“That’s what I’m thinking.”
Milo chewed his cheek. “Alvarez’s assisted living place is near downtown, lots of shelters and SROs and encampments. There could be a link between the two of them.”
I said, “Alvarez has some sort of mental disability. Maybe she does, too.”
Binchy looked troubled.
Milo said, “What, Sean?”
“Someone taking advantage of the weak.” His freckled face registered sadness. A detective who still believed in inherent goodness.
Bogomil said, “Gurnsey doesn’t fit with that. Unless he did charity work downtown or something like that.”
Milo said, “I like all this thinking—see, I told you Dr. D. would inspire us. Okay, you all know what you need to start with.”
Binchy said, “Canvass the neighborhood.”
“Every house up and down Benedict.”
“Then four death knocks,” said Reed. “How’re we dividing it?”
Milo said, “We’re not. I’ll take all of them.”
The three detectives said nothing.
“It’s called benevolent leadership,” he said. “Let’s get moving.”
Threeyessirsand they were gone.
I said, “Taking on your favorite job. Feeling emotionally resilient?”
“What the hell, they’re young and tender, and I’ve already got a mood disorder.”
“What’s that?”
“Personal variant of bipolar. Half the time I’m pissed off, the other I’m merely irritated.”
He strode to the limo where George Arredondo was still working, had a brief conversation with the tech, repeated it with the bespectacled woman. Then over to Mendez for the same.
Shaking his head as he returned. “Gloria says they’ve got copious samples of everything, we’ll see what the lab says but with the big decomp case don’t expect anything quick.”
We exited the tent again and took a quick walk through the house. Empty, gray, echoing, nothing but more lawn furniture, tatty beanbags, and detritus from the party.
Outside, Milo stretched, fooled with the knot of his tie, and looked up at a bluing L.A. sky. “So much evil, so little time. You don’t have to come death-knocking with me, Alex. On the other hand…”
“Good way to learn about the victims.”
“I thought you’d see it my way. Leave the Seville here, I’m in the mood to drive. More than that, I’m feeling allofficial.”
—
As we headed for the front parking area, I texted Robin and told her I’d be gone all day.
Bad?
Complicated.
Ooh. Worse than bad. Okay, love you.
