Hollywood Blood: A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller (26 page)

Lundy
pushed me down into the chair where I’d been tied. He kept his gun trained on me as he walked over and made several keystrokes on a computer.

“It looks like the votes are coming in,” he said, after examining the screens and turning back to me. He lowered his voice. “Based upon early voting trends, I’m sorry to say that you’re projected to be the loser of this election.” He trained his gun on me. “The Predato
rs have spoken. The vote is death.”

The man who walked
back over to me was transformed, a force far darker than anything I’d seen before now surfacing. “Before you die, Detective, there is something else you should know. I’m not the man that you think I am.”

“
You’re right,” I said. “You’re nothing but an insane monster.”

Lundy
’s eyes narrowed into slits, a contemptuous smile finding his lips. “I am one of seven disciples, chosen by the one you personify as evil to seek revenge in the world. My colleagues are out there as I speak, in other places, wreaking vengeance.”

Maybe it was my imagination, but the face that stared down at me was alter
ed, the features twisted into something mad, a non-human entity boiling out of the eternal darkness of night like smoke. The creature that was ready to end my life reeked of anguish and despair. It had taken a child’s near-death experience and twisted it for his own malicious purpose. I knew it was probably crazy to believe that a disciple of evil had been let loose upon the world, but if there was such a thing as pure evil I was convinced the man in front of me was just that.

A fury exploded within me. Without thinking, I lowered my head and rammed into the monster with all my strength.

The room exploded with a flash of light as Lundy’s gun discharged. I held my breath and waited for the bullet to tear into me. But in that same moment the lights went out and I realized the shot had missed me.

Lundy
’s private hell was so black, the darkness so complete, that I couldn’t even make out a shadow. I stayed low to the ground, at the same time hearing movement from somewhere up the tunnel where I’d entered this secret world. Then I heard barking.

Bernie!

In the chaos that ensued, there were several loud explosions, a disorienting jolt of thunder and lightning. It took me several moments to recover from the flash-bang grenades before I heard a series of gunshots. I heard a muffled scream and I knew that someone had been shot. Lundy’s black torture chamber then became deathly quiet.

Finally, from somewhere behind me, despite the ringing in my ears, I heard a voice say, “We’re clear. The target is down.”

When the lights came up I saw there were four SWAT officers in the room wearing night vision equipment. And then I saw my dog. As the officers helped me to my feet, Bernie greeted me, jumping up and licking my face.

After I gave Bernie the attention he deserved,
I stood up and saw Lundy. He’d been blown back against one of his computer terminals. The bullets fired from the assault weapons had partially obliterated his face.

Even as I was still recovering from the flash-bang explosions, I made out the words of one of the officers.

“Your dog was found by a neighbor down the hill and adjacent to Lundy’s estate,” the officer said. “He saw Bernie’s badge and called the authorities. He told us that he had suspicions about something going on and, with Bernie’s help, we found the underground entrance. We made our raid from the neighbor’s property so that we wouldn’t be detected.”

I thanked the officer, motioned to the corridor, and sai
d, “Let me show you what hell looks like.”

Chapter Sixty

Two weeks later, Bernie and I returned to Lundy’s estate to do some follow-up with the SDI technicians who were still processing the crime scene.
The women held hostage in the dungeon all needed psychiatric help after being freed. We learned that Lundy used physical and psychological domination, as well as mind altering drugs, to control and convince the women, just like Myra, they’d been chosen to play one of his games.

SDI
was still sifting through a wealth of information about the dead agent’s games. I learned that Lundy had been able to contact Myra and the Predators directly from his underground chamber using sophisticated proprietary software, along with something called a virtual private network. The software made it impossible to trace Lundy’s Internet address when, in fact, he’d been in the bunker down the hill from his estate all along.

Several of the Predators were identified using the information on the underground computers. Bob Woodley told me
it appeared there were other games being played, with other victims and players out there yet to be identified. We expected it would take several more weeks to unravel the other schemes, the players, and the victims.

Lundy
’s claim that he was One of Seven, with six other subjects out there who considered themselves to be disciples of Satan seeking vengeance, also appeared to have some legitimacy. Woodley had found indications that Azazel had been in contact with these subjects who had also taken names from ancient times that stood for evil unleashed in the world. The methods used to contact the disciples had been extremely sophisticated and the SDI supervisor was unsure if the identifies of the individuals involved could ever be determined.

Chandra Martin was also presen
t at the compound. I asked her about her tattoo that was similar to Myra’s. She said she’d gotten it at a local shop in Venice. Latin inscriptions were popular with the counter-culture movement, and it turned out that Chandra’s tattoo said something along the lines of,
Gone but Never Forgotten
, a tribute to her deceased brother.

