My Dark Places - James Ellroy [25]
Lavonne Chambers and Margie Trawick were transported to the Hall of Justice. A deputy helped them construct Identi-Kit portraits of the suspect.
The Identi-Kit was a new device. Witnesses picked out individual features printed on cardboard strips and built mix-and-match faces from memory. There were dozens of chins, noses, hairlines and mouths to build from. Skilled technicians helped the witnesses put them together.
The deputy worked with Lavonne and Margie separately. The result was two similar—but distinctly differentiated—faces.
Lavonne’s man looked like a lean-faced average guy. Margie’s man looked vicious.
A sketch artist was brought in. He sat down with both witnesses and elicited separate portraits of the suspect. His third run-through melded features from the two previous versions. Lavonne and Margie agreed: He’s the guy we saw.
The sketch man mimeographed copies of the picture and gave them to Hallinen and Lawton. They routed them to the Information Bureau—to be included in a press release on the Ellroy homicide.
A deputy drove Lavonne and Margie home. Hallinen and Lawton arranged to interview the victim’s co-workers and search her house again.
The case was four days old.
Thursday afternoon.
Jim Bruton called a contact at the El Monte Unified School District. The man gave him Peter Tubiolo’s home number.
Bruton called Tubiolo and asked him to come to the station—for the purpose of answering a few questions. The matter to be discussed was the Jean Ellroy murder.
Tubiolo agreed to come in that afternoon. He stressed that he hardly knew the woman. Bruton told him it was just routine and assured him that the interview would remain confidential.
A time was set. Bruton called Hallinen and Lawton and told them to drive out. They said they’d bring Margie Trawick and let her take a look at the man.
Peter Tubiolo was prompt. Bruton, Hallinen and Lawton talked to him in a mirrored interview room. Tubiolo was heavyset and round-faced. He did not resemble the dark man in any way, shape, manner or form.
He was the vice-principal of Anne LeGore Elementary School. The victim’s son just completed the fifth grade there. He was a frightened and rather volatile child.
Tubiolo said he met Jean Ellroy on only one occasion. She came to his school to discuss her son’s poor scholastic progress and inability to get along with other children. He did not “date” or “socialize” with the late Mrs. Ellroy. Such actions were against school district policy.
The cops told him the kid said otherwise. Tubiolo stuck to his story. All he knew about the Ellroys’ private life was that the parents were divorced and the boy wasn’t allowed to see his father during the week. Mrs. Ellroy was a fine woman—but there was nothing personal between them.
Margie Trawick observed Tubiolo. She got a good close look through the mirror.
She told the cops he wasn’t the guy. They cut Tubiolo loose with apologies.
Ward Hallinen got a tip Thursday night. The West Covina PD had a suspect: a local foul ball named Steve Anthony Carbone.
Hallinen had Frank Godfrey check it out. Godfrey ran a make on Carbone and came back enthusiastic.
Carbone was a white male American of Italian descent. His DOB was 2/19/15. He was 5′10″ and 140 pounds, with hazel eyes, straight black hair and a high forehead. He owned a ’55 Olds two-door sedan, polar white over green, license MMT 879.
He hailed from Detroit, Michigan. He was popped three times for indecent exposure: 10/41, 11/41, 8/53. He moved to West Covina in ’57. He ran up a string of three drunk drivings and two assault-with-a-deadly-weapon beefs. His last ADW was notable. He pulled a 30.30 carbine on a cop.
Carbone was foul-tempered and belligerent. Carbone was a well-known cop hater and a sex offender.
Hallinen and Lawton jumped on him.
They had the West Covina PD haul him in.