In Dark Places

Chapter Fifty-six

After leaving Robin Cameron's office, Wolper stopped off at his mid-Wilshire apartment to pick up the packet of items he'd prepared long ago for just this eventuality. It was hidden in the bathroom wall, behind the mirror over the sink. He had to unscrew the mirror and take it down in order to remove the bulging envelope secreted in a cutaway section of drywall. Hidden alongside the package was a.22 pistol, untraceable.

He replaced the mirror and put away his tools before leaving with the package and the gun. Brand's home in Hollywood was only a short distance away. He made it there in under five minutes, spending the drive considering various ways to approach the situation.

He expected Brand to be homeprobably taking his house apart one wall at a time in search of the planted evidence. Trouble was, the evidence hadn't been planted yet. That was what the envelope was for.

He didn't think it would be overly difficult to kill Brand. The man wasn't smart. He was easily manipulated, easily distracted. He only had to turn his back for a second and bang, a bullet in the temple, fired by the untraceable gun. He would wipe off the prints, put the gun in Brand's hand, and fire it again, leaving powder marks on Brand's fingers. The second shot would go into the ceiling. The crime-scene people would say Brand's hand had slipped the first time he fired. It wasn't uncommon. People got a little nervous when they were about to kill themselves.

Suicide was what it had to look like. Cameron had been rightthe investigators would know that the fire in her office was arson. They wouldn't suspect Gray. Arson wasn't his style, and serial killers rarely varied their MO.

No, suspicion would fall on her newest patient, the emotionally disturbed Sgt. Alan Brand.

She had left with him, after all. That was how Wolper would report it to RHD. Wolper had driven Cameron and Brand back to the arcade, then left on his own because the D-chief had said he wanted him off the case. Cameron had said she would let Brand drive her to Parker Center. Only he hadn't taken her there. The two of them had gone to her office. It must have been Cameron's ideashe'd been trying to recover her memory of the attack. And she'd succeeded. She'd remembered that Brand had done it. Brand had felt there was no choice except to kill her. He'd set fire to the office and left her to choke on the fumes. Then he'd driven home and killed himself.

That was what had gone down tonight. Brand just didn't realize it yet. The victim was always the last to know.

When RHD searched Brand's carport, they would find evidence that he'd been mixed up in dirty dealings. The Valdez shooting wouldn't look so righteous anymore. That evidence would give him motive to attack Robin earlier today. He'd been afraid she would dig too deeply into his secrets and expose the dirt.

And the carjack attempt? Most likely it would be dismissed as coincidence. Even if someone guessed the truththat a couple of homeboys who ran with the Gs had been hired to jack Cameron's Saab and mess her up, hospitalize her so she couldn't continue her therapy programno one would pin it on Wolper. It would be Brand again. It was all Brand.

Brand, the mastermind. Wolper smiled.

It would work. It wasn't exactly the way he'd hoped things would work out, but as a backup plan, it was solid. He had all the angles covered.

Would have been easier if the carjacking had gone as planned, or if he'd succeeded in killing her this afternoon in her office. Would have been easier if Brand had agreed to pop Cameron in the video arcade, instead of wimping out and proving himself unreliable and therefore expendable.

What was the big deal about killing some nosy shrink, anyway? Weren't there enough shrinks in LA? Hell, Wolper would have iced her himself in Hollywood, except that having been seen leaving Parker Center with her, he would have been an obvious suspect. Would have killed her when she and Brand were in the car with him, if he'd felt he could trust Brand to play along.

That was the problem, though. He couldn't trust Brand. The man just didn't have the balls for this kind of work. And now he was going to pay for it.

Wolper parked on a side street so his car wouldn't be connected to Brand's home. With the envelope in his hand and the throwdown gun in his waistband against the small of his back, he walked the dark streets to Brand's bungalow. As he approached, he saw that the gate to the driveway was open and the carport was empty. Brand wasn't here.

