L.A. Dead

Chapter 59

Manolo drove Stone, Arrington, and Isabel to the courthouse, while Dino and Mary Ann followed in the station wagon. This time, they could not avoid the press, since the hearing had been placed on the court calendar, which was public. Even the underground garage was covered by the TV cameras, and it took both Stone and Manolo to keep them from following the group into the elevator.

There was another gaundet to run, between the elevator and the courtroom, but Stone was relieved to see Felipe Cordova sitting outside the courtroom, with Brandy Garcia at his side. Brandy winked at him as they passed. Stone told Isabel to wait to be called, then he took Arrington into the courtroom, where Marc Blumberg met them at the defense table. Dino and Mary Ann found seats. Stone set down his briefcase and a shopping bag he had been carrying.

"Okay, we've been over this," Marc said to Arrington. "You'll testify as before, unless…"

"Unless what?" Arrington asked.

"Unless you've regained your memory."

She shook her head. "I don't remember anything after that Friday night, until I woke up in the clinic."

"Just checking," Marc said.

The judge entered, and the bailiff called the court to order.

"I'm hearing a motion to dismiss this morning, I believe," the judge said.

Marc Blumberg rose. "Yes, Your Honor. I would ask that the District Attorneys office present its witnesses, followed by defense witnesses."

The judge turned to the prosecution table. "Ms. Chu?"

The young woman rose. "The District Attorney calls Detective Sam Durkee."

Durkee took the stand, and under questioning, established that the murder had taken place.

When it was Marc Blumberg's turn, he rose. "Detective, you've testified that Mr. Calder was shot with a nine-millimeter semiautomatic pistol."

"Yes."

"Did you find the weapon?"

"No."

"Did you search the Calder house and grounds thoroughly?"

"Yes."

"How many times?"

"Three, over two days."

"And no weapon?"

"No."

"Did you search any other house for the weapon?"

"Yes, we searched the home of Felipe Cordova, the Calders' gardner."

"Oh? When?"

"Yesterday."

"I'm glad you got around to it. Did you find the weapon?"

"No."

"Did you search the house or grounds of Beverly Walters?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because she's not a suspect."

"I see. You say you searched the Calder house thoroughly. In your search, did you find a white terrycloth robe?"

"No, but I wasn't looking for one."

"When you arrived at the Calder house and first saw Mrs. Calder, what was she wearing?"

"A bathrobe, or a dressing gown, I guess you could call it."

"What was it made of?"

"I'm not sure; some sort of smooth fabric."

"Could it have been either cotton or silk?"

"Yes, I suppose it could have been."

"Could it have been terrycloth?"

"No, I'm sure it wasn't."

"What color was it?"

"It was some sort of floral pattern, brighdy colored."

"No further questions."

The D.A. called the medical examiner and elicited testimony on the autopsy results, then, "Your Honor, the District Attorney calls Beverly Walters."

Beverly Walters appeared through a side door and was sworn. Chu began by taking her through her previous story of having heard Arrington threaten to kill her husband, then she continued. "Ms. Walters, where were you on the afternoon of the evening Vance Calder was murdered?"

"I was at the home of a friend, at a swimming party."

"And after you left the party, where did you go?"

"I went to Vance Calder's home."

"And how did you enter the grounds?"

"Through a rear entrance."

"Did you ring the doorbell?"

"No, I entered through the door to the pool and sneaked into Mr. Calder's dressing room."

"Was Mr. Calder present?"

"Yes."

"Where was Mrs. Calder?"

"She was taking a bath, I believe. That was what Mr. Calder told me when I spoke with him earlier."

"Having reached the dressing room, what did you do?"

"Mr. Calder and I made love."

"In his dressing room?"

"On a sofa in his dressing room."

"Was this the first time you and Mr. Calder had made love?"

"No, we had done so on a number of occasions."

"And where did these trysts take place?"

"In his trailer at Centurion Studios, in his bungalow there, and at his home, always in his dressing room."

"On the earlier occasions, when you made love in the dressing room, was Mrs. Caider present in the house?"

"Yes. We timed the meetings for when Arrington was in the tub. When they went out in the evenings, she was as regular as clockwork; she'd spend half an hour in the bath."

"Why did you take these risks?"

"Vance found it exciting, knowing that Arrington was in the house. He loved taking chances."

"After you had made love that evening, what did you do?"

"When we had finished, Vance began getting dressed and said I should leave, that Arrington-Mrs. Calder-would be getting out of her bath soon."

"And did you leave?"

"Yes, I left through the same door I had entered by."

"And after leaving, did you have occasion to return to the house?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I heard a gunshot."

"How did you know it was a gunshot?"

"I didn't, at first, but when I peeked back through the glass doors, I saw Mr. Calder lying on the floor of the hallway. Mrs. Calder was standing next to him, holding a gun in her hand."

"She was just standing there? Was she doing anything else?"

"She was screaming at him."

"What was she saying?"

"I don't know exactly; it was pretty garbled. I did hear her say 'son of a bitch.'"

"Was Mrs. Calder directing this abuse at Mr. Calder?"

"Yes. There was no one else there."

"What did you do then?"

"I ran back to the car. I didn't want Arrington to shoot me, too."

Stone glanced at Arrington. Her face had reddened.