Читать книгу The Red 65 - Grant Peake - Страница 6

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Hislop (known to everyone as Marty) leaned back in his chair and studied the file he had just been given by his boss, Superintendent Charlie Solomon.

Hislop was 49 years old and had been in the police force since he was 19. An officer of great talent and skill, he had an uncanny way of extracting information from people with lightning dexterity, but lacked tact. Treading on toes to get to the bottom of things did not cross Hislop’s overactive mind. Prone to be impatient and to act upon impulse, had landed Marty in deep water with his superiors over the years. This did not phase Marty at all – he had just told them to shove it, more or less! Yet for all his faults, he was a good cop who got the job done with a minimum amount of fuss.

Marty Hislop was single, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t had some fun with the ladies in his life. Once he had approached his late forties, the ladies had began to drop their interest in Marty, favouring the younger guys. They couldn’t come to terms with the fact that Marty was dedicated to his job in the force, and they took second place.

What on earth does Charlie think I can do with a case that is over 40 years old? Marty thought. Nearing 50 years old, the case file contained only a few skimpy pages of handwritten notes.

He flipped through the flimsy, ageing pages and noticed a black and white photo of a young child at the back of the file. He turned the photograph over and saw on the back had been written in black ink: Billy Parsons on set Universal Studios Apr 9, ’65 aged 7 years.

Marty gave a deep sigh and looked carefully at the photo of this kid who had just vanished without a trace, on July 21, 1965. He vaguely recalled his mother mentioning this Billy Parsons whenever she was reminding Marty and his kid sister, Marion, about the importance of never going anywhere with a stranger they did not know. “Beware, stranger danger.” was the catch phrase uttered from his mother’s lips. “Look what happened to young Billy Parsons, 7 years old, and vanished. Probably accepted a lift from a stranger and then disappeared into thin air!” said his mother with warning to her offspring.

When Charlie Solomon had knocked on Marty’s door and asked him did he want to take on a real nutcracker of a case, Marty had no idea this would be it. Marty had thought it would be drug running along the southern California coast or a gun dealer found murdered or a brothel madam found bashed to death in her expensive Mercedes, or just anything else, but not this.

“Hell,” Marty had exclaimed to Charlie Solomon, “you want me to investigate a cold case from years ago, when we have crime and corruption on our doorstep. Surely you must be crazy Charlie, what’s the big idea anyway? This case is nearing 50 years ago, it should be put to bed, man!”

Superintendent Charlie Solomon, a man of large frame and a good listener, lifted his body in the chair facing Marty, and cleared his throat. Charlie had been with the Los Angeles Police Department for over 45 years, knew the system well, and its faults, but still felt he had something to give the service before retiring. A native of the deep south, from Alabama, he started cotton picking at 6 years of age. His hard working parents had slaved hard to get their only son into college, and eventually taken on by the police force. Charlie had known discrimination because of racial colour and had been overlooked for promotion in the early years, but he was diligent and determined to change the old order of things. The inspiring speech in ’68 by his great mentor, Martin Luther King Jr., had spurred Charlie on to succeed and not give in to tyranny, deceit and most of all, racial prejudice. Today, he was at the pinnacle of his career and enjoyed the role, even if his loving wife, Thelma, was wanting Charlie to hang up his boots and call it a day.

Being accustomed to Marty’s brisk manner, Charlie ignored the distinct reluctance from Marty’s remark and knew he had to convince this man to investigate this poor kid’s disappearance. Charlie responded to Marty’s outburst with the usual tilting of his large egg shaped head to one side, smiling coyly, and said in his big booming, yet rich voice, “Yeah sure Marty, I agree, the case is out of date and what good can we do now to find this kid? If this kid is still alive, he would be in his fifties now. His face was splashed around the newspapers and on TV for days on end.” With that, Charlie gave a short chuckle and continued on, “Plus the fact that the witnesses have most likely kicked the bucket or shifted camp. It’s a tough one, I appreciate, but we must attempt to unravel some of the mystery surrounding this poor little mites fate, Marty”.

Marty was silent but the expression on his rugged face was not one of joy by any means.