As I drove away from Lundy
’s compound, I made a phone call. When I ended the call, my emotions vacillated between rage and elation. I was still technically on leave and hadn’t officially been told if I was being reassigned. I decided it was time to head for Hollywood Station and clear the air. When I got there I went straight to Skully’s office.

“I’ve tracked down the source of the leak,” I said, bursting into
the captain’s office without knocking.

“What
are you talking about?” It was early afternoon. Skully had been eating a hotdog. There was mustard on his upper lip. “You’ve been identified as the source. The matter is with internal affairs. I can’t discuss it.”

“Stan Baker,” I said, tossing him a tissue from a dispenser. “The little weasel has been setting me up.”

“That’s nonsense.” Skully wiped his mouth and turned bright red. He came around the desk until we were a few inches apart. “I won’t have you impugning the integrity of one of my best detectives so that you can try and cover your tracks.”

“Integrity,” I fumed. “You wouldn’t know integrity if it bit your favorite detective on his stupid little ass.”

“Are you trying to add another round of insubordination to your list of failings? I’ll be happy to have IAD deal with this, along with your other transgressions.”

“There won’t be an investigation
. Unless you were also part of the setup.”

“What are you talking about? I won’t listen…”

“That,” I said, interrupting him. “is exactly your problem. You won’t listen because I’m a woman.”

“That has nothing to do with this.”

I took a deep breath and let him have it with both barrels. “Haley Tristan’s aide, Cher Wentworth, has spent the last few weeks leading Stan Baker around by his dick. The man you assigned to head the taskforce was fucking Wentworth in return for supplying her with information about the case. He’s the leak. They were working together to set me up.”

“That’s outrageous,” Skully yelled. The captain’s face went from red to purple. Was this finally the stroke that I’d been praying for?
My prayers weren’t answered when he recovered enough to add, “I will be sure IAD knows that you’re lying to cover your tracks.”

I smiled and headed for the door. Just before I walked out and slammed it, I turned back to him and said, “I’ll save you the trouble, Elmer. I called IAD and the chief of police on my way over here and told them everything.”

Charlie and Pearl were completing paperwork in a conference room down the hall from the fireworks and heard most of our discussion.

“Skully sounds like he means business,” Charlie said. “I talked to my friend, Dorothy Velasquez, at police administration earlier. She said IAD has a case open on you.”

“They can close it,” I said. “Baker is dirty. Haley Tristan will back me up.”

Pearl smiled
. In his smooth, deep voice he said, “How’d you manage that?”

“A promise or
two can go a long way.”

We chatted a few minutes longer
. I found out that the FBI had taken a closer look at Fred Lundy’s background. They’d learned that the deceased cult expert’s parents had died in a fire when the killer was a teenager. The fire was always considered suspicious, but no one was ever charged. In view of Lundy’s killing spree, they now suspected that the couple’s son was responsible.

I also learned that Karma was expected to make a full recovery from her wounds. According to Charlie, she’d
released a statement to the press that she was planning a world tour in the spring of next year.

Pearl went off to make some copies of his paperwork. I glanced up and saw Jessica Barlow heading straight for Charlie and me. It might have been my imagination, but I swear
I heard the theme from Jaws playing in the background.

“I won’t stand for your harassment,” Jessica screamed as she came over to Charlie. “I’m filing a complaint.”

Charlie held his hands out to his sides. “What are you talking about?”

“You damn well know what I’m talking about.” Jessica began twisting and turning and stomping. Her mouth came open, but she appeared to be so angry that nothing came out. Maybe she was having
some kind of emotional seizure.

“What’s going on?” I finally asked
her.

Jessica turned and motioned for me to follow. Charlie and I swam down the hallway after the shark until we were standing in front of her office. Even before she pushed the door open, the odor hit me.

“What’s that smell?” I asked.

Jessica fumed, “It seems that someone left a little present on my desk.”

As the door swung open, I saw what she meant.

“Why, I’m utterly amazed,” Charlie said coming around from behind me and waving
a hand. “Looks like someone made you dessert, Jessica—a certain flavor of pie.”

“You’re going to pay for this, Winkler,” Jessica screamed

Charlie shrugged and deadpanned. “Looks like it’s your lucky day. Word has it that cow pie is your favorite.”

I walked out at that point. If the confrontation didn’t result in a double homicide, I had no doubt that Jessica would file a complaint and Charlie would get a reprimand. Still, I couldn’t keep from laughing out loud. The Brown Cow bandit had exacted his revenge. Jessica’s payback would probably live in the annals of
LAPD history for years to come.

