Murder Season Read Online Free PDF Page A

fucking idea.”
    “You ever see him here before, Dante?”
    He shook his head again. “No.”
    “Did Bosco ever talk about him or mention his name?”
    “Never.”
    “What about the girl’s father? What about Tim Hight?”
    In spite of the blue light masking Escabar’s eyes, something changed. Lena could see him thinking it over. The fire inside the man was flaring up again.
    “He knows the club,” Escabar said. “Way back before his kid got killed, he used to come here. Not often, but enough to know how the place works and where things are.”
    “How could Tim Hight get into Club 3 AM?”
    “He used to direct a TV show on cable. People liked it. The show did well.”
    “Did you see him here tonight?”
    “No, and I’ve already checked. He didn’t walk through the front door and sign in. But like I said, he knows the place.”
    Escabar’s voice died off. After a long moment, he climbed to his feet and reached for the table to steady himself. Lena glanced to her right and saw Barrera wave at her through the windows as he circled the foyer inside and searched for the door.
    “One more thing, Dante.”
    “Just one, Detective Gamble?”
    “You know my name.”
    He nodded, but remained silent.
    “The cocaine,” she said. “You knew it was there. Why didn’t you get rid of it?”
    He paused to consider her question, but only briefly. “What cocaine? I never saw any cocaine. It must have been planted by the killer.”
    “Nice try. Why didn’t you get rid of it?”
    He looked down at his empty glass and wouldn’t answer.
    “What?” Lena said. “You think that I’m gonna bust your partner? After tonight, I don’t think it would play in court. Tell me why you left it there.”
    The door opened and Barrera stepped out. As he approached from the other side of the courtyard, Escabar lowered his voice.
    “I was trying to take care of things,” he said. “I needed to call my partners and tell them what happened to Johnny. There was confusion. People were frightened. I gave myself an hour to shut the place down.”
    “Did you call the DA?”
    He appeared surprised by the question and didn’t know how to answer it.
    “They were friends,” Lena said. “It’s seems only natural that Higgins would be your first call.”
    He shook his head, but kept quiet.
    “Is that an answer?” she said.
    “I didn’t call the DA.”
    He walked off just as Barrera reached them. Lena turned to her supervisor. From the look on his face, Barrera had news.
    “We’ve got him,” he said under his breath. “It’s Tim Hight. Street cameras picked him up driving away from the club. His car. His plates. His face behind the wheel.”
    “When?”
    “About a half hour ago. He probably hung around to watch the chaos. Most of them do.”
    Lena checked her watch. The night was slipping away. Too many people were involved.
    “I want to notify Gant’s parents,” she said. “I don’t want them to find out what happened to him on their own.”
    “He had a father and one brother. His mother’s dead.”
    It had come up during the trial. Gant’s mother had been murdered when he was fourteen, her body found on a ball field a block from Santa Monica High School. Lena had forgotten. As Barrera handed her a three-by-five card with Gant’s contact information, she realized that she needed to pace herself better. Think things through more carefully and keep focused.
    “Take Rhodes with you,” Barrera said. “Tito can help me get started on the warrants. But these guys need rest. I want to release them as soon as you’ve talked to Gant’s father. We’ll meet back at Parker by seven. The deputy chief is setting something up with the DA’s office. We can work things out then. You okay?”
    She nodded, slipping the three-by-five card into her notepad. Then Barrera met her eyes and offered a shrug.
    “I’m sorry, Lena,” he said gently. “I’m sorry that it turned out to be Hight. I’m sorry that you got stuck with this