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He found them。 He confronted the man。 The man confessed。
That was a fresh case。 This was an old case。 Instinctive knowledge never equals provability。 Circumstantial confirmation buttresses instinctive knowledge and increases its evidentiary value。
12/15/97：
Bill Stoner calls the church pastor's daughter。 She says she never dated Robby Polete。 She never saw him with other girls。 She saw him at school。 She saw him at church youth groups。
12/16/97：
Bill Stoner calls the former youth…group leader。 She does not recall Robby Polete。 Youth…group meetings were held at the church on Sundays； Mondays； and Thursdays。 They ran from 7：30 P。M。 to 9：30 P。M。
〃1/29/73 was a Monday。 Betty Jean Scales was last seen at 8：30 P。M〃。
Bill checked out C&R Printing。 The 1973 owner still owned the shop。
He remembered Robby Polete。 Polete's dad owned a shop in Baldwin Park。 Robby worked at C&R sporadically。 He did his dad's loan…out jobs。
Bill went through old work sheets and time cards。 He had to see if Robby worked on 1/29/73。
The work sheets and time cards only went back to 1979。 The man tossed his older records to save shelf space。
The dead…end metaphysic。
Bill found Lori Polete。 He interviewed her。 He interviewed Robby's mother and brother。
The brother didn't have much to say。 He and Robby ran with different crowds。 The mother said Robby couldn't have killed BettyJean。 She said she had ESP。 She would have known if Robby killed some woman。 She almost killed herself a long time ago。 She saw a preacher on a TV show。 He convinced her not to do it。
Lori started out as Robby's pen pal。 She thought Robby would be paroled soon。 She wised up after a while。 She figured out that Robby never wised up to himself。 He never took responsibility for his own actions。 He couldn't survive out of prison。
The dead…end metaphysic has an evidentiary upside。 plex procedures take time。 Positive results can strike out of nowhere。
The sheriff's crime lab found a stain on Betty Jean's Levi's。 The technician said it 〃might〃 be a semen stain。 The identification procedure is still in progress。
The dead…end metaphysic has a psychic upside。
Frightened people lose their fear over time。 Guilty people divulge information injudiciously。 pliant people wise up to the people who exploit them。 Tired people fold and betray their secrets。
People relinquish。 Intransigent detectives wait and stay poised to listen。 They hover。 They eavesdrop。 They prowl moral fault lines。 They assume their victims' and their killers' perspectives and live their lives to stalk revelation。
In the matter of BettyJean Scales； white female； DOD 1/29/73：
Bill Stoner will continue。 Sheriff's Homicide and the El Monte PD will extend their investigation。 Stoner will remain fixed on Robert Leroy Polete。 He will not succumb to bias。 He will retain an objective eye for leads that might subvert his opinion that Polete killed Betty Jean Scales。 He stands by ready to address the California State Parole Board in the fall of '98。
He will portray Polete as a remorseless predator with good predatory years left and the will to perpetuate his rage。 He will state his opinion that Polete should be kept in prison for the rest of his life。 He will tell the Story of women savaged in anger and self…pity； He will pray for a receptive parole board。 He will draw strength from his dead going in。 Tracy Stewart。 Karen Reilly。 Bunny Krauch。
Killed by men known and unknown。
Add Betty Jean Scales and Geneva Hilliker Ellroy。 Add me as Stoner's chronicler。 Add my insurmountable debt and his professional mitment。 Add the need to know and serve that drives us both。 Factor in the core of sex that drives us toward these women。
Bill Stoner will continue。 I will continue to tell his story。 Our collective dead demand it。
March； April 1998
MY MOTHER'S KILLER
I thought the pictures would wound me。
I thought they would grant my old nightmare form。
I thought I could touch the literal horror and somehow mute my life sentence。
I was mistaken。 The woman refused to grant me a reprieve。 Her grounds were simple： My death gave you a voice； and I need you to recognize me past your exploitation of it。
Her headstone reads GENEVA HILLIKER ELLROY； 19 151958。 A cross denotes her Calvinist youth in a Wisconsin hick town。 The file is marked 〃JEAN （HILLIKER） ELLROY； i87PC （UNSOLVED）； DOD 6/22/58。〃
I begged out of the funeral。 I was io years old and sensed that I could manipulate adults to my advantage。 I told no one that my tears were at best cosmetic and at worst an expression of hysterical relief。 I told no one that I hated my mother at the time of her murder。
She died at 43。 I'm 46 now。 I flew out to Los Angeles to view the file because I resemble her more every day。
The L。A。 County Sheriff handled the case。 I set up file logistics with Sergeant Bill Stoner and Sergeant Bill Mcas of the Unsolved Unit。 Their divisional mandate is to periodically review open files with an eye toward solving the crimes outright or assessing the original investigating officers' failure to do so。
Both men were gracious。 Both stressed that unsolved homicides tend to remain unsolvedthirty…six…year…old riddles deepen with the passage of time and blurring of consciousness。 I told them I had no expectations of discovering a solution。 I only wanted to touch the accumulated details and see where they took me。
Stoner said the photographs were grisly。 I told him I could handle it。
The flight out was a blur。 I ignored the meal service and the book I had brought to kill time with。 Reminiscence consumed five hoursa whirl of memory and extrapolatable data。
My mother said she saw the Feds gun down John Dillinger。 She was 19 and a nursing…school student fresh off the farm。 My father said he had an affair with Rita Hayworth。
They loved to tell stories。 They rarely let the truth impinge on a good anecdote。 Their one child grew up to write horrible crime tales。
They met in '39 and divorced in '54。 Their 〃irreconcilable differences〃 amounted to a love of the flesh。 She majored in booze and minored in men。 He guzzled Alka…Seltzer for his ulcer and chased women with an equal lack of discernment。
I found my mother in bed with strange men。 My father hid his liaisons from me。 I loved him more from the gate。
She had red hair。 She drank Early Times bourbon and got mawkish or hellaciously pissed off。 She sent me to church and stayed home to nurse Saturday…night hangovers。
The divorce settlement stipulated split custody： weekdays with my mother； three weekends a month with my father。 He rented a cheap pad close to my weekday home。 Sometimes he'd stand across the street and hold down surveillance。
At night； I'd douse the living…room lights and look out the window。 That red glowing cigarette tip？ Proof that he loved me。
In 1956； my mother moved us from West Hollywood to Santa Monica。 I enrolled in a cut…rate private school called Children's paradise。 The place was a dump site for disturbed kids of divorce。 My confinement stretched from 7：30 A。M。 to 5 P。M。 A giant dirt playground and a swimming pool faced Wils