Savage Noir

Chapter 23 It was seven p.m. in rarified Pacific Heights , with its mansions and carefully tended gardens. Zack Tyler lived in a colossus that made “big footprint” a joke. It took up several giant footprints.          I felt like a Lilliputian as I stood in front of the tall door. When I pushed a button it sounded like real bells chiming. Which figured. Phony chimes or harsh buzzers were for renters and other riffraff.          An older woman in a housekeeper’s uniform answered the door, her nose in the air.          I had rehearsed my first words. I pulled out my card and said, “Good evening. Francis Kelly, Private Investigator, calling on Zachary Tyler.” I had considered adding “esquire” after my name just for kicks.          “Are the Tylers expecting you?”          “Yes. Should I go around back?”          She gave me a scathing look.          “I’m not very presentable,” I said. “Left my tie at home.” I was kidding, but then I realized a tie might help.          Sh

Chapter 22 Terry’s first tail job was Zack Tyler.   The Tyler kid had quarreled with Katherine the day before the Rollins set out for the desert. Over dope, no less. The interesting part was that he had accused her of stealing dope from his supplier. Why would he do this if it weren’t true? Possibly Zack’s source blamed him for the theft.   But why would Zack risk losing his supplier by making up some shit story?   My gut told me that she was the thief.          I gave Terry the Tylers’ address in Pacific Heights.          “I’ll stick out like a sore thumb up there,” Terry said.          I gave him thirty dollars.          “Get yourself some Giant’s gear,” I said. “No genuine brand jersey officially sanctioned and blessed by Major League Baseball. Cheap stuff. The crap they sell on the street. Hopefully no one will get close enough to you to ask you any questions. You’ll be a Giants’ fan. That’s all.”          “I can’t just be hangin’, dude.”          “You’ll be inside

Chapter 21 Some forty minutes later we cruised by the verdant farms and pastures off Highway 101. Up ahead was a roadblock. A sheriff stood by his car. A sawhorse “barrier” stretched across one side of the small country road. To our right, a hundred yards south, was a young Redwood and   a scrub oaks and bushes, all bunched together amidst fields of corn. There were three police black and white prowlers and two unmarked cars randomly parked around the area. I braked and turned off 101. “This is the crime scene!” Terry exclaimed. “Not yet. I need to get past this sheriff first.” “What does this have to do with the Katherine Rollins case?”   “They’re connected,” I said. “I’m sure of it.” It was only a hunch on my part. I parked my old Honda on the side of the road. “Stay in the car,” I said. The sheriff came over to meet me. Name of Calder on his badge. “This is a crime scene,” he said. “Yes sir, I know that.” I took out my business card. “We got all the inv

Chapter 20 When I first heard about the headless corpse I immediately flashed on the Death Valley Gang.   During their killing spree, there had been two beheaded bodies. Apart from the four women and one male whose throats were slashed. Everyone guessed there were others, since Death Valley is huge. Some in the media did not connect the two headless corpses with the others.   Then and later I thought the opposite.   Rangers and visitors to the park had found them at different campsites. Blatant. No attempt to hide the bodies. It seemed to me that the killers were aiming for shock value. I thought two things were likely now:   For reasons unknown, the gang had started up again; secondly, they had moved to Northern California. I called Colin and asked for the location of the murder site. “The Feds are there,” he said. “You can’t get close.” “Let me worry about that.” After another back and forth he gave me the general location. Before I went, I had to decide about Terr