The Cold Six Thousand - James Ellroy [110]
Koethe riffed:
Moore knew J. D. Tippit. They were “Klanned-up.” Moore knew Jack Ruby. Moore dug on the Carousel Club.
Koethe riffed off Ruby. Koethe quoted a “Secret Source”:
“Jack brought some people by this safe house where the hit team was holed up. It might’ve been North Texas or Oklahoma, and it might’ve been some kind of motel or a hunting lodge. I think it was Jack and two women and maybe Hank Killiam. I think they saw some things they shouldn’t.”
Koethe riffed. Koethe listed Jack Ruby KAs. Starred names: Jack Zangetty/Betty McDonald/Hank Killiam. Koethe listed footnotes—newspaper-sourced:
Jack Zangetty disappears—Xmas ’63. Jack washes out of Lake Lugert. Betty McDonald/suicide—2/13/64. Hank Killiam/suicide—3/17/64.
Jim Koethe—verbatim: “Who was the other woman at the safe house?”
Koethe riffs. Koethe thinks the “hit team” disbanded. “They had to leave Dallas. They might have crossed the Mexican border.” Koethe secures a “Border-Patrol Source.” Said source secures a passport-stop list.
The dates: 11/23–12/2/63.
Koethe works the list. Koethe taps “Secret Sources.” Koethe runs 89 names. Koethe nails “a major suspect.”
Jean Philippe Mesplède/white male/age 41. Born: Lyon, France. Ex–French Army/ex–OAS trigger.
Mesplède has “right-wing ties.” Mesplède has “ties to Cuban exile groups.” Mesplède’s current address: 1214 Ciudad Juarez/Mexico City.
The pro shooter was French. Chuck Rogers said so. Chuck said he walked over the border.
Pete skimmed pages. The text decohered. Koethe’s logic went south.
Let’s link Oswald and Ruby. Let’s link Oswald and Moore. Let’s link Lady Bird Johnson. Let’s link Karyn Kupcinet.
Pete skimmed pages. Shit decohered. Let’s link Dorothy Kilgallen. Let’s link Lenny Bruce. Let’s link Mort Sahl.
Pete skimmed pages. Shit recohered—FUCK—
There’s a mug shot. It’s file exhibit A. It’s Kansas City PD sourced—3/8/56.
It’s Arden-Jane. Arden Elaine Bruvick then. Felony bounce—“Receipt of Stolen Goods.”
One mug shot. Attached notes. “Confidential” tips:
Jack Ruby’s bookkeeper splits Dallas. Her name is Arden Smith. She went to the safe house. She saw things she shouldn’t. She split Big D. for good.
Koethe worked the name “Arden.” Koethe logged tips and tapped sources. This guy knew that guy. That guy knew this. A guy glommed a mug shot. Some guys glommed some tales.
Such as:
Arden went through men. Arden had a husband. Said hubby was a Teamster. Said hubby ran the K.C. local.
Said hubby had accounting skills. Said hubby went to school in Mississippi. Said hubby was anti-Hoffa. Said hubby stole some Teamster funds.
Arden was bent. Arden trucked with whores. Arden was tight with two sisters: Pat and Pam Clunes.
The Arden notes stopped. The “Book” notes stopped. The file dead-ended. Pete felt dizzy. Pete took his pulse—1-fucking-63.
He bagged the file. He checked the drawers. He checked bookshelves and cabinets. No duplicates/no stash of loose clips.
He retossed the crib. He grid-searched it. He re-retossed it. He detossed it quick.
He trashed. He tidied. He worked fast. He worked fastidious.
He tossed the medicine chest. He restacked the shelves. He debuilt and rebuilt the toilet. He tapped the walls. He pulled up rugs. He laid them back straight. He slit-checked the chairs. He slit-checked the sofa. He slit-checked the bed.
No slits. No stash holes. No duplicates extant. No stash of loose clips.
He popped some Bayer’s. He chased them with gin. He dredged up some guts. Queers overkilled queers. It was standard cop wisdom. All cops knew it.
He got a knife. He stabbed Jim Koethe ninety-four times.
South—80 miles per hour plus.
He took I-35. He cut through shit suburbs. He smelled like blood and gin. He smelled like Jim Koethe’s shampoo.
He passed rest stops. He passed campgrounds. He saw kids’ swings and bar-b-que pits. A car laid back—ten car lengths—it spooked him.
He ran tail riffs. He ran no-tail riffs. 4:00 a.m.—one highway/two cars.
His headache rehit. It built and mushroomed. King Kong greets Rodan.
He saw a camp sign. He