“Against the rear hedge. Standingup.The woman’s back was to me, her dress was up to her waist, and the man was…I’m sure I don’t need to draw you a picture.”
“No, ma’am.”
Candace Kierstead said, “I stopped in my tracks but he turned and saw me. And that’s when I got scared because he looked really angry. As if I was the intruder.”
Deep sigh. “I’d helped compile the invite list and this guy wasnoton it.”
“What about the woman?”
“I never saw her face but from the back she looked too…I’ll be perfectly frank, she looked too young. Young legs, at least. That’s not the Daylighters’ crowd. I’m a good ten years younger than every other woman in the group. These were definitely crashers. Andhe’sgetting irate? I thought,How dare you!So I managed to collect my courage and came right out and said, ‘You need to stop this now and leave.’ Something to that effect. You’d think he’d be embarrassed and get moving. Just the opposite. He just gritted his teeth and kept going. Faster! So I ran off to get Sig but by the time I located him and got him back there, theyweregone. And when I asked the security people, they had no clue. Sig said I shouldn’t make a fuss, it would poop the party. But now that something’s happened at the same place, I just thought I should tell you.”
Milo said, “You thought right. What did the man look like?”
“Thirties, dark hair.” Quick intake of breath. “To be frank, somewhat good looking. In a certain way.”
“What way?”
“Not substantive good looks. The kind of guy you see all over L.A., spends too much time in front of the mirror.”
Milo took out his phone, scrolled to Richard Gurnsey’s DMV photo, and showed it to Candace Kierstead.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, my God, that’s him! He’s a mass murderer? I got that close to a serial killer?”
A tremor began at her shoulders and coursed down her torso.
Milo said, “You were never in danger, Candace.”
“But—”
“He’s not a murderer.”
“What then?”
“He’s a victim.”
“Oh,” she said. “So telling you thisisimportant. Wow.” She played with her hair. “Who is he?”
“As I said, can’t get into details.”
“Oh, of course, sorry—so he actually came back there? Was it also a benefit? Was exploiting a good cause histhing?”
Milo said, “May I show you some other faces to see if you recognize them?” and scrolled to Benny Alvarez’s social service I.D. photo.
“No,” she said. “Never seen him.”
Same response to Solomon Roget and the unidentified woman. “Who are all these people?”
Milo smiled. “I wish I could be more specific—”
“Sorry, sorry…I have to say, Lieutenant, they’re a diverse group, aren’t they? If they’re also victims, it’s as if someone’s trying to kill a variety of people. To murder the world.”
—
She got up to use “the little girls’ room,” returned moments later.
Milo said, “Can you tell us anything more about the woman having sex?”
“I really can’t, Lieutenant. Never saw her face.”
