G'Day USA (38 page)

‘
You have enough battery?’

I checked and swore. ‘Shit. Less than 10%.’

She pulled a fist full of batteries from one of her pockets and smiled.

‘
You’re a lifesaver, Ann. You’ve done more than enough for me. I owe you now. Please get clear. I’ve got a thing with a guy.’ I smiled and pointed past her toward the container. ‘Make sure you lock it from the inside.’

She turned and shuffled away. I watched her go until she was out of sight and returned to the house.

I was ready. I set the arena. Now I just needed to draw the opponent.

I loaded the battery extender with fresh batteries and watched the power bar go up to 100%. Perfect.

I opened the settings and turned on location services and toggled the ‘Find my iPhone’ switch. If I was right it would be like a clarion alarm to Kent.

I placed the phone on the floor in the corner, well away from any potential ruckus. I dialed Sampson’s number and left the screen open. I wanted him to hear what eventuated.

If I lived or died, he’d know what the score was. This was ending today.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Kent’s phone buzzed and warbled. He looked at the display. He had a new email. Rare. He received a notification that Ellie’s iPhone had been located. He scrolled through his apps and opened the ‘Find my Phone’ App.

‘
Shit, shit, shit.’ He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember her email and password. Not right on the first attempt. Not right on the second attempt. Third time lucky. The timer icon spun for a couple of seconds and the map resolved to a green dot almost a mile north of where he was, south of the Venice Pier. He’d guessed wrong. Not as far as del Rey then. ‘So much for her being smart.’

He mapped out a route keeping him out of the heavily populated areas. The map told him it would take fifteen minutes. ‘Do you have a gimp factor, you fucking piece of shit? More like twenty minutes with this foot.’

He took a deep satisfied breath. Twenty minutes to getting rid of the traitorous bitch.

C
athy pulled her ponytail through the hole of her baseball cap and continued looking south of Ellie’s apartment. Arbitrary decision. No reason to go either direction, really. She’d been on the beach for almost five hours and so far no sign. She saw a perfectly horrible juggling act with a small dog. She came about five seconds away from popping the guy in the nose and rescuing the dog before it dawned on her the dog he was juggling with was not real. The puppy must have been put back in the equipment bag. Clever trick. Didn’t make her any happier.

She looked at her watch. After noon. ‘I’m getting hungry. What is she doing for food out here?’ She stopped at a food cart and grabbed a sausage and coke.

She was close to where the juggling act had pissed her off. She went over to see how the puppy was doing. She squat down and he came running over, back half wagging and front half trying to get a piece of her lunch.

The juggler looked up from his bag at what his dog was interested in and did a double take. ‘Ellie?’

Cathy looked up. ‘Excuse me?’

‘
Nothing. Thought you were someone else. You’re too big. And your hair is still long.’

‘
Ellie Bourke? You know her?’

‘
I think she’s in Oxnard. For the berries’

‘
Bullshit, pal. What do you know?’

‘
How do you know I know anything?’

‘
I’m going to call animal control and tell them you’re putting the life of a tiny, harmless puppy in danger.’

‘
I’m not really juggling it. Honest. It’s a sleight of hand thing and I’m really throwing a stuffed dog around. Believe me.’

‘
Doesn’t matter if I do or not, they’ll make your life hell. Tell me what you know about Ellie or I call them.’

‘
Man, you’re a hard bitch. She’s around here somewhere and half the freakin’ beach is looking for her. I’ve had I don’t know how many cops, a younger dude with a gorgeous lab - ’

‘
Jacob Sampson.’

‘
Yeah, that’s it. And some other people. I’m telling them what she told me to tell them. She’s in -’ He paused, a confused look on his face. ‘No, wait. The last time we talked she said to say she was in the area. She didn’t want anyone leaving this area.’

Cathy pressed. ‘When was that? When did you talk to her last?’

He scratched his head. ‘Couple hours ago. Maybe longer.’ He screwed up his face. ‘Hell, I don’t know. It was today. I don’t have a watch or a phone or any other way of telling the time.’

