“All I want is what would be in a normal court record if Nestor wasn’t a juvenile and the file wasn’t sealed. I can get it eventually if I fool around long enough at the Hall of Records, but it’s gonna take time. Stonewalling bastards. They hate cops and everything else that’s good and true.”
“Try Lauritz Montez,” I said.
“He likes cops?”
“He’s vulnerable and weak-willed.”
The call to Montez’s Beverly Hills office was answered by a tape.
I took the phone, punched 411, and asked for the number of Dr. Chang’s dental office on Alvarado. There’s nothing more effective with a doctor’s staff than having a doctorate. I had Anita Moss on the line within seconds.
“How may I help you, Doctor?”
“Ms. Moss, I was with Detective Sturgis the other day- ”
“With him? You’re not a cop?”
“I’m a psychologist. I consult to the police- ”
“I’m sorry, I’m busy- ”
“Just one question and I’ll be out of your way: Which attorney represented Nestor on the manslaughter charge?”
“Why?”
“It could be important. We’ll find out anyway, but you could make things easier.”
“Okay, okay. A blond lady,” she said. “With a funny name- Sydney something.”
“Sydney Weider.”
“She put a lot of pressure on my mom to attend every hearing, even though my mom wasn’t in good health. She ordered her to sit where the judge could see her, and cry a lot. Told my mom she’d have to take the stand when it came time for Nestor to be sentenced and lie about what a good son Nestor was and then cry a whole bunch more. Coaching her as if Mom was stupid. As if Mom wasn’t crying all the time, anyway.”
“She put on an aggressive defense.”
“I guess,” she said. “I always felt she was doing it more for herself- to win, you know? If she cared about my mother, she wouldn’t have bossed her around like that. It didn’t matter anyway. Nestor was guilty, they did this plea-bargain thing. Which was okay with me. I didn’t want my mom to have to cry for strangers.”
“Was a man named Drew Daney involved with Nestor’s case?”
“It sounds familiar, but…”
“A divinity student and youth worker- ”
“Oh, yeah, him. The church guy,” she said. “A few months before Nestor killed that dealer he got sent to some drug rehab program and the church guy worked there. Did he do something wrong? ’Cause that would surprise me.”
“Why?”
“Him I liked. He seemed real sincere about wanting to help Nestor. Wrote a letter to the judge for Nestor.”
“Puts everything in place, doesn’t it?” said Milo, driving out of the lot.
“Daney visits Troy in Stockton,” I said. “Uses the opportunity to drop in on Nestor and set Troy up.”
“Meanwhile, Rand’s over in Chino. Think that’s the reason Daney left him alone? No juvey hit man planted there?”
“More likely Rand wasn’t a threat. Until he was.”
He got back on the freeway. “You in the mood to ply your trade?”
“With who?”
“A crazy woman.”
CHAPTER 38
Sydney Weider opened her front door wearing a soiled white T-shirt with a Surfside Country Club flying dolphin logo over her left breast, gray stretch athletic shorts, and bare feet. Up close, her face was pallid, scored vertically by wrinkles that began at the corners of her eyes and tugged her mouth down. Her legs were white, varicosed, her feet hangnailed and grubby around the ankles.
She opened her mouth in surprise.
Milo said, “Ma’am,” and showed her his badge.
She slapped him hard across the face.
As he hauled her out to the unmarked, cuffed her, hissing and twisting, a snick sounded from across the street and a woman ran out of a pretty, black-shuttered Colonial.
Same neighbor who’d watched Weider scream at me a few days ago.
“Here we go,” muttered Milo. “Where’s the damned video camera?”
Weider growled and slammed her head into his arm and tried to bite him. He held her at arm’s length. “Open the door, Alex.”
As I did the woman from across the street sped toward us.
Late thirties, blond ponytail, shapely in tight black pedal pushers and a sea-green tank top. Grace Kelly facial definition. Sydney Weider in a younger, happier time.
She looked furious; let’s hear it for Neighborhood Watch.
As she got closer, Milo said, “Ma’am- ”
“Good for you!” she said. “That bitch screams at all the children and terrifies them! She makes everyone’s lives miserable! What’d she do to finally get you to take some action?”
Sydney Weider spat in her direction. The gob landed on the sidewalk. The woman said, “You’re disgusting. As always.”
Before Weider could respond, Milo pressed down on her head, managed to get her into the car, and slammed the door. His face was flushed.
“What’d she finally do?” the woman repeated. “You people said there was nothing you could- ”
“Can’t discuss that, ma’am. Now if you’d please- ”
Thump thump thump as Weider kicked the window.
The ponytailed woman said, “See? She’s insane. I’ve got a list for you. Give me your fax number.”
“She’s been that big of a problem?” I said.
“Everyone will rejoice when she’s gone. We’ll have a frickin’ block party. A child touches her lawn, she steps out and screams at the top of her lungs. Last month, she threw a kitchen knife at Poppy and Poppy’s not one of those aggressive shar-peis, he’s sweet as can be, ask anyone, they’ll tell you. She runs up and down the street, talks like a banshee- she’s insane, believe me, totally insane. I’m sure everyone on the block will be happy to give you a report or a deposition or whatever.”
Milo said, “Appreciate it, ma’am.”
“Good riddance,” said the woman, glaring through the window. Sydney Weider lay on her back, feet up. She began kicking the window again. Barefoot, but hard enough to make the glass shudder.
The woman said, “You should hog-tie her. Like on Cops.”
As we drove away, other doors opened but no one emerged.
Sydney Weider screamed wordlessly and resumed kicking the window. Milo stopped the car, parked, retrieved a set of plastic ties from the trunk, and defended himself against Weider’s gnashing jaws and vicious feet as he fought to bind her ankles. I got out and held Weider’s heels. Yet another divergence from accepted psychological practice.
Finally, he managed to flip her on her stomach, pull the ties snug. She writhed and foamed at the mouth and butted her head against the door as the car pulled away. Potty-mouth tirade; all those years in law school spent parsing and composing elegant phrases wasted.
I felt sorry for her.
When Milo reached Sunset, she turned silent. Panting, then snuffling, filled the car. I glanced back. Still flat on her belly. Eyes closed, inert.
I figured he’d take her to the jail at the Westside station, but he drove east through the Palisades and turned in to Will Rogers State Park.
A little-girl voice from the back said, “I used to ride horses here.”
“Good for you,” said Milo.
Moments later: “What did I do to make you so angry?”
“How about assaulting an officer?”
“Oh…,” she said. “I’m sorry I really am I don’t know what happened I just you scared me I thought you were sent by my husband to torment me one of those process servers he won’t let go one Halloween he sent a process server dressed up as a goblin and I opened the door for trick or treat and this goblin threw court papers at me and when I threw them back he grabbed me made contact with my arm that was real assault believe me much worse than what I did I’m an attorney I know what assault is when I see it listen I really didn’t mean to hit you I was defending myself you really scared me.”