Serpentine

Chapter 38

We shifted to a dim spot under the branches of the largest sycamore.

Milo said, “All Des Barres wanted was a little company. You believe her?”

“You think she was sanitizing her own role.”

“Exactly, a nun, not a houri.”

I said, “Bikini nun.”

He laughed.

I said, “I do believe her. Why would she come forward in the first place? Only reason I can see is a moral compass. Benni’s disappearance has been on her mind for thirty-six years. Enough for her to periodically check out the missing persons sites. Your post solidified her suspicions and activated her. And everything she told us — Sterling Lawrence, The Azalea, her own background — matches what we already know.”

“Suspicions,” he said.

“Same as ours. Dorothy shot Benni and passed herself off as the victim. Now the motive’s solidified: just what we thought, wanting to make her escape.”

“The aspiring Queen Bee looks for a new hive.”

“Maybe because killing Arlette didn’t have the desired results. Des Barres adored Arlette and unfortunately for Dorothy, he was also a passive alcoholic unwilling to take it to the next level. So she made her plan and lifted some goodies from his safe. Vicki just told us she’d been angry at Benni for a couple of weeks and Benni never fought back. She was used to being Dorothy’s doormat since the two of them left Texas. Dorothy told her they were off on another adventure with an upgrade — the Caddy. A mile down Mulholland, middle of the night, Dorothy pulls over, shoots Benni without warning, and stages a fake accident. Clean break from Des Barres and Barker.”

He said, “And Ellie. Can’t wait to tell her about her heritage... it does firm up the picture. Unfortunately, it’s not evidence.”

“I’ve been thinking,” I said.

“That can be scary or encouraging.”

“Your plan to have the troops simulate tradespeople makes sense. But you could also try to talk to actual tradespeople: meter reader, postal carrier, maybe FedEx, UPS, any delivery service that comes by regularly. If Dorothy’s living there, someone might’ve seen her, maybe knows what name she’s using. The question is, could they be trusted to keep their mouths shut.”

“My dominant personality wouldn’t be enough to ensure that, huh?”

“Person-to-person, sure. Toss in the lure of the internet?” I shrugged.

He said, “Let me think about it,” and drove away.

A block later: “Annoying.”

“What is?”

“Why the hell didn’t I think of it myself?”