The Rabbit Factory (36 page)

I labored little inhales followed by loud, painful exhales. "What shout the crew? Was it..."

"Yes, Mike. It was the same crew you flew with on _ Monday."

I looked at Ike Rose. He was still holding his daughter's picture and was pressing it to his chest. The powerful head of one of the biggest entertainment enterprises on the planet looked at UK1 with pleading eyes. I had seen that look too many times

-- 413 --

before. They were the eyes of a crime victim who can't believe that what is happening is really happening to him.

He shook his head back and forth. "I was ready to pay," h<< said. "They didn't have to kill anyone else. I was ready to pay I was ready to pay."v

-- 414 ~

fhirty minutes later our Forensics Team was in Hannah's room. Terry and I waited downstairs with Rose in a large room with a bar, a billiard table, a pinball Illiiichine, and several other expensive adult diversions. A maid ilought in a cart with coffee and pastries.

Rose took a silver cigarette case out of his pocket. "I want Ťi write an autobiography when I'm through with this corporate lill," he said, tapping a cigarette on the case. "So I keep a (Miirnal. Every time I fuck up, I write it down, and I tell myself H'n all part of the overall experience. The book won't be inter Wing unless you have fuckups. But this...?"

He lit the cigarette and blew a lungful of noxious chemicals Rt<> the air. I was jealous. Seven years and I still missed the "poison.

Twenty minutes later Brian showed up. "I'm driving to the tush site to meet with investigators from the FAA, NTSB, and [hr FBI," he said, "but I figured I'd stop by and see if there's jiylhing I can do here."

"Thanks," Rose said. "I wish I could go with you, but I've

got our financial people coming over so we can talk about how we're going to pull the ransom money together."

I

"They still don't know what brought the plane down," Bri:m said, "but it has to be sabotage. They threatened to kill our people and they did."

"What about all that post-9/11 security hype?" Terry asked,

"Security is a hell of a lot better on commercial flights since 9/11," Brian said. "But corporate and private jets are pretty l;ix. Ask Mike. He just flew that plane on Monday."Ł

I looked at Terry. "The driver took me right to the tarmac," I said. "I got on without being searched. And I was carrying n gun."

1

Brian stayed for less than ten minutes, then left for the crush site. Terry and I decided to stick around to hear from Forensics, Rose smoked two more cigarettes while we waited. I always lcl Ś myself that one of these days something is going to happen 10 push me over the edge and I'm just going to pick up again ami start inhaling where I left off. Joanie's death didn't do it. Mayl>fl it was because I had time to brace myself. But the Lamaar plain) going down with people I hardly knew had a much stronger effect on my addiction. I really wanted a cigarette. I settled fof one of the pastries.1

It didn't take Forensics long to confirm what Terry hail assumed. The blood on Hannah's bed was a mix of corn synip and red food coloring, the basic formula used in movie making, And the burglar alarm had been disabled by an expert. He even overrode the feature that signals the security company yhcn someone tampers with the system.I

By 11 a.m. Terry and I were back in the squad room. Kjl cullen was waiting for us. "I spoke to Garet Church at the F1H

V

The Rabbit Factory

! rescheduled the Joint Task Force Meeting for 2 p.m." "Nice of them to wait for us," Terry said. "They pushed it back to give the new people time to get Illicre." "What new people?" Terry said.

"Now that it looks like the plane crash is connected to the lťlher murders, we've got the FAA involved. Plus the Governor's l)llice wants representatives from the California Bureau of investigation, the State Troopers, and the Office of the Attorney fjfiieral." "What?" Terry said. "They didn't invite the good folks from pic Department of Fish and Game?"

"We're lucky they invited LAPD. Why didn't you guys solve ills mess last week like I asked you to?"

We filled him in on what went down at Ike Rose's house. "I wish he wouldn't cough up the money," Kilcullen said, slow the Feds will be in charge of the ransom phone calls and

Ihe payoff and whatever else goes down. They're the lead Mflency. I'm not kidding. I wouldn't be surprised if they told IAPD to go back home and write traffic tickets." "I know Garet Church," I said, "and he isn't going to pull us TifT this case. Terry and I have too big of a learning curve." "Plus we got closer to Ike Rose in a week than any fucking lederal agent could get in a fiscal fucking year," Terry said, fiey'd be crazy to ask us off." "Is that your ego talking?" Kilcullen said. "Or do you really

I1link you can make a difference?" h "Both," Terry said. "If we get pulled off now, it will always iMf our failure. If we hang on, we have a chance to be in on the iollar."