A few minutes later
, Bernie and I were on the freeway, headed to my mom’s house. What I hadn’t told Charlie and Pearl is that I’d promised Haley Tristan an exclusive interview about Myra and the other women, who were being referred to in newspaper headlines across the country as, Sisters of the Blood.

Realizing that she had the biggest story since the Manson Family killings, it took Tristan five seconds to agree to the deal and give up Baker as the leak. I had a feeling that it wasn’t the first time Cher Wentworth had used her considerable assets to gather information for her boss.

On my way to Mom’s house, I got a call from Natalie and agreed to stop by Voodoo Mama. Bernie and I found her, Mo, and Prissy in the backroom sipping something called Blood Tea while another clerk worked the front counter.

I took a seat at their table, declined an offer of tea, and took a moment to fill them in on the case.

Natalie then told me something shocking. “Clyde and me are history.”

“What?”

Mo, who had on a yellow full-body leotard, explained, “He’s decided they’re age inappropriate. Got him an older woman.”

“She’s three years older than Clyde,” Natalie added.

“Sounds to me like a cougar with dentures,” Prissy chimed in.

“I’m sorry,” I said to Natalie, even though I wasn’t. I’d never understood her attraction to Clyde.

“It’s not a problem,” Natalie said. My friend had on a halter top and black leather pants that would probably make a vampire drool. “Already caught me a rebound. Guy named, Tex.”

My
image of Natalie dating a tall, dark cowboy was immediately extinguished by Mo. “Tex is a genius, but doesn’t exactly possess a lot of social skills.”

“Tex is so smart, no one
knows what he’s talking ‘bout,” Natalie explained. “Always did like them brainy ones. Used to sit by the smart alecks in school, give ‘em a shot of the dick mitten so I could copy their work.”

“I’ve seen Tex,” Prissy chimed in. “I think he’s cute, in a brainiac sort of way.”

I spent the next few minutes getting a complete rundown on Tex, which included Natalie telling me that her new boyfriend loved Mr. Frederick’s artwork. By the time she’d finished, I had an image of a horny twenty-something geek with both Einstein’s brain and hair.

I
checked my watch, realizing I was running late to meet Jack. I hadn’t seen him since he’d gone back to DC, but he’d called and said he was coming by tonight.

“I need to run,” I said
.

“One more thing before you leave,” Mo said. “The three of us have been talking. Prissy’s great grandma owns a big house up in the Mount Olympus neighborhood, overlooking the city. She’s invited all of us to be her roommates. That includes you and Bernie.”

“We’ll each have a private bedroom with its own bathroom, if you’re concerned about that sort of thing,” Prissy said. “Grand mama’s in her eighties and is really no bother. She lives upstairs and gives me the complete run of the house. It’s really quite spacious and lovely. I’m sure she’ll love the company.”

“Please,” Natalie begged. “Clyde’s shop and your apartment will take months to rebuild
and I know you don’t like living with your mum.”

She was right about that. The thought of
continuing to live with Miss Daisy, who was in New York doing some advance planning for her upcoming nude world peace demonstration, sent a wave of depression through me.

Maybe it was
Natalie’s begging or thoughts about my mother being naked and demonstrating on TV, but I agreed to give the living arrangements a try.

After a celebration with my n
ew roommates, that included a Blood Tea toast, I was on the road again. A block from Mom’s house my thoughts about my new living arrangements surfaced.

I laughed out loud and said to Bernie, “We’re going to be living with a mad British woman, an ex-pimp, a granny, and a transvestite.”

Bernie gave me one of those looks I get just before he gets into trouble.

I
turned the corner and saw Jack standing on my mother’s front porch, ringing the doorbell. He turned and waved to me as I came up the street. I felt conflicted, both happy to see Jack but at the same time unsure about where our relationship was headed, when my phone rang.

“We’re going to be grandparents,” I heard Mack say.

“What are you talking about?”

“I had to take Thelma to the vet for some stomach problems. He ran a couple of tests an
d in the process found out she’s pregnant.” He laughed. “Guess who the father is?”

As I pulled to the curb, I looked over at my partner, who had his head down. Maybe it was my imagination, but he appeared to be covering one eye with his paw.

“Bernie?” I said into my phone.

“It would seem that your dog knocked up my dog. Thelma’s very monogamous.”

I was dumbstruck, but then it occurred to me that maybe I was being punked. “Are you serious?”

“I thought you could have dinner with me tonight and we can talk about custody arrangements.”

“Custody?” I was so shocked by the conversation that I dropped the phone in my lap.

I heard Mack saying, “Kate, are you there?”

I looked over at my partner and then up at Jack who was now tapping on Olive’s windshield.

I turned back to Bernie and said, “So, what happens now, doggy baby daddy?”