Modern Girls Page 20

  Then, I looked up at the dark garage apartment and asked, “Where’s Troy?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him all day. I thought he’d be home.”

  “Did he go to Lana’s?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I asked, “Do you know where Lana lives?”

  “Yes.”

  “Could we stop by there on the way to Torrance?”

  Edie asked, “Why?”

  “I just want to make sure they aren’t involved in Andi’s disappearance.”

  “Stevie, you’re getting paranoid.”

  “I know, it’s my job, sort of. But, can you indulge me this request?”

  “OK. We can drive to Malibu, but that’s not on the way.”

  “I know. I met Lana in a restaurant in Malibu when we talked.”

  “OK. But, wait a minute, I can call Lana’s house. I have the number.”

  We turned and walked back to the pool house. Edie made a call to Malibu. There wasn’t an answer; so, she left a message. Then, Edie called Troy’s apartment number and left a message on his answering machine too. She asked both of them to call us in Torrance at Andi’s phone and to call Edie’s pool house number. We decided to still head west to Malibu to see if Lana was home, or would arrive home after we left Beverly Hills.

  The city that night was quiet and starry, but dark as the new moon had already set. At 11:15, Edie led the way to Malibu on city streets. I kept up with her fast driving, but maintained a reasonable stopping distance behind her. I could see her singing and hear the music blaring from her opened windows, from time to time at intersections, before we got on the freeway. Her long hair blew freely back from her head the entire way.

  ***

  Lana’s home was on a rise above the road on the ocean side of Pacific Coast Highway. Unlike most homes on the water, hers had some property and a panoramic view of the beach and the surrounding hills. I couldn’t begin to price the value of this estate. The house had a fence blocking the visible driveway. We parked on the street and walked to the gate and Edie immediately pressed the button on the intercom located in a box next to the fence. The house was mostly dark and there were no signs of Lana’s Mercedes or Troy’s Jeep.

  No one answered our buzzing.

  Edie said, “Looks like no one is home. Do you want to take a closer look?”

  I tilted my head, smiled and said, “How?”

  “Follow me.”

  Edie knew the area. We walked about one hundred yards south to an opening between two homes. It was a public access sidewalk to the beach. I knew to keep quiet and simply follow closely. Half way down the walkway, the path turned from concrete to sand. Edie took off her boots. I kept my shoes on for another minute until the sand got too soft. Then, in bare feet we headed to the hide tide mark. By the time we reached it, my eyes had adjusted to the moonless night. The sound of the breaking waves drowned out the highway a few hundred feet away.

  We then walked north to the rear of Lana’s estate. The back side of her hill had a white picket fence and was filled with vegetation; dune grass nearest the beach, with well tended flower gardens and trees near the mansion. The impressive one-story home looked equally dark from the water side. Edie walked straight to the fence gate, opened it up, held it for me, whispered, “Close it softly” and started walking up the hill towards the large deck. As we went up, the lights of the communities up and down the beach twinkled on this clear evening.

  Once on the deck, Edie went directly to the large window of the family room. There was no sign of anyone home. The only lights were a few recessed ceiling lights in the kitchen and the living room. Edie walked down steps to the three-car garage and peered in the rear window. In the far bay a classic Mustang sat in the dim glow provided by a footlight. Lana’s Mercedes sedan was missing. The bay closest to the inside door was filled with boxes, a bicycle and tools. There was no sign of Troy’s Jeep.

  Edie whispered, “Shit! Well, I guess it was worth the try, Stevie.”

  “Thanks.”

  I looked at my wrist watch. It was midnight. I said, “Let’s get out of here.”

  We quietly retraced our steps back to our cars.

  On the way, Edie said, “Now, you’ve got me re-thinking everything, Stevie. Jesus, this is scary.”

  “I know that feeling.”

  ***

  The Torrance police headquarters was a quiet place on this long, calm, warm August night. Edie’s high-heeled boots and the lawn sprinklers were the only sounds as we made our way up the long sidewalk. Through the revolving doors and across the lobby I followed Edie to the officer sitting behind the main desk.

