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handsome man, with short blond hair and blue eyes. “I vaguely remember the news coverage about his murder,” I said. “It’s amazing how these stories fall off the radar so quickly.”
    “No drama, no news,” Alex said. “There are dozens of cases out there just like it that nobody’s working.”
    I did an eye roll, irritated by the way he minimized the taking of another person’s life. I said to Selfie, “And Carla Hodge?”
    “I’ve got the background,” Molly said, as some photographs of our second victim appeared on a monitor. Hodge was thin and pale. She looked like she was barely out of high school. “Carla rented an apartment near the Westlake District and lived alone. She worked as a secretary for Wakefield Insurance. Her mom told the original investigators that she wasn’t dating and didn’t have much of a social life.” Our secretary drew in a breath, released it slowly, and looked at me. “It’s just a guess on my part, but I’ve got a suspicion from the reports and the way her mother talked about her, that Carla might have been gay, but hadn’t come out.” She brushed the auburn hair off her forehead. “Like I said, it’s just a suspicion. You might want to follow up with her mom.”
    I nodded. “We’ll also need the contact information on the witness who saw our suspect leaving the park.”
    I got a stack of paperwork with copies of all the reports from both her and Molly as Oz told us how the investigation would proceed. “Both cases are now assigned to Section One, with the big question being how did a murder weapon get out of our evidence room and end up in the homicide of two separate victims a decade apart.”
    “There must be some big eyes on this one,” Alex said. “I’m assuming the information about the knife is being withheld from the press.”
    Oz nodded. “For now. It’s not the kind of thing the department wants to publicize.”
    “Luckily, the girl’s a nobody. There won’t be much coverage.”
    Alex had just hit a nerve with me. “You’re wrong. Carla Hodge was a somebody, especially to her mother. You need to keep that in mind.”
    “Excuse me. I forgot you were the Section One social worker.”
    “And I forgot you were a know-it-all who jumps to conclusions without evidence.”
    “You’re full of…”
    “Enough.” Oz said. “You two need to find a way to bury your differences and work these cases.” He fixed his gaze on us as he went on, “Since the Reeder case was technically assigned to the Cold Case Unit, you’re both going to be working with one of their own on this. Leo Kingsley is being temporarily assigned to Section One.”
    I noticed that Alex’s face was red as he turned away from me and said, “I hear the beast is a hothead.”
    “You two should become best buds then,” I said. I turned to Oz before Lardy, I mean Hardy, could respond. “Why do they call him the beast?”
    “It’s a play on his name—Leo. While the lion is considered the king of beasts, in some divisions Leo’s known as the king of all detectives. He’s got a pretty impressive track record to back it up.” The lieutenant looked at Alex. “And I would suggest you keep the nicknames to yourself. Leo and I go way back, used to work patrol together when the dinosaurs roamed Hollywood. I know he’s not fond of the moniker.”
    “What can you tell us about him?” I asked.
    “Leo’s a legend, assigned to cold cases because he’s closing in on retirement. The guy’s got an amazing memory for details and is probably the most determined cop I ever met.” Oz checked his watch. “You might want to head out in a few. You’re supposed to meet with him downtown within the hour.”
    As the others wandered off, Oz asked me to stay for a moment. He took a couple of minutes, telling me he was happy I was back at work. He then said something that made me wish I hadn’t come back.
    “The brass is considering allowing one of the studios in on our cases. I’ve made it