K

"And if there is no collar?"

"Then you can take us out behind the bowling alley and shoot us."

Terry's way of dealing with the darker side of our job is to joke his way through it. I on the other hand felt a deep sen.sc of loss. Amy, Captain Sheppard, Sig, all dead for one reason. They were connected to Lamaar.m

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-- 418 -- i

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1

The 2:00 meeting was in the FBI offices at 11000 Wilshire. At 1:50 Terry and I were on Sepulveda, squeezing from three lanes to one to get around an accident involving a Illummer and a vanload of Koreans./

Terry flashed his lights, crossed over the double yellow lino, and scattered the oncoming traffic. "Sorry to take your life In my hands," he said, "but I hate being late to a dick-meas jring contest."

I've been to enough meetings with the FBI to know that luy have several conference rooms that can seat forty people (round one big table. It helps promote the misguided feeling that all agencies are created equal. This time there was no such pretense. The meeting took place in a theatre. Garet Church Iftood in front, so that the rest of us who sat facing him would have no doubt who was in charge. It was a none-too-subtle inind fuck.

Being a homicide cop, I've had to break the bad news to a -lot of people that someone they loved or were close to had If been murdered. The most common response is "But I just saw

got our financial people coming over so we can talk about how we're going to pull the ransom money together."

"They still don't know what brought the plane down," Brian said, "but it has to be sabotage. They threatened to kill our people and they did."

"What about all that post-9/11 security hype?" Terry asked.

"Security is a hell of a lot better on commercial flights since 9/11," Brian said. "But corporate and private jets are pretty lax. Ask Mike. He just flew that plane on Monday."

I looked at Terry. "The driver took me right to the tarmac," I said. "I got on without being searched. And I was carrying a gun."

Brian stayed for less than ten minutes, then left for the crash site. Terry and I decided to stick around to hear from Forensics. Rose smoked two more cigarettes while we waited. I always tell myself that one of these days something is going to happen to push me over the edge and I'm just going to pick up again and start inhaling where I left off. Joanie's death didn't do it. Maybe it was because I had time to brace myself. But the Lamaar plane going down with people I hardly knew had a much stronger effect on my addiction. I really wanted a cigarette. I settled for one of the pastries.Ś

It didn't take Forensics long to confirm what Terry had assumed. The blood on Hannah's bed was a mix of corn syrup and red food coloring, the basic formula used in movie making. And the burglar alarm had been disabled by an expert. He even overrode the feature that signals the security company when J. someone tampers with the system.Ś I

By 11 a.m. Terry and I were back in the squad room. Kilcullen was waiting for us. "I spoke to Garet Church at the FBI.

The Rabbit Factory

lie rescheduled the Joint Task Force Meeting for 2 p.m."

"Nice of them to wait for us," Terry said.

"They pushed it back to give the new people time to get l here."

"What new people?" Terry said.

t "Now that it looks like the plane crash is connected to the I other murders, we've got the FAA involved. Plus the Governor's Office wants representatives from the California Bureau of Investigation, the State Troopers, and the Office of the Attorney General." P "What?" Terry said. "They didn't invite the good folks from the Department of Fish and Game?"

; "We're lucky they invited LAPD. Why didn't you guys solve this mess last week like I asked you to?" We filled him in on what went down at Ike Rose's house.

"I wish he wouldn't cough up the money," Kilcullen said. "Now the Feds will be in charge of the ransom phone calls and the payoff and whatever else goes down. They're the lead agency. I'm not kidding. I wouldn't be surprised if they told LAPD to go back home and write traffic tickets." "I know Garet Church," I said, "and he isn't going to pull us off this case. Terry and I have too big of a learning curve." "Plus we got closer to Ike Rose in a week than any fucking Federal agent could get in a fiscal fucking year," Terry said. "They'd be crazy to ask us off." H "Is that your ego talking?" Kilcullen said. "Or do you really think you can make a difference?" "Both," Terry said. "If we get pulled off now, it will always our failure. If we hang on, we have a chance to be in on the collar."