Charlie looked long at Marty before continuing on with his droll voice, “You see man, this case has been brought to our attention by the Australian Federal Police in Canberra, Australia. They have been approached by relatives of this Billy Parsons, to seek any answers regarding his disappearance. The parents are still alive, though apparently in their eighties and not in good health. Mr Parsons has terminal cancer and Mrs Parsons has the early signs of dementia. They have another son and two daughters, who with the assistance of their local Member of Parliament, contacted the Australian Federal Police recently to find out anything they could to put their parents mind at rest; especially Mr Parsons, who would like to know what happened to their young son. I know it is a huge long shot man, but we can only do our best. You are the ideal man for the task, Marty. No one else has the expertise and ability to get this case by the teeth and pull out the crap and deal with the facts. I will give you, and La Paz, all the support you will need. My only stipulation is that no one, and I repeat, no one, is to know what you are both doing. If word leaks out that we are reopening a cold case from over 40 friggen years ago, the press will have a field day, and I will have the hierarchy come down on me like a ton of bricks. We won’t know what struck us man, so discretion is the key element to this. The case is sensitive, to say the least, regarding a very young child. Basically, we are just revisiting the case and checking witness statements. Anything you can dig up that will shed any light on the kid’s disappearance, will be a bonus to solve this case. I know what your thinking, but we have to deal with what we can work with. Yeah, I know you will be banging your head against a wall of stone after all these years, but for the sake of the parents, I have agreed to reopen the case.”

Charlie finished his words with an air of finality and gave Marty the “don’t argue with me” look. Marty sniffed and looked away from Charlie. The office window, three floors up, gave Marty a view of the people below on the pavement going about their everyday lives. Automobiles and trucks surging along the distant freeway, a jet in the hazy sky above, coming in to land at the Los Angeles airport. All these people had a purpose and a reason to be living, breathing souls. He glanced back at the file now laying open on his dishevelled desk. This poor kid never made it to manhood, let alone become something in life.

Poor little guy, 7 years old, in a strange country and far from home, he must have felt lonely and frightened, but he just disappears like a cherry blossom vanishes when blown by the wind. This kid deserved to be known and have his soul put to rest, if he was dead. Now his elderly parents and siblings want some answers. And answers they will have, thought Marty. Emotions were running high in Hislop’s heart. Not one to show his feelings, he had been touched by the photo of the boy, looking so innocent and yet the eyes told him that this soul wanted to be avenged, to be at peace.

He swallowed hard and fixed his gaze on Charlie Solomon and said, “Okay, you’re on. La Paz and me, we will find out what happened to this kid. Even if he is dead, we will satisfy the family that we have left no stone unturned to get to the truth. Just one thing I don’t understand boss, why was Billy by himself here and not accompanied by a parent? It seems strange to leave a very young kid alone in someone else’s care, and such a long way from home? There does not seem to be any mention of that in the case notes, Charlie.” Marty closed the file, placed his hands together and laid them on the yellowing manila folder containing next to nothing about this young Billy Parsons from Australia. Starring at Charlie Solomon, Marty awaited a response.

“Apparently from what we can gather now from his Aussie family,” said Solomon, with a slight wave of his left hand, “the parents could not leave their farm in northern New South Wales. The father was involved with the farm and the wife had the other kids to look to. They lived in a remote part of the country, I understand. Money was scarce, and they had an acute labour shortage, so Billy departed on his own, with a woman chaperone provided from Universal Studios. A free passage was offered to a parent to accompany Billy, mainly Mrs Parsons, but she declined, and now possibly to her eternal regret. The file was in the archives, so I had to get it retrieved Marty. There is nothing else pertaining to the kid at all. No clothing or any personal belongings had been retained.”

Charlie awaited Marty’s reply.

Marty got up out of his chair, and said quickly to Charlie, “Well, I had better go through the file in more detail and get La Paz in, to brief him on the case. I think he is down at the DA’s office but he should be back soon. I am not promising anything quickly boss, but we will tackle this head on and keep you informed”.

Rising from his chair, Charlie Solomon reached over with his hand to shake Marty’s and said, “I knew I could count on you Marty. Any help you need, just let me know. Oh, and by the way, I have to mention that Billy’s elder brother, Andrew, attempted to have the case reopened about 20 years ago. He made the trip over here and made a special plea on behalf of his family, but met with a brick wall. Noel Dawson was the guy Andrew dealt with, I need say no more.”

