My Dark Places - James Ellroy [108]
Vickers and Godfrey rolled out. Ward Hallinen rolled out to El Monte. He found Margie Trawick. He showed her a photograph of Elspeth “Bobbie” Long. Margie said no. She wasn’t the woman she saw with Jean Ellroy.
Claude Everley called the crime lab. He told a technician to photograph Bobbie Long’s clothing and make up some color glossies. The man said he’d developed the film in Bobbie Long’s camera. He got six shots total. They showed Bobbie alone and Bobbie with a few other women. One shot showed a woman and a two-tone ’56 Olds.
Everley told Andre. Andre said the Ellroy suspect drove a two-tone Olds. Everley called the lab guy back. He told him to route the car photo to the Information Bureau. They could plant it in the L.A. papers. They might ID the car that way.
Andre liked the car bit. He figured the same guy choked Bobbie and that redheaded nurse.
Vickers and Godfrey canvassed motels and restaurants. Andre and Everley canvassed the track all weekend. Ned Lovretovich called the people in Bobbie Long’s address book. They all said the same thing.
Bobbie loved horse racing. Bobbie was frugal. Bobbie disdained all forms of sex. Bobbie was married two to four times. Nobody knew when, where or who to. Nobody knew her bookie. Nobody knew the “rich guy” or the guy with slicked-back hair or the guy who worked at the Challenge Creamery.
Blackie McGowan assigned four more detectives. He told them to canvass full-time. The San Gabriel Valley was large and full of fuck-pad motels.
A tip came in on Monday—1/26/59. The tipster ran a hay mill out in La Puente.
He fingered a truck driver. The guy was shooting his mouth off. He said he screwed a girl at 8th and Don Julian. He said he screwed her goooood. He screwed her early Friday morning.
The truck driver was Mexican. He lived up in Beaumont.
Harry Andre called the Beaumont PD and told them to bring the man in. They did it. Andre and Everley drove up to Beaumont and grilled him.
He said he screwed the girl early Thursday morning. Her name was Sally Ann. He met her at Tina’s Cafe on Simpson and Valley. He went to her pad before he screwed her. It was on 8th Avenue. He saw the name “Vasquez” on the mailbox.
The man stuck to his story. He said his pal Pete could verify it. Pete lived in La Puente.
Andre and Everley drove to La Puente. They talked to Pete. They found the house with the “Vasquez” mailbox. They talked to Sally Ann. They cleared the Mexican.
A tip came in on Tuesday—1/27/59. A man named Jess Dornan snitched off his neighbor Sam Carnes.
Sam was acting weird lately. Sam was a racetrack fool. Sam defaced his car upholstery two days ago. Maybe he was hacking out some bloodstains.
Andre questioned Sam Carnes. Sam had an alibi for last Thursday night.
Vickers and Godfrey canvassed. Andre and Hallinen canvassed. Sergeant Jim Wahlke and Deputy Cal Bublitz canvassed. Sergeant Dick Humphreys and Deputy Bob Grover canvassed. They hit the El Gordo Restaurant, Panchito’s Restaurant, the El Poche Restaurant, the Casa Del Rey Restaurant, Morrow’s Restaurant, the Tic-Toc Restaurant, the County Kitchen, the Utter Hut, Stan’s Drive-in, Rich’s Cafe, the Horseshoe Club, the Lucky X, Belan’s Restaurant, the Spic & Span Motel, the Rose Garden Motel, the End-of-the-Trail Motel, the Fair Motel, the El Portal Motel, the 901 Motel, the Elmwood Motel, the Valley Motel, the Shady Nook Cabins, the 9331 Motel, the Santa Anita Motel, the Flamingo Motel, the Derby Motel, the Bradson Motel, the El Sorrento Motel, the Duarte Motel, the Filly Motel, the Ambassador Motel, the Walnut Auto Court, the Welcome Motel, the Wonderland Motel, the Sunkist Motel, the Bright Spot Motel, the Home Motel, the Sun View Motel, the Mecca Motel, the El Barto Motel, the Scenic Motel, the La Bonita Motel, the Sunlite Motel, the El Monte Motel, the Troy Motel, the El Campo Motel, the Garvey Motel, the Victory Motel, the Rancho Descanso Motel,