down his window. He did the same.
‘How are the enquiries going?’ Patterson asked. Leroy knew perfectly well the enquiries he was referring to but pretended not to.
‘Which enquiries, sir?’
‘You were taking another look at some of the unsolveds still on your books,’ Patterson replied. It always amused Leroy how if a case was successfully solved it was always on our books, and if it all went tits up or was unsolved, it was always on your books.
‘I’ve made a start on the first. Street person found dead in the restroom in Clover Park. Been over the scene -’
‘Street person? You sure you have your priorities right, Sam? I’m sure some of the other cases are more pressing.’
‘I agree it’s pretty low down the food chain, sir. Two priority points out of ten, I guess. Nevertheless, it is worth looking at again, even if only for a day or so. If you recall, we only spent a two days making enquiries. If the vic had been say a WASP, then -’
Patterson cut in with, ‘Yes, well; don’t wa- spend too much time on it.’
‘As it turns out, sir, I got called away from the park. Hobson over at the crime lab wanted to see me about the John Doe we had in Century City Friday night.’
‘The guy in the parking lot?’
‘That’s the one. And the one Bill Farmer had in Hollywood the next day.’
Patterson frowned. ‘What does Farmer’s case have to do with it?’
‘They’re virtually identical. Two men more or less the same age found dead and almost naked. Both had had sex recently and both were filled with a cocktail of drugs.’
‘Drugs?’
‘Yeah. Coke, rohypnol and LSD.’
‘Hmm. Any sign of third party involvement?’
‘Well, apart from the sex and whoever gave or sold them the drugs, no. Not as yet.’
‘Hmm,’ Patterson repeated.
‘And it was a woman,’ Leroy added.
‘A woman?’
‘Yes. It was a woman they had both had sex with. Unprotected, obviously.’
‘Yes, of course. Otherwise, we’d never know. Same woman?’
‘Not established yet, sir.’
‘I see.’ Patterson looked round and saw another car behind him also waiting to exit the lot. ‘Well, keep me up to date, won’t you? Actually Perez - Lieutenant Perez – is back tomorrow, so once you’ve appraised him of things, he will keep me up to date.’
With that, Patterson wound the window up and drove off.
‘Asshole,’ Leroy muttered and moved the Taurus to his space. Once inside, he made his way to his desk, slumped into the chair and switched on his computer.
‘Hey there, Sam,’ said a voice behind him. Leroy swivelled round and saw Detective Eliza Domingo sitting at a desk in the corner.
‘Hey,’ replied Leroy. ‘Didn’t see you there.’
‘Sorry to hear about…you know.’
‘About what?’
Domingo shuffled in her chair. ‘About you not getting the Lieutenant post.’
‘Oh, everybody’s heard then. I didn’t think anyone even knew I’d put in for it.’
‘Come on, Sam. You know what it’s like here.’
‘Sure. Anyway, Perez’ll do a good job.’
‘Yeah. Right.’ Dead-pan, Domingo returned her gaze to her monitor screen, then glanced at Leroy and smirked.
Leroy grinned back at her and turned back to his screen. He keyed in his personnel number and password. At once a pop up appeared reminding him that he had to change his password in three days.
‘Jesus,’ he whispered, clicking on the OK button. The LAPD database opened. First, Leroy went to the reports of his and Farmer’s bodies. He reread the preliminary examination reports, then notice s that Hobson had already updated the system with his full report.
‘You’re on the ball, Russ,’ he said out loud. He clicked on the folder for Hobson’s report on the Century City victim, and read the report. Then did the same for the second case. In both cases, there was very little to add to what Hobson had told him verbally earlier in the day.
‘Going to get a coffee, Sam,’ said Domingo who was now standing in front of his
‘How are the enquiries going?’ Patterson asked. Leroy knew perfectly well the enquiries he was referring to but pretended not to.
‘Which enquiries, sir?’
‘You were taking another look at some of the unsolveds still on your books,’ Patterson replied. It always amused Leroy how if a case was successfully solved it was always on our books, and if it all went tits up or was unsolved, it was always on your books.
‘I’ve made a start on the first. Street person found dead in the restroom in Clover Park. Been over the scene -’
‘Street person? You sure you have your priorities right, Sam? I’m sure some of the other cases are more pressing.’
‘I agree it’s pretty low down the food chain, sir. Two priority points out of ten, I guess. Nevertheless, it is worth looking at again, even if only for a day or so. If you recall, we only spent a two days making enquiries. If the vic had been say a WASP, then -’
Patterson cut in with, ‘Yes, well; don’t wa- spend too much time on it.’
‘As it turns out, sir, I got called away from the park. Hobson over at the crime lab wanted to see me about the John Doe we had in Century City Friday night.’
‘The guy in the parking lot?’
‘That’s the one. And the one Bill Farmer had in Hollywood the next day.’
Patterson frowned. ‘What does Farmer’s case have to do with it?’
‘They’re virtually identical. Two men more or less the same age found dead and almost naked. Both had had sex recently and both were filled with a cocktail of drugs.’
‘Drugs?’
‘Yeah. Coke, rohypnol and LSD.’
‘Hmm. Any sign of third party involvement?’
‘Well, apart from the sex and whoever gave or sold them the drugs, no. Not as yet.’
‘Hmm,’ Patterson repeated.
‘And it was a woman,’ Leroy added.
‘A woman?’
‘Yes. It was a woman they had both had sex with. Unprotected, obviously.’
‘Yes, of course. Otherwise, we’d never know. Same woman?’
‘Not established yet, sir.’
‘I see.’ Patterson looked round and saw another car behind him also waiting to exit the lot. ‘Well, keep me up to date, won’t you? Actually Perez - Lieutenant Perez – is back tomorrow, so once you’ve appraised him of things, he will keep me up to date.’
With that, Patterson wound the window up and drove off.
‘Asshole,’ Leroy muttered and moved the Taurus to his space. Once inside, he made his way to his desk, slumped into the chair and switched on his computer.
‘Hey there, Sam,’ said a voice behind him. Leroy swivelled round and saw Detective Eliza Domingo sitting at a desk in the corner.
‘Hey,’ replied Leroy. ‘Didn’t see you there.’
‘Sorry to hear about…you know.’
‘About what?’
Domingo shuffled in her chair. ‘About you not getting the Lieutenant post.’
‘Oh, everybody’s heard then. I didn’t think anyone even knew I’d put in for it.’
‘Come on, Sam. You know what it’s like here.’
‘Sure. Anyway, Perez’ll do a good job.’
‘Yeah. Right.’ Dead-pan, Domingo returned her gaze to her monitor screen, then glanced at Leroy and smirked.
Leroy grinned back at her and turned back to his screen. He keyed in his personnel number and password. At once a pop up appeared reminding him that he had to change his password in three days.
‘Jesus,’ he whispered, clicking on the OK button. The LAPD database opened. First, Leroy went to the reports of his and Farmer’s bodies. He reread the preliminary examination reports, then notice s that Hobson had already updated the system with his full report.
‘You’re on the ball, Russ,’ he said out loud. He clicked on the folder for Hobson’s report on the Century City victim, and read the report. Then did the same for the second case. In both cases, there was very little to add to what Hobson had told him verbally earlier in the day.
‘Going to get a coffee, Sam,’ said Domingo who was now standing in front of his