"Lovely folks," he said. "The type who pretends not to smell the gas chambers… Okay, so now we know for sure Sanctum was the last place Karen was seen. But-"
"No proof of any crime. I know."
"Not without a body."
"So far Lucy's dream's been panning out, Milo. So the body might very well be right there."
"After all these years? I can see them stashing her there short term, Alex. But why would they be stupid enough to leave her?"
"Arrogance. I'm sure Lowell sees himself as above the law. And when you get down to it, it's a pretty safe place. Who'd think to look for her there? Even if they did, with all that land, who'd know where to look?"
A sick feeling hit me. "Oh, boy."
"What?"
"My meeting with App, yesterday. If he goes checking and finds out my biography story is bogus, he'll start to suspect something. If the body is still up at Lowell's, it could get moved pretty soon."
"Don't scourge yourself, I don't see that it makes any difference. Even if no one touches the body, we can't. Not even close to grounds for a warrant. And after all these years, there's probably no body to speak of. Animals get hold of bones, scatter them. If App's smart, he'll sit tight and not attract attention to the place."
"Maybe, but in the past he hasn't sat things out. He and Lowell eliminate people who get in the way."
"So why haven't they bumped off the Sheas and Doris? Answer: They're discriminating. If Gwen's story is even true. Don't forget, all you've got to connect App is the Ferrari. Anyone could have been driving it."
"But Lucy remembers someone ordering Lowell around. App would have been in a position to do that."
"So would Trafficant. And now that you've tossed Mellors into the heap, we've got four bad guys. So let's not start thinking of the dream as gospel."
"Okay," I said. "But it's maddening- getting so close and not being able to grab it."
"Join the club. Anyway, let me look into Mr. App."
I gave him the producer's Century City office.
"At the time of the party his home was in Malibu," I said. "On the beach side, no doubt."
I called Lucy. No answer. I got in the Seville and headed south to Topanga Canyon.
Just a quick look to see if any cars other than Lowell's were parked in front of the lodge house, then I'd turn back.
Or maybe, if it seemed right, another visit to the old man. Checking to see how he was coping with his loss. At worst, he'd curse me and kick me out. If he was taking one of his long naps, I'd try to cajole Nova into another walk.
Into the forest.
Lacy trees.
When I came to the intersection at Old Topanga Road, I had to stop for an oncoming truck. As I waited to turn left, I noticed a car parked in the lot of the market across the road.
Blue Colt. A young woman behind the wheel. When the truck passed, I U-turned and pulled over next to it.
Lucy looked out the window, shocked. Then she smiled.
We both got out of our cars. She had on a plaid shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. Her hair was pulled back in a bun.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi."
She looked back at her car, guiltily. On the seat were an empty coffee cup and a donut.
"Not much of a lunch," I said.
"I- you'll probably think it's stupid, but I've decided to go up there and face him."
"Not stupid," I said, "but the timing couldn't be worse. In the last two days I've learned things that indicate Karen Best did disappear at the Sanctum party. And your father paid some people to keep quiet about it. Other men were involved, too. Other people may have died because they knew about it."
The color left her face in patches. "Why haven't you told me any of this?"
"I've tried to call you several times."
"Oh… I've been out."
"With Ken?"
"No, just driving around by myself. He had to fly up to the home office. He's been good to me, but I've been happy for the peace and quiet. Even though all I do is think about Puck."
Biting her lip, she crossed her arms and hugged herself.
I stepped closer.
She moved back. "The hardest part was the funeral. Seeing them throw the dirt over him… The funeral's what crystallized things for me. The way he showed up in that horrid white suit with his bimbo. Making a show of himself, like the whole thing was a big performance. Even at a time like that, he couldn't be decent. It brought home to me how he keeps doing rotten things and getting away with them. It's time someone stood up to him. I'm sorry for not consulting you first, but I finally need to do something for myself."
"The way I see it, you've always been pretty independent."
"No," she said. "Just alone. And now I'm going up there. Please don't try to stop me, Dr. Delaware. What's the worst he can do? Try to run me down in his wheelchair? Sic his bimbo on me?"
"Lucy-"
"And what are you doing here?" She smiled. "You were going up yourself, weren't you?"
"Lucy, these people are dangerous-"
"Who are they? What are their names?"
"The main guy is probably a film producer named Curtis App." I described the way he'd looked twenty-one years ago.
"That doesn't sound familiar," she said, "so maybe he was the one with his back to me… but who was the one with the mustache?"
"There are at least two possibilities. Trafficant or another writer named Denton Mellors. Big light-skinned black man. He had a mustache, though it was skimpy, like Trafficant's, and blond. He was one of those murdered, possibly because he knew what had happened to Karen."
"No," she said. "The man I saw was definitely white. And the mustache was thick and dark."
"Your dream may be accurate in some respects but not in others."
She turned and opened her car door.
I held her wrist. "I met with App yesterday, gave him a phony story about doing a biography of Lowell. He may find out I was lying and get nervous. He or his henchmen could be up there right now."
"No, they're not. No one's gone in or out of the place all day. I've been watching the entry from before daybreak."
"You've been staking the place out?"
"Not intentionally. I was sitting there, building up my courage. I came down here to get some coffee and use the ladies' room. I was just about to head back."
"How can you be sure no one spotted you?"
"No one did, believe me. No one even came close. I was the one doing the watching."
"You sat from daybreak till now?"
"I know you think I'm being stupid, but I need to stand up to him and get him out of my life once and for all."
"I understand that, but this just isn't the time."
"It has to be. I'm sorry. You're a wonderful man. I trust you more than anyone- you and Milo. But this is something that's been building up my whole life. I can't put it off any longer."
"Just a little while longer, Lucy."
"Till when? You've got no evidence on Karen's death. The police will never have a case."
"Till we know it's safe."
"It's safe now. There's no one up there. Besides, my going up there won't look funny to anyone. He wanted to meet with me. What's the big deal about a daughter meeting her father?"
"Lucy, please."
She patted my shoulder. "The patient doing things for herself. That's therapeutic progress, right?"
"My only therapeutic goal, right now, is to keep you safe."
"I'll be fine. The prodigal daughter returned. Maybe I can't solve any crimes, but I can try for personal justice."
"What kind of justice?" My voice was sharp.
She stared at me and laughed. "No, no, I'm not going to play Dirty Harriet- search me for weapons if you like. I just need to see him. To show myself I don't need him."
She got into the Colt. "Maybe I'm making a mistake, but at least it'll be mine."