‘
You’re a waste of fucking space. How do you know her?’

He shrugged. ‘You know. Local. I make her laugh. She buys me breakfast once in a while. She’s a really nice person, for a famous movie star.’

‘
Yeah. You’re still useless. If she happens to pop by tell her Cathy is down here looking for her.’

‘
Are you related? ‘Cause you’re like sisters. Thought you were her at first.’

‘
I’ve heard that before. We’re not, no. We really don’t look that much alike. Very superficial.’ Cathy gave the puppy one more scratch behind the ear. ‘It’s terrible what you’re doing to this puppy. I still have half a mind to call.’

‘
It’d be really cool if you didn’t. I’ll let Ellie know, if I see her.’

‘
If your drug-addled brain remembers.’

‘
That too.’

Cathy left, shaking her head. ‘Fucking hippies down here.’

A
nn hated the feeling she was having right now. Danger loomed and she couldn’t do anything to avert it. Hiding in the container with the door barred wasn’t an option. She had to do something to help Ellie. She found a vantage point about two blocks away. She could see both access roads to the houses. If the attacker came in through other yard and over fences she wouldn’t see him, and that was a possibility, but this was better than nothing.

She settled in for a wait when she saw Ellie. Different clothes and different ball cap, but from a distance it was her.

She jumped to her feet and ran out on the street. ‘You’re finished? It’s all okay?’

K
ent found progress slow. He had to detour three times to avoid crowds. The end was in sight and he didn’t want to be sidetracked. If anyone recognized him, it would delay things. He wasn’t in the best of moods. This was far more difficult than he ever imagined it to be.

He turned left on a small side street, a one-way lane with minimal traffic, when he saw the bag lady talking to Ellie. He looked around. Vacant. Nobody was around. This would be as good as any. He looked at his phone. The dot representing Ellie’s phone was still a quarter mile away.
She must have dropped it and not realized it,
he thought. ‘Fucking lucky running into her.’ The tide was turning.

As he approached the two he started experiencing cognitive dissonance. His brain was insisting the tall blonde in front of him was his target, but his eyes betrayed that thought. It was Ellie, but it wasn’t Ellie. As he got closer she flicked her eyes up at him a couple of times and didn’t display any signs of recognition, then continued talking to the bag lady.

Ann caught the blonde’s glances and turned and let out a scream. ‘That’s him. That’s him. That’s the guy trying to kill Ellie.’

He lashed out and punched her in the side of her head, dropping her like a sack of rice. ‘Fuck, she’s got a hard head.’ He looked at her companion. ‘It’s you. Fuck. You’re not Ellie. That’s twice you’ve fooled me.’

‘
Kent?’ Cathy back-pedaled. ‘What did she mean?’

‘
What in the fuck do you think she meant?’ he approached slowly, limping on his now very sore foot. ‘I’m the guy trying to kill Ellie. And now, since you know, I’m going to have to shut you up, too.’ He lunged forward and grabbed her by the throat with his left hand and swung his right fist at her face.

Cathy shied away at the last second, turning her face enough that he hit her on the side of the head, stunning her.

‘
Fuck
that hurt my hand.’ He squeezed tighter. Cathy grabbed at his hand with both of hers, tearing at the skin with her nails as consciousness slowly faded. She was a big girl, and as she dropped he had to follow, not strong enough to hold her up. He dropped her in the alley and looked around. No witnesses. The luck was definitely turning. He wiped the blood off his hand on her shirt then dragged her behind a dumpster. He flipped the lid open, grunted as he picked up the bag lady and tossed her inside and dropped the lid shut. ‘I’ll deal with you later.’

He wiped the sweat off his forehead. Some had trickled down his cheek to the cut and the sting was driving him crazy. He dabbed at it with his sleeve and blinked a couple of times, organizing his thoughts.

The phone.

He checked the location. Unchanged. ‘So you
are
there.’ About a ten minute walk.