He wondered about the open gate. Careless of Brand, especially in this neighborhood. It made things easier, though. He could walk right onto the property and plant the evidence, then wait for Brand to return.

There was no need to break into the house. The sign on the front lawn warned of a security system, and while many of those signs were phony, the name on Brand's was legitimate. No surprise. Cops saw a lot of craziness on the streets of this city. Off duty, either they migrated to the relative safety of the suburbs or they stayed in town and made their home a fortress.

Rather than tangle with the alarm system, Wolper decided to plant the contents of the envelope in the carport, among the paint cans and hardware supplies piled up along the side wall. He fished a pair of rubber gloves out of his pocket, opened the envelope, and began removing the assorted items inside. There were two stacks of hundred-dollar bills bound with rubber bands, some crystal meth and rock cocaine, a cell phone that had disappeared from an evidence room and had since been used to call an address in Newton Area that was a known hangout of the Gs, and, most incriminating of all, a floppy disk that listed payoffs and bank account numbers. The accounts had been opened overseas by an American using forged credentials. The American was Wolper himself, but no one could ever prove it wasn't Brand.

He considered the best hiding place. His gaze settled on a small tool cabinet with see-through plastic drawers. The bottom drawer was nearly empty. It would serve. He began placing the items inside, one at a time, pushing them toward the back to make them less visible. The plant shouldn't be too obvious, or Brand might

"Police, put your hands up!"

The shout came from outside the carport. Squatting by the tool cabinet, Wolper turned as a flashlight snapped on, shining in his face.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm a cop, I'm a cop." He raised his hands, aware of the white latex gloves, shiny in the light, screaming of guilt.

"Put your hands up," the voice repeated. A young voice, tense and strained.

"They're up." Wolper kept his own voice cool. "I'm Lieutenant Wolper, Newton Area. Do I know you?"

The flashlight bobbed closer. Behind the beam a pale young face came into view. The cop's nameplate read BAKER.

"No, sir, you don't. You know him, Metz?"

His partner, Metz, took a moment to respond. "There's a Wolper at Newton station."

"He's me," Wolper said, rising slowly to his feet, careful to make no threatening moves. Both of the Hollywood cops had their guns drawn. "Or I'm him. However you say it."

"You got your ID on you?"

"Vest pocket."

"Take it out, real easy."

Wolper produced his ID case and flipped it open.

"Okay, Lieutenant." Baker nodded, but he hadn't lowered his weapon. "May I ask what exactly you're doing here?"

It was the obvious question, and Wolper was ready for it.

"I found Sergeant Brand's gate ajar. Came in to see if anything was wrong. Found the bottom drawer of this tool cabinet hanging open. I thought there might have been a four-five-nine. Pulled on some gloves so I wouldn't contaminate the scene. I found some materials that amp; well, they require an explanation."

He expected to be asked what he had found. But Baker surprised him. "Why did you come here in the first place?"

"Social call."

"At nearly eleven p.m.?"

"I'm a night owl." The guns still hadn't lowered, and Wolper began to be concerned. "Can I ask why you're here? Somebody call in a hot prowl?"

"No, sir. We were dispatched to Sergeant Brand's residence after his vehicle was involved in a crash."

This didn't make sensea routine car crash wouldn't necessitate a visit to the victim's residence by a patrol unitbut Wolper didn't pursue it. There was another question of greater interest.

"A crash?" He gave a good imitation of concern. "How bad?"

"There was one fatality."

"Is it Brand?" Wolper asked, hoping the answer was yes.

"That hasn't been confirmed."

"Jesus." Wolper lowered his head for a moment. When he looked up, the guns were still fixed on him. "You know, you can holster your weapons, Officers. We're on the same team."

The cop named Metz spoke. "What were you doing by that tool chest?"

"I told you, I was looking for signs of a burglary. What I found was something else."

The bait had been offered a second time. Still they didn't take it.