  The man at the desk was Sergeant Richard Rollins. Rollins was listening to a radio station that played old classic songs. The sounds of That Man of Mine filled the air.

  Rollins turned down the radio and asked, “So, how can I help you young lady?”

  Edie answered, “My friend, Stevie, called about an hour and a half ago to report a missing person.”

  We introduced ourselves and said we’d like to provide a more detailed report now. Rollins was about five feet six inches tall with a round belly, short hair, a big smile and a kooky demeanor.

  Rollins asked, “How long has she been missing?”

  Edie answered, “Over eight hours.”

  Rollins replied, “We usually don’t start investigating until someone’s been missing 48 hours.”

  I replied, “Oh, OK. But, Miss Anderson is involved in a murder investigation. She’s been charged with the crime and is out on bail and needs to report to the L.A. police each day. But, we believe she’s not guilty. And, now, there’s no trace of her. We think somebody else may be involved. I’ve previously been in contact with Detective Savage because Andi lives here in Torrance and some other odd stuff has been going on.”

  “Hmmm…well, OK. There’s only one detective on duty in the building at the moment, and it isn’t John Savage. But, you can report your story to him.”

  Rollins called that detective and then directed us to a conference room off the lobby. After turning on the lights, Rollins told us that Andrew Harley would be with us in a few minutes, and then he returned to the front desk. He offered us coffee and we accepted.

  I waited patiently in one of the comfortable, swivel, imitation-leather chairs. Edie paced the room and kept asking me questions about the events of the last few days. I answered a few, and then told her to hold her questions as I was likely to repeat the same information again to the detective. We were drinking our lukewarm coffees when Andrew Harley arrived.

  Harley was a forty-something man of mixed African-European blood. He stood 5 feet 10 inches, and seemed older, world-weary. He could stand to lose a few pounds, but had powerful hands and strong shoulders. Harley was polite yet direct. I got right to the point and quickly reviewed the events starting back at the murder and ending with Andi’s disappearance. Harley took some notes. Ten minutes later he said he would pass on the information to John Savage. In the mean time, he would put out a bulletin around the city. He asked us to check to see if Andi’s car was missing. I said it wasn’t in the parking garage when I left the apartment around 6:30, but I would re-check and call back when we got to the apartment. He said OK. Also, Harley said to call immediately if Andi showed up or if we heard from her. We agreed to do that too. Harley gave me his business card with his direct phone number. He told us he was on duty until 8am working a 12-hour shift. I gave him Andi’s apartment phone number.

  Twenty-five minutes after we arrived, Edie and I were walking into the quiet night, back down the sidewalk. This time the only noise was the rhythmic sounds of her four-inch heels on the sidewalk.

  It was now 1:30 Thursday morning. I hadn’t seen Andi since 9:45am the prior day – almost sixteen hours earlier. She had been missing since 4pm on Wednesday when she left Modern Girls.

  I walked Edie to her car and stopped and sighed. She asked what was wrong. I told her what I was thinking. She gave me a smal
l hug. I was touched by that.

  Once again, we started our cars, and Edie followed me to the apartment complex on Anza Avenue.

  search on

  Edie and I did a thorough search and didn’t find Andi’s Honda or her father’s Ford sedan or any cars for apartment #105 in the underground garage. We headed up the stairs and walked across the courtyard to the lobby. At her father’s apartment door, Edie pressed the door bell and knocked hard. We got the answer we expected. After 30 seconds, Edie opened the door and we went inside. We turned on the lights and looked around. The apartment was packed up and there was no sign of Rob. Plus, there wasn’t anything that gave us a clue to Rob or Andi’s whereabouts. After five minutes, we left Rob’s apartment, locked it behind us and walked down the hall to apartment #105. Edie pressed the door bell twice. As we waited, I put my head against the wall and there were no sounds inside. After ten seconds, Edie pounded on the door. The loud sound reverberated through the hall. Suddenly, a door behind us on the opposite side of the hall opened and a 70 year-old woman in a red terry-cloth robe appeared. She was short and plump with curly dyed-red hair, glasses and a portable phone in her hand. The sounds of an action movie were coming from her TV in the living room of apartment #104.