His hand still bled. His DNA would be under her nails, but after he dumped her in the ocean no one would find it. He rolled his shoulders. ‘This killing shit is a good workout. I could do an exercise DVD.
Burn calories and the annoying people in your life at the same time
. It’ll sell like hotcakes.’ He laughed, giddy. Nothing could stop him now.

P
erkins wiped sweat off his brow with his handkerchief.

‘
I would have bet you were a hanky guy. Stanfield, what’s it like working with a guy who keeps his old snot in his pocket.’

‘
Oh, fucking gross. I hadn’t thought of that.’

Perkins pointedly ignored them. ‘We need to eat and get something to drink or we’re going to suffer from heat stroke.’

‘
It’s March. The temperature hasn’t hit 80 degrees.’ Sampson pointed ahead. ‘But since you’re old and have a gut to support, let’s let Emily and Henry feed us.’

‘
Who?’

Sampson pointed. ‘There. Friends of Ellie. Let’s see what they’ve got to say.’

They parked themselves at one of the outdoor tables and waved at Emily who came out with an order pad.

‘
Gents, you find Ellie yet?’

They looked up at her, surprised.

‘
Come on, guys. Why else would two Valley cops and a dog patrol guy be down here on the beach? How’s my little Lisa? Can I get her something too?’

‘
Emily, you’re too smart for your own good. Nothing for Lisa. She’s on a diet. Special food at home.’

‘
So she’s going to go all day without eating?’

Sampson looked down at Lisa who looked up at him, her tail thumping on the floor. ‘Fine. Do you have some lean meat? A couple of pounds.’ He scratched Lisa behind the ears. ‘An extra walk for you today, pooch.’

‘
We can do that. What’ll you boys have? Or is the raw lean meat for you?’

‘
Chicken Caesar for me and a lemonade. The meat’s for the pooch.’

Perkins and Stanfield ordered and waited for Emily to return inside before they continued talking.

‘
Sampson, this is a waste of time. She’s not down here.’ Stanfield nudged Perkins. ‘We head back to Sweeney’s place after lunch.’

Sampson adjusted himself in the chair. ‘Everyone seems to think she’s around here somewhere.’

Perkins cocked an eyebrow. ‘Like everyone was telling us she was in Oxnard before? She certainly has a lot of friends willing to help her.’

‘
Weird, right? In this day and age? A celebrity with real friends?’ Sampson shook his head. ‘Says a lot.’

Emily delivered the drinks and promised food shortly.

Perkins sipped at his iced tea and nodded. ‘Yeah. Very peculiar. And more the reason to not believe what anyone is saying.’

‘
Well you guys can head back to the banality of the Valley if you want. Lisa and I will stick it out. Right Lisa?’

She woofed and rested her head on her paws.

‘
See, even Lisa agrees, and she’s a dog. A pretty smart dog, but still a dog. Smarter than you two boys.’

Stanfield shrugged. ‘What can I say? She’s a smart dog.’

‘
Better looking than you, too.’ Perkins laughed. ‘By a long short.’

Emily returned with sandwiches and Sampson’s salad. ‘Boys, your food. Lisa’s meat will be out shortly. Henry is trimming the fat.’

‘
And we’re just chewing it.’ Sampson picked up a fork and rested it on the edge of his bowl. ‘Listen, Em, you had Ellie in the back of your place this morning when I dropped by, didn’t you?’

‘
I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘
Oh, come on. You were trying to get rid of me like I was an old, fat guy at Club Med. Spill it.’

She chewed the inside of her mouth for a minute. ‘Look, she’s always been good to us. And she’s as down to earth as they come. She may have dropped by, with a friend and I may have given her a bit of something to eat. That’s not a crime.’

‘
What friend?’

Emily hesitated.

‘
It’s not a crime. Don’t worry about that. Ellie’s in some spot of trouble and we’re here to help her. Was she with a guy, looks like this?’ Sampson showed her the picture of Kent.