"So you were looking in the drawer?" Metz asked.

"Right."

"That's funny, sir," Baker said. "See, we saw you from the driveway. We watched you for a minute or two before we called out. And it looked to us like you were putting stuff in the drawer."

"Did it?"

"Yes, sir. It did."

Wolper thought about how to play this. He decided to call on a little cop solidarity.

"All right, guys, let me level with you. I found some incriminating items in the drawer. I took them out to look them over, but I wasn't sure I wanted to be the one who found them. I'm not sure it's the kind of stuff that ought to be found. So I opted to put it back and walk away. I don't want to blow the whistle on a brother officer."

Now they would have to ask him to detail what he'd found.

They didn't. "What's the envelope for?" Metz asked.

He had seen the empty manila envelope, which Wolper had left on the floor.

"The items were in there," Wolper said. Instantly he regretted it.

"If you were putting them back the way you found them," Baker said, "why didn't you put them back in the envelope?"

"And if the items were incriminating," Metz added, "why would you conceal them?"

Cop solidarity wasn't going to work. These two wouldn't play ball.

There was another option. The throwdown gun was snugged behind his jacket.

It would be tricky. He would need to wait for the two men to lower their guard. They were both wearing vests. He would need to snap off two head shots fast enough to drop them before they could return fire. The shots would be heard throughout the neighborhood. He would have to run for it. A lot could go wrong in that scenario. Still, it might be his only chance.

He had to distract them. "I think we're losing sight of the big picture," he said. "I admit I wasn't exercising good judgment. The stuff I found amp; well, it rattled me. I've known Al Brand a long time. I never expected him to be involved in anything like this."

Come on, you bastards. Take the fucking bait.

"What is it you say you found, exactly?" Baker asked.

Finally.

"Look for yourselves," Wolper said. "I've gotta say it doesn't look good."

He stepped away from the tool cabinet, inviting the two Hollywood cops to check it out.

Hesitantly they advanced. The bottom drawer was still open. Baker shone his flashlight inside, lighting up the stacks of cash and the narcotics. "Holy shit, look what we've got here."

Wolper eased his right hand behind his back and grasped the gun. Two shots in quick successionthat was all he would have time for. Kill shots, both of them. Anything less than perfect shooting, and he was dead.

He waited for Metz to glance down at the open drawer amp;

Headlights.

A car pulling into the driveway. Light bar on the roof twinkling. Another patrol unit. Two more uniforms.

He could never outgun four officers. Slowly Wolper let go of the gun, leaving it tucked in his waistband.

Baker and Metz were looking at him. "Your back bothering you, Lieutenant?" Metz asked.

"Muscle spasm. I get it sometimes."

The two guns were trained on him again. "I think we'd better pat you down, sir."

For a crazy moment Wolper thought about running. But there was nowhere to run. The two new arrivals were already getting out of their vehicle.

"I showed you my badge," he said. "I outrank the two of you, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Yes, sir, we're aware of that."

"Then let's not have any more bullshit about patting me down like I'm a goddamned criminal."

He turned, intending to walk out of the carport and get to his car and go. Go where? He had no idea. Just go.

Metz laid a hand on his shoulder. "Against the wall, sir."

Wolper wanted to resist, wanted to brazen it out, but already Baker and Metz were escorting him to the side wall of the carport, where he assumed the position like all of the thousand perps he'd busted. Baker found his off-duty weapon, holstered by his side, and Metz's probing hands discovered the throwdown.

"What's this, sir?"

The other two cops had reached the carport and were watching him without expression.

"Backup gun," Wolper said.

"No serial number," Metz reported. "This firearm is illegal."

"Tell us again why you came here," Baker said.

Wolper turned away from the wall to confront their hard faces. In that moment he felt the collapse of his future and all his hopes.

"I want a lawyer," he said quietly.

Baker nodded. "Yes, sir. I think you do."