dead man. Obviously there were slight, cosmetic, differences, but it was clear it was the same man.
Leroy sighed and sat back in his chair. In spite of all the years he had worked in Homicide, and all the cases he had dealt with, he could easily remain detached when it was just a nameless body he was dealing with. But once it gained a name, an address, and family, and a life, this detachment became harder.
The report had been filed around midday Saturday. He had not been seen since he left for work Friday morning. He scratched his chin. If he was last seen by his partner Friday morning, and his body was discovered late Friday evening, then whatever had happened to him occurred after he left work that day. If he went to work, that is. In any case, he had to visit Michelle Alexander first. He logged off and stood up.
‘Success?’ Domingo called out from her desk.
He nodded. ‘In a way, yes. My John Doe has a name: Lance Riley. His wife - no, girlfriend – filed the report Saturday.’
‘You off to see her now?’
Leroy nodded.
‘Want me to go with you?’
‘It’s okay. I’ll be okay.’
‘She won’t be, though. Would save you having to call on uniform.’
‘All right. Thanks, Liza.’
‘No problem,’ she replied, as she got up from her desk. ‘I’ll drive, and you can eat your sandwich on the way.’
‘Oh, yes; I’d forgotten.’ He picked up the sandwich as they left.
Once in his car, he passed her the keys and gave her the address. She typed it into the GPS. As they pulled out into Butler, he looked around.
‘Thanks for coming with me. I do appreciate it.’
‘I told you: no problem.’
‘Do you know,’ he said as they headed south, ‘after all these years, all the times of doing this, it never gets any easier.’
He looked over at her.
‘Ever.’
FOURTEEN
‘ I’ll go make some tea,’ said Domingo, as Leroy sat in the living room opposite Michelle Alexander.
Michelle looked up. She spoke quietly. ‘The tea and the milk are-’
Domingo smiled. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll find them.’
Leroy leaned back in the armchair and watched her walk into the kitchen. Then turned back to Michelle. She was slumped in another armchair, wiping her nose with a Kleenex. He nodded his head towards her stomach.
‘How long do you have to go?’ he asked.
She sniffed. ‘Another two months.’
‘Why don’t you try your mother again?’ he asked.
She nodded, sniffed again, and reached over to a small table and picked up a phone.
‘Would you like us to call someone?’ asked Leroy.
She shook her head. ‘It’s okay.’ She waited a few moments with the phone to her ear, then disconnected. ‘Still no answer.’
Domingo returned from the kitchen with a cup of hot tea. She passed it to Michelle. ‘Here you are.’
Michelle looked up and took the cup. ‘Thanks,’ she mouthed.
Domingo sat back down on the sofa.
Leroy looked over to her, then back to Michelle. ‘Going back to what I was asking earlier, Michelle,’ he said slowly and softly, ‘just tell me about the last time you saw Lance.’
She briefly closed her eyes tightly and swallowed. ‘It was Friday morning. He just left for work as normal.’
‘What time?’ asked Leroy.
‘About seven fifteen.’
‘What does he do? Where does he work?’
‘He works in IT. He’s a Business Intelligence System Consultant. I don’t know exactly what that means. He has explained it to me many times but it always goes over my head.’
‘Mine too,’ said Domingo reassuringly.
Leroy nodded. ‘Same here. Where does he work? Is he based from home, or work from an office?’
‘He works out of an office. His firm is called Culver Technologies. They have a suit of offices in Century City. Century Park West.’
‘Okay. And he was working in the office on Friday?’
‘As far as I know, yes. Normally he spends two or three days a week on the road, visiting clients, but he likes to spend Fridays in the office. You know,
Leroy sighed and sat back in his chair. In spite of all the years he had worked in Homicide, and all the cases he had dealt with, he could easily remain detached when it was just a nameless body he was dealing with. But once it gained a name, an address, and family, and a life, this detachment became harder.
The report had been filed around midday Saturday. He had not been seen since he left for work Friday morning. He scratched his chin. If he was last seen by his partner Friday morning, and his body was discovered late Friday evening, then whatever had happened to him occurred after he left work that day. If he went to work, that is. In any case, he had to visit Michelle Alexander first. He logged off and stood up.
‘Success?’ Domingo called out from her desk.
He nodded. ‘In a way, yes. My John Doe has a name: Lance Riley. His wife - no, girlfriend – filed the report Saturday.’
‘You off to see her now?’
Leroy nodded.
‘Want me to go with you?’
‘It’s okay. I’ll be okay.’
‘She won’t be, though. Would save you having to call on uniform.’
‘All right. Thanks, Liza.’
‘No problem,’ she replied, as she got up from her desk. ‘I’ll drive, and you can eat your sandwich on the way.’
‘Oh, yes; I’d forgotten.’ He picked up the sandwich as they left.
Once in his car, he passed her the keys and gave her the address. She typed it into the GPS. As they pulled out into Butler, he looked around.
‘Thanks for coming with me. I do appreciate it.’
‘I told you: no problem.’
‘Do you know,’ he said as they headed south, ‘after all these years, all the times of doing this, it never gets any easier.’
He looked over at her.
‘Ever.’
FOURTEEN
‘ I’ll go make some tea,’ said Domingo, as Leroy sat in the living room opposite Michelle Alexander.
Michelle looked up. She spoke quietly. ‘The tea and the milk are-’
Domingo smiled. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll find them.’
Leroy leaned back in the armchair and watched her walk into the kitchen. Then turned back to Michelle. She was slumped in another armchair, wiping her nose with a Kleenex. He nodded his head towards her stomach.
‘How long do you have to go?’ he asked.
She sniffed. ‘Another two months.’
‘Why don’t you try your mother again?’ he asked.
She nodded, sniffed again, and reached over to a small table and picked up a phone.
‘Would you like us to call someone?’ asked Leroy.
She shook her head. ‘It’s okay.’ She waited a few moments with the phone to her ear, then disconnected. ‘Still no answer.’
Domingo returned from the kitchen with a cup of hot tea. She passed it to Michelle. ‘Here you are.’
Michelle looked up and took the cup. ‘Thanks,’ she mouthed.
Domingo sat back down on the sofa.
Leroy looked over to her, then back to Michelle. ‘Going back to what I was asking earlier, Michelle,’ he said slowly and softly, ‘just tell me about the last time you saw Lance.’
She briefly closed her eyes tightly and swallowed. ‘It was Friday morning. He just left for work as normal.’
‘What time?’ asked Leroy.
‘About seven fifteen.’
‘What does he do? Where does he work?’
‘He works in IT. He’s a Business Intelligence System Consultant. I don’t know exactly what that means. He has explained it to me many times but it always goes over my head.’
‘Mine too,’ said Domingo reassuringly.
Leroy nodded. ‘Same here. Where does he work? Is he based from home, or work from an office?’
‘He works out of an office. His firm is called Culver Technologies. They have a suit of offices in Century City. Century Park West.’
‘Okay. And he was working in the office on Friday?’
‘As far as I know, yes. Normally he spends two or three days a week on the road, visiting clients, but he likes to spend Fridays in the office. You know,
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