutes later, Joni waited patiently by her water bowl as she got out a serving of the dog food from the pantry. She gave her a rub down after setting the dish down on the kitchen in front of her. "I gotta go to work. Be good for Carol."
Carol worked from home, had two cats and a son, and they both loved Joni. Grabbing her keys, gun and badge, she left the apartment.
TBC…
Disclaimer songs used: "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" by Radiohead.
