Milo said, “You served as an informant and gave Detective Matthias your findings.”
“There were no findings, that was the thing,” said Heck. “The first time we met was away from that place.”
“What place?”
“Where they worked, downtown, looked like a warehouse they stuck desks in.”
“Where did you and Detective Matthias meet?”
“Some restaurant—a Denny’s, I think. In Culver City? Yeah, Culver City.”
“How did that come about?”
“He—the asshole in charge—had told me to look for papers, notice whatever I could and I’d be safe from prosecution. I knew I’d done nothing but he came on strong and the whole thing freaked me out so I did it. So I met with her—the old lady—at Denny’s and told her there was nothing. She pushed back, said there had to be something. No nonsense, like one of those teachers who give you a hard time? But I was being honest so I held my ground and she got up, paid the tab, and left.”
“The second time was…”
“In her office. To finish off.”
“Finish off what?”
“Whatever they had going. That was the deal. People would get ordered to come in, no choice where or when, just show up. They’d talk to her or some other cop and whatever got said would be written down. For some kind of report, I guess. But it was all total bullshit because no one had anything to say because no oneknewanything. Except Darren. That was his thing. Keep everyone separated so no one learns anything from anyone.”
The same technique Kevin Van Osler had used with his investigators. Devious minds finding common ground.
Milo said, “Divide and conquer.”
Heck said, “Exactly. So there was nothing anyone could’ve known.The whole deal—the scam—was the payment part. Everything else was legit. The cases, the legal work. Which is what I told her.”
“Detective Matthias.”
He shook his head. “I try to convince her, she gives me this look like she knows I’m lying. Not talking, just staring me down. Didn’t bother me ’cause I knew I wasn’t. I said feel free to check. She must’ve ’cause the next time I went in it was to sign off. Obviously ithadto go that way because I was telling thetruth.Which I’m obviously doingnow.”
We said nothing. He began fidgeting. “Okay? Canwesign off?”
I said, “Why’d Van Osler choose you as an informant?”
“He said because of my job,” said Heck. “Managing the office, writing out checks, I was in a position. But the checks I wrote out were for the staff and expenses, not payment to the clients. Darren kept that deal for himself, said he was changing lives, wanted to hand over the money in person and watch their faces.”
“That never happened.”
“Actually,” said Heck, “it did a little. He paid out some of what he owed to some of them but never most of it and not to all of them. At least that’s what she told me—Detective Matthias. When she was trying to make me feel like a liar. She said, Listen, we know what’s going on, Mike, it’s the Ponzi. And we also know thatyouhad to know. Pressuring me. I didn’t know squat. But she kept pressuring me anyway.”
His mouth dropped open. “I just realized I told you something wrong. It wasn’t two times I saw her, it was three. Forgot about the first, it was when she got me coming out of the office and did the badge thing. We walked a few blocks to her car and that’s where she said what I just told you.”
“We know that you know.”
“Pressuring me. Then Osler does the same thing and I was feeling really hemmed in so I said what the hey, I’ll see what I can find out. Which was nothing. I’m telling you I made a mistake about three days not two because I don’t want you coming back on me saying hey, Mike, you lied, so we’re looking at you again, dude.”
I said, “Thesecondtime was…”
“Like I said, Denny’s. Like a couple weeks later. That’s whereItoldherI didn’t find anything, she could say what she wanted but that was the situation and now I had a lawyer so go talk to her. Which she did.”
“Martha talked to Bettina.”
“She called her. Bettina told me, told me I’d screwed up by not asking her first.”
“You were observed talking to Martha with Bettina.”
