Morgenstern was at the Biltmore?”
“When Miss Medford phoned the house from Solvang the butler told her. Grange came down to talk with him, he claimed, leaving Miss Medford in Solvang. After his talk with Morgenstern, he went back to Solvang and picked up Miss Medford and came home.”
I said, “Our housekeeper saw them drive in at one o’clock on Saturday night.”
Bernie nodded. “That should be about right with what the night clerk in the motel at Solvang told us.”
“Is Grange still being held?” I asked.
He shook his head. “He was released last night. He will answer no more questions unless his attorney is present.”
“He’s no longer under suspicion?”
“Not much.”
“Why not?”
“Morgenstern was also robbed. His wallet was gone. He’s not the first victim of a mugger on that beach.”
“And if the killer wanted to hide his motive,” I pointed out, “robbing the man would be a clever ploy, wouldn’t it?”
He nodded. “That is exactly what I told Chief Harris just now.”
“And he argued with you? He wants to write it off?”
“Not exactly.” He paused, staring past me. “But a flashy Hollywood agent, he says, and—” He broke off, his eyes blazing.
“Flashy—? Morgenstern? I never met a classier guy. Is the man crazy?”
He didn’t answer.
And then it hit me. “You think the Chief is anti-Semitic? You think that’s the reason you can’t make captain?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.
“I do. You know I’m not in Chief Harris’s fan club, nor has he ever been in mine. But anti-Semitic? No way! Hell, you’re the guy who defended him every time I rapped him.”
“All right, all right!” he said irritably. “So I’m over sensitive. Let’s stick with the subject at hand. Did you learn anything over the weekend?”
I told him that Corey, the boy detective, had landed a job at the cult. I told him about Corey’s unidentified cop friend in the station. “He could be Kelly’s friend, too,” I pointed out.
He nodded. “We’ll find out, won’t we?”
He and I had become we. I smiled at him and asked, “Have you considered the possibility that Morgenstern could have phoned Kelly’s house to talk with Mrs. Lacrosse? She could be a suspect.”
“I didn’t. But Captain Dahl did. And he told me that at the time Morgenstern was killed, Mrs. Lacrosse was up at the gate of The New Awareness, raising hell with the guard.”
“And the guard called the law?”
“No. A police car was cruising past the road that leads to the place. The officer saw Kelly’s pickup truck turn in. They keep an open eye for Kelly up there. The officer followed it in with his lights off.”
“Kelly was with her?”
He shook his head. “Some redneck cousin of hers from Arizona. But it was Kelly’s truck, wasn’t it? He has to be our main man.”
One way or another, Bernie was determined to nail Kelly. That could lead us down some dead-end trails. I didn’t voice the thought.
He phoned the Roquel Gallery in Beverly Hills. They had no current address for Carl Lacrosse. He had told one of the employees there that he planned to go to Norway. Another runner. If any more turned up, we could stage our own track meet.
We were going out to try to find Kelly when the Chief stopped us in the hall. “Could I see you for a moment in my office, Mr. Callahan?”
We went in, and he closed the door. Chief Chandler Harris is a penguin-shaped man with a flushed complexion and cynical blue eyes. He said, “Bernie went out of here miffed and I suddenly realized why.”
“Because you called Mr. Morgenstern a flashy Hollywood agent?”
“That’s right. He told you?”
I nodded.
“That was a dumb remark of mine!”
Nobody has ever confused you with Albert Einstein, I thought. I said, “We all make dumb remarks at times, Chief.”
“I know. But think of how he must have construed it! I admire Bernie Vogel more than any officer I’ve ever had.”
“He’s the
“When Miss Medford phoned the house from Solvang the butler told her. Grange came down to talk with him, he claimed, leaving Miss Medford in Solvang. After his talk with Morgenstern, he went back to Solvang and picked up Miss Medford and came home.”
I said, “Our housekeeper saw them drive in at one o’clock on Saturday night.”
Bernie nodded. “That should be about right with what the night clerk in the motel at Solvang told us.”
“Is Grange still being held?” I asked.
He shook his head. “He was released last night. He will answer no more questions unless his attorney is present.”
“He’s no longer under suspicion?”
“Not much.”
“Why not?”
“Morgenstern was also robbed. His wallet was gone. He’s not the first victim of a mugger on that beach.”
“And if the killer wanted to hide his motive,” I pointed out, “robbing the man would be a clever ploy, wouldn’t it?”
He nodded. “That is exactly what I told Chief Harris just now.”
“And he argued with you? He wants to write it off?”
“Not exactly.” He paused, staring past me. “But a flashy Hollywood agent, he says, and—” He broke off, his eyes blazing.
“Flashy—? Morgenstern? I never met a classier guy. Is the man crazy?”
He didn’t answer.
And then it hit me. “You think the Chief is anti-Semitic? You think that’s the reason you can’t make captain?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.
“I do. You know I’m not in Chief Harris’s fan club, nor has he ever been in mine. But anti-Semitic? No way! Hell, you’re the guy who defended him every time I rapped him.”
“All right, all right!” he said irritably. “So I’m over sensitive. Let’s stick with the subject at hand. Did you learn anything over the weekend?”
I told him that Corey, the boy detective, had landed a job at the cult. I told him about Corey’s unidentified cop friend in the station. “He could be Kelly’s friend, too,” I pointed out.
He nodded. “We’ll find out, won’t we?”
He and I had become we. I smiled at him and asked, “Have you considered the possibility that Morgenstern could have phoned Kelly’s house to talk with Mrs. Lacrosse? She could be a suspect.”
“I didn’t. But Captain Dahl did. And he told me that at the time Morgenstern was killed, Mrs. Lacrosse was up at the gate of The New Awareness, raising hell with the guard.”
“And the guard called the law?”
“No. A police car was cruising past the road that leads to the place. The officer saw Kelly’s pickup truck turn in. They keep an open eye for Kelly up there. The officer followed it in with his lights off.”
“Kelly was with her?”
He shook his head. “Some redneck cousin of hers from Arizona. But it was Kelly’s truck, wasn’t it? He has to be our main man.”
One way or another, Bernie was determined to nail Kelly. That could lead us down some dead-end trails. I didn’t voice the thought.
He phoned the Roquel Gallery in Beverly Hills. They had no current address for Carl Lacrosse. He had told one of the employees there that he planned to go to Norway. Another runner. If any more turned up, we could stage our own track meet.
We were going out to try to find Kelly when the Chief stopped us in the hall. “Could I see you for a moment in my office, Mr. Callahan?”
We went in, and he closed the door. Chief Chandler Harris is a penguin-shaped man with a flushed complexion and cynical blue eyes. He said, “Bernie went out of here miffed and I suddenly realized why.”
“Because you called Mr. Morgenstern a flashy Hollywood agent?”
“That’s right. He told you?”
I nodded.
“That was a dumb remark of mine!”
Nobody has ever confused you with Albert Einstein, I thought. I said, “We all make dumb remarks at times, Chief.”
“I know. But think of how he must have construed it! I admire Bernie Vogel more than any officer I’ve ever had.”
“He’s the
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