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1：30 P。M。； 2/1/73：
Koury and Meyers meet Bill Scales at the El Monte PD。 Scales recounts his wife's Monday…night plans。 He runs down his own actions and describes his marriage as stable。
3：30 P。M。； 2/1/73：
Koury and Meyers drive to Durfee Drugs。 They interview a clerk named Gloria Terrazas。 Mrs。 Terrazas ID's a photo of the probable victim and says she came in about 8：30 Monday night。 She purchased some baby formula and paid by check。 She came in and left alone。 She behaved in a normal fashion。
4：00 P。M。； 2/1/73：
Koury and Meyers drive to Crawford's Market。 They grill the people working Monday night。 They flash a photo of the probable victim。 They say； 〃When was the last time you saw her？〃 They get a straight consensus： She did not e in Monday night。
It looks tight and local。 The probable victim leaves her pad and drives to Durfee Drugs。 She never gets to Crawford's or the bank。 Her deposit…ready checks are still in her purse。 It looks like a snatch。 The guy grabs her outside Durfee Drugs or en route to the bank and Crawford's。 He hijacks the truck。 He dumps her and dumps the truck at Vons Market。 The truck was in the lot from 4：00 A。M。 Tuesday on。
Or it's the husband。
6：oo P。M。； 2/1/73：
Koury and Meyers meet Bill Scales at the tow yard。 Scales ID's his truck and the items in the bed。 He points to the empty box。 He says his staple…bat is missing。 It's very heavy。 Maybe the guy beat his wife to death with it。
Koury and Meyers look at Scales real close。
Scales looks in the cab。 He spots some gravel on the floor。 He extrapolates。
Some clown kidnapped his wife。 He beat her to death with his staple…bat and dumped her in the Irwindale pits。
It's a good theory。
Koury and Meyers make Bill Scales as one cold motherfucker。
The Irwindale gravel pits ran northeast of El Monte。 They bordered the 6o5 Freeway。 They covered twenty…four square miles。 They fused with flood…control basins and brushland。
The pits ran fifteen to 150 feet deep。 Paved roads connected them。 Street access was cake。 You could pull off east…west thoroughfares and drive right in。
The pits looked psychedelic。 Scoop cranes hung over them all day and all night。 Rainfall turned the pits into tide pools。 Water collected and receded at a very slow rate。
Heavy rain hit L。A。 that winter。 The pit floors were submerged。 The pit line began 1 。5 miles east of Vons Market。
The Scales thing vibed body dump。 The cops figured she was down in the pits。
Friday； 2/2/73：
A search team goes in。 Deployed： one Sheriff's helicopter； ten deputies； three El Monte PD men； and three Sheriff's Homicide men。 The chopper flies low。 The cops kick through wet gravel all day。
Saturday； 2/3/73：
The search resumes。 Deployed： one chopper； seven deputies； two El Monte PD men； four Sheriff's Homicide men and 103 horsemen from the Sheriff's Mounted Posse。 The search area is greatly expanded。 It covers El Monte； Baldwin Park； Irwindale； Azusa； Arcadia； and unincorporated parts of L。A。 County；
The chopper flies low。 The walking cops wear hip boots。 The horses buck knee…high water。 A storm hits at 3：00 P。M。 The search is called off。
The storms continued。 Big rain on Sunday and Monday。 The search was postponed indefinitely。 They had to let the water recede。
Koury and Meyers called it a snatch； rape； and kill。 They leaned on registered sex offenders。 They logged in zero suspects。
They door…to…doored by Durfee Drugs and Vons Market。 They tapped out。 Nobody saw anything。 They interviewed the probable victim's father； mother； stepfather； stepmother； and brother。 The father and mother ragged the husband：
He's a lowlife。 He's a tyrant。 He's a cold son of a bitch。 Bud Bedford says it flat out： He killed Betty Jean。
Wednesday； 2/7/73：
Bill Scales is summoned to the Sheriff's Crime Lab。 Sergeant Ben Lubon administers a polygraph test。 Koury； Meyers； and an El Monte PD man observe。
Lubon calls the result conclusive。 The subject has no guilty knowledge of his wife's disappearance and possible death。
The Scales job stalled out。 No body and no workable crime scene。 Koury and Meyers caught fresh murders。 The new jobs demanded full…time work。 The rain came and went。 The pits were full of stagnant water。
3：30 P。M。 Sunday； 2/25/73：
A perimeter road near a big pit mined by Conrock…Durbin。 A five…gallon can on the side of the road。
A security guard stops his car and picks up the can。 His dog jumps out of the car and runs into the pit。 The guard whistles。 The dog barks and ignores the mand。 The guard walks to the edge of the pit and looks down。
She was nude。 She was faceup at the bottom of the pit。 The staplebat was fifty…seven inches from her left hand。
She was badly deposed。 Immersion had intensified the dep。 Maggots had eaten her eyes and most of her membranous tissue。
Her skull was caved in。 Her hair fell out as she deped。 Maggots swarmed inside the cranial vault。
Matted hair on the business end of the staple…bat。
A dozen cops hit the crime scene。 They grid…searched the pit。 A chopper flew over。 A photo deputy shot some wide…angles。
The grid search tapped out。 Zero： dirt； rocks； mud； and gravel。 A deputy coroner requisitioned the body；
He performed a postmortem。 His stated cause of death： bluntforce trauma and resultant skull fractures。 His semen smear turned up inconclusive。 The vaginal membranes were waterlogged and badly deposed。
Everyone knew who she was。 They tagged her Jane Doe #10 anyway。 They needed a formal ID。
They ID'd her off dental charts：
BettyJean Bedford Scales。 Born 3/6/49。 Probable date of death： 1/29/73。
Koury and Meyers worked the case part…time。 They checked recent sex assaults with suspects at large。 Their geographic focus： El Monte/Baldwin Park/Irwindale。 12/16/72：
2：00 A。M。 The Baldwin Park Post Office。 220 PCAssault with Intent to mit Rape。
A white youth accosts a 44…year…old white female。 He shoves her into her car at knifepoint。 He rips off her bra； pulls down her pants； and fondles her buttocks。 The victim screams。 The suspect flees on foot。
12/17/72：
3：45 A。M。 The all…night laundromat at 4428 Peck； El Monte。 220 PCAssault with Intent to mit Rape。
A male Latin accosts a 56…year…old white female。 She works at the laundry and another laundry four blocks away。
The suspect tries to push her into a storeroom。 He states； 〃I want pussy！ I want pussy！ I don't want to rob you！〃 The victim pulls a safety pin off her coat。 She stabs the suspect。 The suspect screams and runs out the door。 The victim calls the El Monte PD。 A patrol team responds。 She tells them： 〃I saw the same man at two o'clock this morning。 He cruised by my other laundry and looked in the window。〃
1/4/73：
1：00 A。M。 The all…night laundromat at 4851 Peck； El Monte。 207 PCKidnapping； 261 PCRape； 245 PCAssault with a Deadly Weapon； 10851 CVCGrand Theft/Auto。
A male Latin accosts a 26…year…old white female。 He saps the victim。 He forces her into her car and takes the wheel。 He drives out the 605 Freeway； the 210 Freeway； and Highway 71。 He stops on a side street and orders the victim out。 He marches her into a b