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

time, away from Indigo, and the army, but still working. They decided to stay in the Luxor after looking around, and paid cash for rooms side by side, high up in the East Tower.

John felt reasonably anonymous, the strip and all the hotels were as busy as ever and he was confident they had not picked up a tail after Barstow, but he knew for certain that people would be looking. They ate a light lunch in the Tropicana and then decided to walk down to the police station, they had walked everywhere so far and it was easier and more forgettable than flagging down cabs. They followed the road, walking past the Mile High Club on the other side, which was still locked up tight.

They saw the minivan parked outside, and walked in through the entrance. Warner was sitting in a chair by the front windows, and had watched their progress.

‘You guys walk from the strip?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,’ Reed replied.

Warner raised his eyebrows and shook his head slowly. Any exercise was for other people. John looked at the clock, only just twenty past, so he sat down to wait for Judy. She arrived bang on 2.30, bustling through the doors, still looking stressed. She waved a quick hello and went over to the counter and talked to the man at the desk, who picked up the phone.

Five minutes later a side door opened, and a fresh-faced Hispanic policewoman with curly black hair walked over to them and introduced herself. She led them into a small room next to the lobby, inside was a round table and plastic chairs scattered around.

‘So … how can I help?’ she asked.

‘Deanna Hayter, you probably know her as Deanna Clark, I think you already got a call,’ Judy said.

Casiano nodded.

‘Yeah, that’s right. LAPD. But they didn’t ask a whole lot.’

Judy was confused.

‘You told them about Madeline, and her daughter?’

Now Casiano looked lost.

‘Er … I don’t think so. Sorry, yeah, they asked me about Deanna, and I sent them what I had, but it wasn’t a long call. They didn’t ask a whole lot. I don’t recall talking about Madeline. Maybe I did, sorry!’

Great, thought John. Airhead.

Warner sat down uncomfortably.

‘OK Kirsty, let’s say we reset. Let’s assume we’re discussing this for the first time. So, we understand that you knew Madeline, but not Deanna, what can you tell us about them?’ he asked.

Casiano looked around at them.

‘I know they are both dead, killed in that terrorist strike in the subway in LA. So you mind me asking what your interest is?

Judy took over. She was well used to dealing with local police, and knew exactly how to handle it. She produced her ID and smiled at Casiano, and asked her to sit down.

‘Ok Kirsty, so here’s what we know. This is John Smith, and he was down on the platform when it went off. He has given us information that leads us to believe it’s not so straightforward as terrorism, but we aren’t releasing this so I’d be obliged if you can keep that to yourself for now. These two big guys are Kyle Warner from our old friends the CIA, and Tom Reed, a captain in the army. Deanna recently married, did you know that?’

Casiano shook her head, eyebrows raised.

‘No, I didn’t.’

‘Well, she did, to an army major. And he’s been killed too, shot dead in a bar in Hollywood. We believe it’s all connected, and the theory we are working on right now is that Deanna was being paid to hook up with the major. Why, we don’t know. Who wanted it, we don’t know that either. So, we’re trying to work backwards, if you see what I mean, maybe we’re wrong and it’s possible that Madeline was the target, we can’t rule that out. It could even be just the major.’

Casiano considered.

‘OK, well, let me tell you what I know. I met Madeline a few years ago, we had a couple of run-ins, but I actually liked her and at one point tried to help her. In the end she trusted me and we ended up getting along, she became a kind of covert informer, she was real useful at times, she worked out of the hotels, knew everyone and we tried to look the other way for her. It works like that same in this city as everywhere. She had been with Deanna a long time, they were serious, so I got to know her too. Deanna was working the strip clubs, but she was still hooking, on and off but not enough she got any attention.’

John looked at her, surprised.

‘You said she was with Deanna, they were serious. You mean like a couple?’

Casiano frowned.

‘Well, yeah. Like for ever. Why, is that a problem?’

‘Kind of, but this is another thing we didn’t know. And she married the major,’ Judy prompted.

‘It’s hard to believe; I don’t understand that at all. I saw Madeline two weeks ago, she never said anything other than she was happy now, they had some money, she was going to get out the game, prove she could be a mom to Carrie. She was optimistic. I actually believed her.’

‘Right, well that fits. That would add up to Deanna being paid to get with the major,’ Warner rumbled.

‘I guess so.’ Judy didn’t look convinced.

‘So let’s start with Deanna, what can you tell us?’ Judy asked, producing a notepad and pen.

‘This is what I know from talking to Madeline. Well, she was born in Henderson. White trash family; dad the local booze hound, earning dollars with bare knuckle fights and mom on the game. Two brothers, no contact at all with any of her family, who are incidentally still alive. She moved up to the city when she was nineteen, had some lowlife boyfriend who was a small-time coke dealer, she was carrying it around for him, got herself arrested. That’s how it starts. She stayed up here, started working as a street hooker, got a real bad beating and