"And if there is no collar?"

"Then you can take us out behind the bowling alley and shoot us." Terry's way of dealing with the darker side of our job is ti > joke his way through it. I on the other hand felt a deep sense of loss. Amy, Captain Sheppard, Sig, all dead for one reason. They were connected to Lamaar.

I

The 2:00 meeting was in the FBI offices at 11000 Wilshire. At 1:50 Terry and I were on Sepulveda, squeezing from three lanes to one to get around an accident involving a Mummer and a vanload of Koreans.

Terry flashed his lights, crossed over the double yellow 'line, and scattered the oncoming traffic. "Sorry to take your life In my hands," he said, "but I hate being late to a dick-measuring contest."

I've been to enough meetings with the FBI to know that they have several conference rooms that can seat forty people nround one big table. It helps promote the misguided feeling that all agencies are created equal. This time there was no such pretense. The meeting took place in a theatre. Garet Church stood in front, so that the rest of us who sat facing him would have no doubt who was in charge. It was a none-too-subtle mind fuck.

Being a homicide cop, I've had to break the bad news to a Mot of people that someone they loved or were close to had been murdered. The most common response is "But I just saw

him yesterday, but I just kissed her goodbye this morning, but I was just on the phone with him a few hours ago."

People think that if they just saw you, you couldn't possibly, suddenly, inexplicably, be dead. It's a reaction I see a lot, and now I was going through it. So I didn't feel like saying much. I let Terry do the talking. He gave the group an update on thr breakin at Rose's house and his decision to pay the ransom.

As we expected, Church assigned his people to hanw twenty-four/seven with Rose, to make sure the Bureau had firsi crack at the bad guys when the ransom call came. '

"Rose is running the ad in the Classified Section o! tomorrow morning's LA. Times," Church said. "We've got elec tronic surveillance teams set up to cover his home phone, hi,t office, and his cell. When the call comes, we'll try to get a tract1, but don't count on it. These people are smart.

"We have no idea if they're going to ask Rose to wire thr money to the Caymans, pay it out in gold bars, or leave a check under the doormat. Best guess is they'll ask for good old Amer ican greenbacks. Our job is to follow the money. Are you listening to me, people? We're not playing with Monopoly money here. This is going to be 266.4 million of Uncle Sam's fines! Some packets will be rigged to send out electronic signals so we can track it with a GPS locator. And we will track it. Then we'll nail whoever is on the receiving end."

Church tapped a button on the podium and a large screen lowered behind him. "We've made some headway in the killings. I'll start with Elkins. There are about a thousand surveil lance cameras throughout the park and down underground where the employees are. We isolated only those cameras thai Elkins passed through from the time he started work in w

morning.

"One man, dressed like your average tourist, consistently look the same route as Elkins. He didn't follow Elkins directly. Sometimes he'd show up in a frame a minute behind Elkins and ŚKometimes he'd be ten seconds in front of him, because he probably did a dry run and knew Elkins's itinerary. Here's a Video of him entering the front gate on the day of the murder."

The lights dimmed and the screen lit up with a surveillance lupe of the Lamaar main entrance. People were streaming Jhtough the gate eager to get into the park. Garet hit a button Mitd the video froze on one happy group.

"See this bunch?" Church said. "Six people. Five of them are Belgian tourists traveling together. Two couples and one i~W< >man who is the sister of one of the husbands. We know who licy are because they stayed at a hotel on the Lamaar property mkI we were able to cross-check. But this short guy with the lunglasses, he doesn't belong with them. He hung close to I'hi'in, because one guy alone in a place called Familyland is rjjoing to stand out to Security."

He rolled the tape to a second scene. "Same guy again. Only (low he's walking alongside a different group. Each time he pops up he tries to blend in so he doesn't look like a solo act, Ťnd each time he's following the route that Rambunctious ubbit took through the park."

A voice from one of the seats called out. "Do we know who he is?" Ś

"His name is Angelo Innocenti. Interpol ID'd him for us yeslerday. He's a professional killer; home base is Palermo, Sicily."