not saying he was a wimp. No way, José, someone messed with him good luck. I just got a feeling—the way he kind of…strutted? And sometimes he’d stand there and be doing this.”
Dangling a limp wrist. “Maybe I’m wrong, but probably not. I’ve got a feel for people.”
I said, “Your feel for Kimby was—”
“Nice girl, not much of a dancer, great looking. She didn’t seem dumb. Can’t say that for some of the other girls.”
“The bouncers took care of problems. Did anyone mess with them and end up the worse for it?”
“No one got hurt,” said Salawa. “I set rules: See them out and get them in their cars. If they weren’t too drunk. If they were, we called them a cab. I lost plenty of money on cab fees. Trust me, no one got hurt, the proof is no one sued me.”
Milo said, “Any idea how we can reach James and Del?”
“Hmm…I think James lived in the Valley—I’m saying that because sometimes he’d bitch about traffic coming over the hill. Del, I can’t tell you.”
“Independent contractors.”
“That’s how Moussa set it up,” said Salawa. “I thought he knew what he was doing.”
* * *
—
We watched him drive off in the Mercedes.
Milo said, “Let’s take a walk.”
“Food or peace and quiet?”
“Already ate.” He hooked a thumb and we did our usual southward stroll into the working-class residential neighborhood that borders the station. Nothing fancy but maybe the safest blocks in L.A.
“So what do you think of Ron?”
I said, “Hard to tell. Anything in his background?”
“No criminal record but no angel. In frequent arrears for child support with the first two wives, they’re always in court. Several convenient bankruptcies, and one fire at a warehouse he owned in East L.A. that looked suspicious but wasn’t provable as arson. Unfortunately, when it comes to his club venture, he seems to be leveling. He got the properties because his uncle—who’s a total deadbeat with a conviction for attempted bribery—owed him money on the sale of three apartment buildings they co-owned in Downey. Two of them Salawa unloaded at a loss, the other one and The Aura, he barely broke even.”
“Struggling businessman,” I said. “That could mean resentment and secrets.”
“Sure, but he returns to a dump he hates on the day of a stranger’s wedding in order to kill a former employee? Can’t see how that works.”
“Maybe he lied and it was personal. He tried to impress us with how disengaged he was. But he did notice Kimby’s looks and her dancing.”
“Wouldn’t any guy notice a girl like that?” he said. “Even guys who do this.” Aping the limp-wristed dangle.
I laughed. “Maybe he’s not as monogamous as he claims.”
“Cuties on the side and she was one of them?”
“I keep coming back to the club layout. For all his claims about hating the place, meeting there could’ve been a turn-on. How about seeing if James and Del-whatever can elucidate.”
“Common name,” he said. “How about James Brown—wouldn’t that be a hoot? Man’s world and all that.”
Half a block later, he stopped, found a panatela in a trouser pocket, rolled it between his fingers, and resumed walking. “Maybe I’m getting too far afield. I keep thinking about what Lee Cardell told us.”
“Baby’s wild ride in Vegas.”
“A bride who fools with a male stripper, a few days later a dead female stripper? Do boys and girls in that world hang out?”
“No idea,” I said. “It’s been years since I experienced the joys of the skin trade.”
He stopped again. “You’ve got a past?”
“Back when I was playing music the musicians spent after-hours at topless places.”
“And you tagged along.”
“I was eighteen and they paid for my illegal drinks.”
“Bunch of hopheads out to corrupt you. Did it take?”
I smiled.
He said, “Dr. Enigma Within A Puzzle. I’m also still wondering about the injection, the whole medical thing, so while I waited for ol’ Ronnie, I looked into the Mastros’ civil status. Distressingly clean, not a single malpractice claim, which in these days is something. A few patients of Dr. Stuart Mastro do yelp at him for having a cold bedside manner. Dr. Marilee seems to be more popular.”
“What about Dr. Wilbur?”
“No ratings at all. Maybe ranchers and farmers are too busy to spout off online. Okay, let’s head back.”
CHAPTER
7
As we neared the station, I said, “James the bouncer probably spends a lot of time in the gym. If he does live in the Valley, Moe might know him.”
“The kid’s Mr. Muscles but the Valley’s a big place, Alex.”
“It’s a long shot