  She said, “Are you looking for the Reeses?”

  Edie answered, “Yes, we are, do you know where they are?”

  The woman looked us up and down, and said, “Yes, Kathy’s gone. She moved out yesterday. And, I’m glad. She and Mike were always fighting. And, he took off a few weeks ago.”

  I quickly introduced us, and told her that we were looking for our friend, and that we were very worried.

  The lady said her name was Margie Miscoll, and she shook her head as she thought about the Reeses.

  I asked, “Where did Kathy go?”

  The lady answered, “Oh, she wouldn’t tell me. I tried to stay out of her way as she was always unhappy.”

  Edie asked, “We heard the Reese’s were divorcing. Do you know why?”

  “Oh, sure, it must have been Mike’s fooling around. I saw him out my window in the hot tub with several women over the last two years, but he really hit on that blonde actress this year.”

  We said our friend was that blonde and now she was missing.

  Then, she said, “Mike was a wild man, but, Kathy did her own thing too!”

  Edie asked, “Really, did you see her with another man?”

  Margie answered, “Not recently. But, she was no angel.”

  I asked, “Do you know when the Reeses broke up?”

  “Oh, they’ve been breaking up for a while, ever since I knew them.”

  Edie said, “Sure, but what was the final straw? What caused Mike to move out?”

  Margie said, “Oh, oh, that’s easy. Kathy found out Mike was sleeping with that blonde.”

  I asked, “Are you sure? We were told Andi and Mike just had a fling, a quick time together.”

  “Oh, no, he’d been sneaking out and hanging around her for months.”

  I said, “OK, thanks. Is there anything else you can think of?”

  “No, I’m just very scared about all that’s been going on. I thought Torrance was a safe place to live.”

  I answered, “I agree.”

  I was about to say good night when Edie asked Margie, “Where did Kathy work?”

  “At the airport, LAX. She’s a counter person for United Airlines.”

  Edie followed up, “Is she still working there?”

  Margie answered, “I think so, I saw her in her uniform on Monday.”

  I then said, “You’ve been very helpful to us.”

  Margie said, “I hope things work out for you two.”

  “We do, too. Thank you, Margie, take care.”

  Margie went back inside her door and we heard two dead bolts turning inside. Edie and I looked at each other and nodded. We went back up the hall and continued on through the lobby.

  ***

  We walked outside and headed towards Andi’s dark apartment. We entered, turned on some lights and tried to get re-oriented. I looked at the time and it was almost 2am. I called Detective Andrew Harley and confirmed to him that Andi’s car was still missing.

  I opened the living room sliding door and the bedroom window to let in the night air. I made a pot of coffee. Edie and I sat across from each other in the living room and began to talk.

  “Stevie, let’s look around the apartment, OK? Maybe there’s something else we’re missing.”

  “Sure. Let’s start with the bedroom.”

  I proceeded to show Edie the missing clothes. I showed her Andi’s nightstand drawer with the condoms where the handcuffs were missing.

  I looked at Edie and she was nodding her head.

  “Edie, what are you thinking?”

  “Oh, just that when you mentioned the handcuffs, well, I knew Andi was a submissive.”

  “Right, she wants guys to be aggressive, right?”

  Edie agreed, “Yes, but, I don’t know. I guess it’s different than that too.”

  I was confused, “Different how?”

  “Andi likes acting.”

  I listened and nodded.

  Edie continued, “You know, role playing, where she pretends to be someone else or to do something different. I kind of like that too, but I’m into both domination and submission.”

  I asked, “OK, so how do the handcuffs come into the role playing?”

  “Oh, well, I guess the real thing is she’s learned she’s a submissive, mostly in bed. Or, she likes to be submissive.”