Charlie Solomon gave Marty Hislop a knowing look.

Marty comprehended immediately and said quickly, “Yeah, I understand perfectly. Senior Detective Noel Dawson is a real jerk, as though his shit doesn’t stink!”

Marty had come up against Dawson before and sparks had flown between the two men. Dawson would have been very down putting to this Andrew Parsons and cast the request aside. So long as Dawson was receiving all the praise and credit for something he hadn’t done, to advance his career prospects, that was all that mattered to this guy. Something like this missing kid would not have interested Dawson in the least. Ancient history to him; hardly any leads, no concrete evidence to go on. Too much work for Dawson. Terminate any further enquiries, would be Dawson’s attitude. Totally different to Hislop, who enjoyed digging around a bit to get the exact facts.

Charlie Solomon ignored the comment from Hislop, but knew the statement was an accurate description of Dawson. Solomon left the room and Marty to his deep thoughts. Marty wandered over to the window again and tried to imagine being a scarred and bewildered 7 year old kid, leaving his family to go to another country, far from his familiar home. How would he have coped, he wondered? Yes, the family would get answers, but this was going to take time and a lot of planning.

Where was La Paz? Marty thought. He should have been be back by now. Marty had requested that La Paz report back to him as soon as he was back from the DA’s office about this drug lord case they had been working on. La Paz was never one to get himself in a frenzy, took his time and plodded along, yet he got good results. Marty Hislop would not work with any person who was not up to the task, especially when working with him. Marty was straight to the point, minced no matters and did not put up with any bullshit. Getting annoyed and frustrated, Marty slammed down his pen on the desk with force. He wanted to get on with this new case and get things moving, but he needed La Paz, to tidy up the loose ends and piece together the facts, from what was provided. That was shit all anyway, thought Marty.

Suddenly the door opened and Detective Sergeant Miguel La Paz entered the room. A striking looking chap, nearing 40, with a good physique and a shock of wavy black hair. A native of Mexico, at 6 foot 3, he was much taller than Marty, but was happy to take the back seat, so to speak, when Marty was around. Marty Hislop was the action man, while La Paz was the thinker and organiser. Between the two men, they made a formidable team, and had worked together successfully for over 12 years.

“Where the hell have you been La Paz? I’ve been waiting for you for over half an hour and now you decide to come in! I have things to discuss with you and we need to work quick and fast. None of this lumbering along hoping that the next lead will come to us La Paz. What took you so long anyhow?” growled Marty.

La Paz, never one to take offence at Marty’s gruff words, quietly said, “The DA was in a meeting when I arrived, so I had to wait, before I could ask him about the Henderson case. He reckons boss, that Henderson could go down for 20 years. Even if he squeals about the drug cartel based in Colombia, they have enough to sink him for a long time.”

Before Marty could reply, La Paz went on to say with some humour in his pleasant voice, “I saw the big boss in the corridor. Said he had just left seeing you about a new case. Says it will keep us busy and to keep quiet about it all, but you would explain the finer points to me boss.”

With that, he looked knowingly at Marty and waited for the expected outburst. However, Marty realised he had been caught out and managed a smile from the corner of his mouth.

“Sit down La Paz. This one’s a tough one. Missing kid from 1965. Aussie by birth, came to Universal Studios in March ’65, just after his seventh birthday. Made three films and did a bit of TV ad stuff. On July 21 ’65, he disappears while walking down North Beaumont in the Hollywood Hills. Some dame said she saw the kid, walking on the pavement, she thought, to the drug store on Roy Rogers Avenue. He used to go there for a cool pop! Never made it and just vanished from the face of the earth. Oh, sorry, thanks for going to the DA’s office and yeah, let’s hope that bastard goes down for a really long time.”

With an air of closure, and satisfied that he had mentioned La Paz’s visit to the DA’s office, Marty flung the file over to La Paz. La Paz was used to this bullet point and not to be messed with, Hislop. La Paz had a calm temperament and had kept Hislop in tow on a number of occasions.

