Dying For LA by Ian Jones (top fiction books of all time .txt) 📕

I was only advised about the situation a couple of minutes ago. I came straight in to tell you, that’s the first thing I did. Sir.’

Morgan’s cheeks reddened.

‘Well, who notified you?’

‘It came direct from Fort Indigo sir.’

‘Did it? But …’

Morgan stopped, speechless. Indigo had been his, he had been CO there for over five years, right before he was moved to the Pentagon. He knew everyone on the base, well everyone that mattered. He couldn’t believe that not one person there had thought to call him personally.

‘Right. Well, find out who is dealing with it! I need to speak to them. And that is urgent lieutenant.’

‘Sir, it will be the MP XO, and you …’

‘I know that!’

In agitation Morgan picked up a pen and threw it down again. He couldn’t remember the MP XO at Fort Indigo, he wasn’t even sure where they were situated on the big base out in California.

Clay said nothing, just continued standing easy.

Morgan scratched his nose. What to do, what to do.

‘Right lieutenant, please find me the officer I need to speak to. And get me Colonel Carter on the phone. That will be all.’

Clay snapped his heels together and wheeled out the room, smirking as he did so.

Morgan watched the door close and stood up, looking around aimlessly. Like most offices at the Pentagon, his had no windows, just grey walls all round. He looked down at his desk, breathing in and out slowly and deliberately.

Was this down to him? It couldn’t just be coincidence surely. But he hadn’t done anything to cause this. Anything that had happened was nothing to do with him, it couldn’t be.

He stared at the calendar. March 3rd. Now it was way too soon.

He sat down heavily. He needed to think.

***

They met for breakfast in a diner just down the street from the hotel, John and Keane recounting the events of the previous evening. John kept quiet when Keane briefly talked about the meeting with Billy without mentioning the guns, and neither of them said the name of the strip club.

The plan for the day was to take an in-depth look at the three women; Deanna Hayter, Madeline White and Jane Elliot. Judy would see if she could find an apartment or in fact any building rented out to a Rico Perez, or if there was a credit card, mobile or anything in his name. Warner wanted more information on the two Koreans.

John couldn’t help feeling dissatisfied, Keane was right; they had nothing, or next to nothing anyway. He had spoken to Keane about trying to find the van, but there didn’t seem much hope. Keane believed it would have been left in Compton or Lynwood with the keys in, best way to get rid of an unwanted vehicle in LA apparently.

Judy’s mobile began ringing shrilly, and when she got up to answer it Keane’s started, leaving Warner and John sitting at the table finishing their coffee.

Keane came back over quickly, eyes alight.

‘I got news, this could be something …’ he began.

Judy appeared right next to him.

‘A Major Hayter got shot dead last night in Hollywood. The husband of Deanna Hayter,’ she finished for Keane who looked at her and nodded dumbly.

‘What?’ asked John.

Keane looked at Judy, but she smiled and waved at him.

‘Over to you Ron, you tell a good story.’

‘OK, well, here’s what we know. Just before midnight last night two men walked into Steel’s, which is a sports bar just off Hollywood boulevard. No more than two minutes’ walk from where we were John. Major Hayter was in there at a table with a couple of other guys; one of them an army buddy from what we got so far. The men approach the table, one pulls a gun and shoots Hayter in the face, the other grabs his briefcase and they split the joint. The major’s army buddy follows them out. There was an off-duty LAPD cop pulling some hours as a security guard at an all-night pharmacy and he hears the shot and runs into the street. One of the two men then starts shooting, and the cop plugs him. The other man jumps into an old Toyota Corolla, there is a third man waiting in that and they get away. The guy the cop shot dies at the scene. That’s where we are.’ Keane looked around at everyone.

‘Wow,’ John said finally.

Keane nodded.

‘You got any more on your side Judy?’ he asked.

‘Well, not really. They’re running an ID on the guy that was killed in the street, and LAPD are doing all the usual, so we should get ballistics later today.’

‘One more thing,’ Keane said. ‘The gun the shooter was holding; Walther P99. It was on the ground next to the body. With 1-Too stamped on the grip’

His mobile beeped, and he looked at the screen.

‘OK, I just got the details of the MP dealing with this for the army, I’ll give him a call.’

‘So the link is Deanna, right?’ Warner asked. ‘Maybe the major was the target and supposed to be with her at the station. It still don’t make a lot of sense though.’

John shook his head.

‘No it doesn’t, apart from they were after the briefcase. Maybe it was hers, and he just got in the way.’

‘I’m surprised he was in a bar, he just got told his wife is dead,’ Judy ventured. ‘But I guess it takes all sorts.’

‘We’ve got a body, and we’ve got a gun. There’s a lot we can find out from them, I know it takes a bit of time but they’re looking at the AKs from the Metro station right now too. So we could have a whole lot more this time tomorrow,’ Warner told them.

‘This is going to twist and turn, I can feel it,’ Judy said morosely, and sat down again.

Keane walked in, bright and efficient.

‘OK, the army want to help. Major Hayter was some kind of supply officer at Fort Indigo. I just spoke to an MP there called Captain Reed. He wants