  Still confused, I asked, “So, that means she likes to be dominated; to be bossed around by men in bed?”

  “Yes, right, or women, she likes to be made to do things. I’m not sure why.”

  “OK.”

  “She likes to be a slave, or a virgin. And, she really likes pretending she’s naughty and should be punished or disciplined, kind of like that TV role she starred in. I think that’s why she did that so well. Believe me, she didn’t like to be hurt, but being submissive was a real turn-on to her - she really liked to please men and women. But, she knew being submissive wasn’t healthy and she should get help, you know…”

  Edie stopped talking for a moment. I let the moment pass.

  Then, Edie pointed at the nightstand and asked, “Did Andi keep her pistol there, too?”

  “You know, I’m not sure. But, I think she did.”

  Edie said, “Remember, the gun was stolen, too. So, that means someone knew the gun and the handcuffs were in the same place.”

  She paused a moment and was thinking. “So, who did she sleep with that used handcuffs?”

  “I’m not sure. Was Sid into handcuffs?”

  “No, not with me or when we were with Andi.”

  I asked, “Could he have been when he was with Andi alone?”

  “Maybe, I doubt it. My guess is Mike Reese. They may have had wild sex.”

  We walked back to the living room. My shoulder hurt and I was getting tired. I poured a cup of coffee for both of us. We were sitting down; me with my feet up on the couch and my head on a throw pillow, and Edie sat on the side chair. Conversation waned as we thought about our next steps. I started yawning and it was hard to stop.

  I looked at the clock and saw it was after 2:30.

  Edie asked, “Where’s Andi’s cat?”

  I answered, “She ran out of the apartment when I left tonight and I couldn’t catch her.”

  Edie said, “Let’s fill her cat bowl and put it out on the patio. That might bring her back.”

  Edie popped up. She saw the nearly empty cat chow and stale water in the plastic double bowl sitting on the kitchen floor. She dumped them out, and starting searching through the cupboards for fresh food. She stopped when she discovered a can of cat food.

  Moments later, Edie put the filled bowls outside the sliding door on the concrete pad of the small patio. Edie sat back down on the other end of the couch. She kicked off her heels and curl
ed her legs under her. She placed a pillow in her lap to hide the upper end of her legs. We talked about other places her father and Andi could be and nothing seemed to makes sense.

  Nearing 3am, I yawned again. Edie saw that and said, “Stevie, it’s really late. Why don’t you get some sleep? There’s nothing more we can do right now. I’ll sleep out here on the couch.”

  I said, “OK, I will.”

  I fell sound asleep within the first minute of lying down.

  andi - abducted

  God! Andi felt terrible. Her hair and body were covered in that sticky syrup and those goose feathers. Andi was tired from standing all night on this roof. Bobo stayed with her most of the night. Bobo’s paws and some of her fur were covered by the syrup on the roof and on Andi’s legs.

  Then, while it was still dark, the man showed up again. He still wore the black ski mask that covered his whole face except for eye holes. The man was quiet and worked fast. He spread a wool blanket on the roof in front of Andi. The man was wearing gloves and unlocked the part of the handcuff on her left leg that was attached to the wall. He grabbed her leg tightly and quickly locked the open part of this handcuff on her right leg. Andi was too scared and tired to fight him. Then, he took off the handcuff that held her right leg to the wall. He quickly repeated this same thing with her arms, handcuffing them behind her back. Within a minute Andi was loose from that wall, but her arms and legs were still handcuffed.

  In a quiet voice, the man told Andi to lie down on the blanket. He then wrapped the rough, itchy blanket around her and taped it closed with the duct tape. The blanket covered all of Andi and she couldn’t see what he was doing next.

  The man lifted her up near her chest and dragged Andi across the roof. At the wooden fence around the laundry room, he leaned Andi’s head over and lifted her legs until she dropped on the wooden deck, right on her back and head. That fall hurt a lot and Andi was stunned.