James Conway - In Cold Blonde

Alice looked up. Fuck, she thought, Colin’s credit card. She’d stolen it as a souvenir to go along with the card she stole from Zachary Stone and forgotten to take it out of her purse.

Adam stood up, the Platinum card clutched in his hand. He glanced at the TV remembering the news report of Colin’s murder. His face clouded as pieces of an impossible puzzle tried to fall into place. When he looked back at Alice, she had the gun pointed at him.

“Where were you last night between midnight and 2:00 a.m.?”

“I was in the Havoc parking lot killing that pig, Colin Wood.”

Ryan and Syd exchanged astonished look.

Then Kathy Tuttle laughed. “Just kidding,” she said. “I was home, asleep like almost everyone else in L.A.” They were standing in the Tony Roma’s manager’s office. Kathy Tuttle was beautiful; jet black hair, blue eyes, sex appeal that sizzled through her low cut, tuxedo-style waitress uniform and an effusive personality.

Ryan asked, “Can anyone confirm that?”

“Sure, the guy who sits in this office, Cameron, the manager. We’ve been dating about six months.”

Syd made a note to confirm the alibi. “We understand you got a check from Colin’s father for half a million dollars three years ago,” Syd said. “With all that money, why are you working as a waitress?”

Kathy laughed. “Because the money’s gone. I spent every last penny and then some.”

Kathy took a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket, tapped one out. “You mind if I smoke?” She lit up without waiting for an answer, opened a desk drawer and pulled out an ashtray. “I was poor all my life and had this list of things I would buy myself if I ever hit the Lotto, which was stupid because I never even played the Lotto. Then Colin rapes me, and deep down I wanted to send that prick to jail, but then his father offered me all that money, and well, I sold out. Half a million dollars, I mean,” she looked at Syd. “What would you have done?” Then, without waiting for an answer, she went on. “Exactly, it was a no brainer, right. I mean all that money!”

“Irresistible, absolutely,” Syd said and shot Ryan a look. Ryan had explained his ex-wife’s idea for keeping the money to Syd on the drive over. Syd hated the idea but had kept her feeling to herself, for the time being.

“So I bought shoes, clothes, a new car — a red Mini if you must know, went to Hawaii, Vegas — Vegas was a huge mistake; I lost thousands playing blackjack.” Kathy breathed in a lung full of smoke, shook her head. “I was, in a word, incredibly idiotic. Wait, that’s two words, isn’t it?”

“Money is the ultimate temptation,” Ryan said, the resonance not lost on him. “Could you tell us more about what Colin Wood did to you, about the rape itself?”

Kathy eyed him suspiciously. “Why? I told you I didn’t kill him.”

“His father suggested the murder might have been self defense,” Syd said. “Maybe he picked up a girl in the bar, tried to force himself on her and she killed him protecting herself.”

Kathy sucked in another lung full of smoke. “I wouldn’t know about that,” she said. “He raped me in my apartment and it was a slow motion sort of rape, not groping me in a car.”

“I don’t understand,” Syd said.

“We met at a wrap party for this movie a friend of mine worked on and Colin was there. We talked, he was charming and all, but I drank too much, and he offered to drive me home. When we got there, I invited him in for a drink, to be polite you know; I never sleep with a guy on the first night. We had some wine, made out for a little while, and then I asked him to leave because I had to get up early. He said he’d come to bed with me, and I said no; I’d just met him. Please leave. He didn’t budge, just kissed me again. So I kiss him back then said, now I’m going to bed, goodnight. But he doesn’t move, just pulls me to him and kisses me again. He’s trying to wear me down, you know,” she said to Syd. “Just keep making out until I fuck him to get rid of him. But I’m not that drunk and now I’m starting to get mad. I tell him to leave. Instead, he tried to kiss me again, but I’m not playing anymore and I turn away from him. That pisses him off; he calls me a prick teaser and tears at my clothes, forcing my legs open and that’s when the son of a bitch raped me. When he’s done, he pulls his clothes back on and actually asked for my phone number. Can you believe it?”

“Did you go to the police?” Syd asked.

“Almost. I mean, I was going to but Jenny, that’s the friend I called after he left, suggested going to a lawyer first. She’d been through a similar situation and the cops made it all sound like her fault. She said date rape was almost impossible to prove, especially since I invited him into my apartment, and I needed a lawyer to protect myself. So we call her uncle, he’s a lawyer down in Orange County, tell him the story, give him Colin’s name and he says he wants to check a few things out and he’ll get back to me. He calls back the next day, says we could go to the police if I want, but he thought if we threatened a lawsuit, we’d collect a lot money.”

“Just because Colin was an actor?” Syd asked.

“Well, a date rape charge can certainly be a career killer, and Colin’s father was rich, so he’d probably be willing to step up to save his son. But my lawyer also said Colin had been in trouble before for the same thing.”

“Date rape?” Ryan asked.

“I guess; I never heard the specifics. It happened a long time ago, in high school, I think. My lawyer had heard some rumors, thought we could pressure Colin and his dad. And he was right.” She stubbed out her cigarette. “The case was settled after just a couple of phone calls.”

“Sounds like he had something to hide,” Ryan said, cutting his eyes to Syd. “Did you talk to the lawyer when you got Kathy’s phone number?”

“No, he was out of town. His assistant gave me Kathy’s number.”

Ryan checked his notes. “I’m going to call Nick Wood and ask him.” Ryan found the number, pulled out his cell phone and dialed. After a moment he frowned, “Voice mail,” he said to Syd. Then he spoke into his phone, “Mr. Wood this is Detective Ryan Magee; something has come up and I need to talk to you immediately.” Ryan left his number and hung up.

“You know it’s kind of funny,” Kathy Tuttle said. “If I had pressed charges and Colin Wood was sent to jail three years ago, he’d still be alive. Ironic, huh?”

“Damn it, Adam, you’ve ruined everything.”

“What? I don’t understand.” He held out the Platinum card. “How did you get this? Did you kill Colin?”

She nodded.

“And you’re going to kill me?”

Any thoughts of sparing Adam were dashed now. How could she build a life with him once he knew she was a murderer? There will be no happy ending tonight.

His eyes went from the gun to her face. “Are you?”

Another nod.

“Why?”

And then she realized her previous mistakes. Colin Wood and Zachary Stone died without knowing why. Stone was happily walking to a restaurant to meet a hot blonde. Wood was getting a blowjob from the same hot blonde. What good was revenge if the victim doesn’t know retribution is at hand? Well, Adam would know.

“Look at me Adam, really look at me.”

He did. This was Adam’s first brush with death and, while some people report an almost supernatural clarity giving them time to react, Adam’s usually nimble brain ramped to slow motion. Panic swept through him: his vision narrowed, his heart pounded, he could barely catch his breath. “Don’t kill me, please. Take my wallet, my watch, anything you want. Just, please, don’t kill me.”