Marty Hislop was quick to shoot his mouth off and then have to back track to keep face. La Paz liked working with Marty Hislop. He knew his strengths and weaknesses, but he always admired the man for his honesty, sticking to the book but sometimes bending the rules to accommodate a case closure. The other guys always asked him how he could manage working for such a hard nut workaholic, but La Paz could see the other side of Marty Hislop. He had invited the bachelor Hislop home for a meal on a few evenings, with his wife and five children. Four daughters, ranging from 19 years to the youngest, who was 7. Jonas was in the middle, the only son. Hislop was a different man away from the office and loved to play baseball with the kids and eat Mexican food. La Paz’s wife, Gloria was quite a beauty and also an excellent mother and cook. She worked part time two days a week at a beautician salon on Sunset Strip, cleaning the faces of the haggard makeover ladies, who could not remember which part of their body was real, fake or uplifted! Miguel and Gloria enjoyed the company of Marty Hislop and sensed his loneliness and need for an adopted family. They were happy to provide this.

Marty had taken Miguel and the 14 year old Jonas, on a fishing trip last autumn, up to a favourite fishing haunt of Hislop’s in Washington State. They had stayed in a log cabin overlooking a crystal clear lake, with a roaring log fire. The lake had been a good source of excellent fishing and much fun and laughter amongst the three men. The bond between Marty Hislop and Miguel La Paz had grown deeper and Jonas thought that his “Uncle Marty” was the best yet at fly fishing! The trio had come home with a large esky full of fish and tales to tell the waiting Gloria and the girls.

La Paz began to read the scant case notes and Hislop stressed the need for complete secrecy, while they were tackling this case. La Paz nodded in comprehension and made some notes himself in his notepad.

“Boss”, said La Paz with a question mark in his deep voice, “Why was the boy walking alone to the drug store and not with an adult? I know it was 1965, but even then kidnapping was prevalent. You would have thought that someone would have driven Billy to the store. It seemed a bit risky for a young kid, 7 years old, to be out alone.”

“Yeah, I know”, Marty was looking out the window again and turned around to face La Paz. The expression in Marty’s face had altered to one of concern. He said in a lowered voice, “Would you allow your youngest, Maria, aged 7, to walk alone to the drug store to buy a cool pop La Paz? I think not!”

Marty’s voice was raised now, “Yes, regardless of the difference in crime rates then to now, it does appear to be bloody thoughtless and irresponsible. See there in the notes that it wasn’t the first time that the kid had walked alone to the drug store. Whoever was looking after the poor little guy needed their head knocked against a brick wall, common sense didn’t exist! I think it’s stated in the notes, the names of the couple who were looking after him; if you can call it that! Come on, let’s get together now, band together and decide our course of action.” Marty Hislop’s reaction to this case that had been conveniently forgotten.

Yes, he pondered, that was it. The case that was a bit too hard, so they shoved it under the carpet!. A kid from another country – not important enough. Well not to Marty Hislop, no way. He was going to solve this one, for sure.

The pair sat for some time and decided who was going to research the file, that would be La Paz. A super sleuth on background information, he could filter facts from fiction and had some good contacts to boot. An expert with the computer, not one of Marty’s strong points..

Marty’s claim to success was in questioning people, asking the right questions and grasping a lead with a vice like grip. He followed up any clue and covered every angle. He did not give up without a fight.

The two men fell silent as they perused the notes, one sheet each at a time. La Paz was constantly making notes with his large handwriting. Hislop kept looking at the child’s photo and wondered who had written the words on the reverse of the publicity shot.

Finally, after some time La Paz said he would check on the internet for any information that may exist on Billy’s walk to nowhere. People put anything on the Internet these days. He wanted to also check background details on the witnesses, see if any were still alive and contact Universal Studios to arrange a meeting with their Media people and ask about Billy’s contract. Someone from the period may still work there and remember the poor little kid.

La Paz shook his head, and looking over to Marty, said, “Gee Boss, hardly any witness statements, and what there is, gives us little to go on.”

Marty agreed and replied, “Yeah, I know. See what you can do. We may be able to speak to at least one of these people.”

Hislop was keen to interview the main witness, Mrs Marjorie Femmer. She was the one who had seen Billy walking along North Beaumont on that fateful day. However, he knew they would need to check if Mrs Femmer was still alive and kicking, and where did she live now?

After a little assistance from faithful La Paz, they found out that she still resided at the same address in the Hollywood Hills. Hislop was out of the office before La Paz could turn his head to see his boss leave.