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othesis： The killer didn't have the stones to ice a little child up front； so he juiced up the gas before he split。 Their first collective instinct： The murder was unpremeditated； with a sharp instrument used as a weapon of opportunity。 Their first collective decision： Stay outside and let the criminalists do their work firstdon't risk contaminating the crime scene。
The serologist takes blood samples off the rug and the surrounding area。 The print man dusts and es up with smudges and smears。 A technician prowls with an Electrostatic Dust Liftera vacuum sealerlike device that transfers the outline of footprints to a cellophane dust…catching sheet。 The coroner remains on holdto remove the body when Carillo and Gonzales give the word。
Carillo and Gonzales canvass the neighborhood。 The word on the street： Donna Lee Meyers did cocaineand used to deal small quantities of it。 Carillo and Gonzales take notes； write down names for backup interviews and pile a list of Donna Lee Meyers's known associates。 A friend of the victim's shows up at the houseand appears to be genuinely shocked that Donna Lee is dead。 Carillo and Gonzales take the man to a nearby sheriff's substation and question him。
He tells them that he dropped by to pay Donna Lee back some coin； and cops to being a casual coke user。 The man vibes totally innocent。 Carillo and Gonzales let him go and hotfoot it back to the crime scene。
They view the body。 A deputy tells them that the killer left the TV on for the kid。 Coroner's assistants take Donna Lee Meyers to the L。A。 County Morgue。
The follow…up begins。
Carillo and Gonzales attend the autopsy and hear the cause of death confirmed。 They locate the father of Donna Lee Meyers's son and dismiss him as a suspect。 A psychologist assists them in their dealings with Donna Lee's little boy。 The boy's memories of that day are hellishly distorted。 Gentle questioning elicits ambiguous responses。
Early December bees mid…December。 Carrillo and Gonzales interview Donna Lee Meyers's known associates and e up short on hard suspects。 It's being a long； hard onethe kind you solve or don't solve while other cases accumulate。
It's creeping up on Christmastime。 The bureau lunchroom is draped with red and green banners and packed with an assortment of sugar…soaked treats。
Bulldog…vultures swoop by and chow downpecan pies and toffee clusters hook you on the first bite。
Talk flows。 Food disappears。 Nineteen ninety…four is winding down in a swirl of rapid…fire conversation。
Bill Sieber's midway through his standard epic pitch： how a friend's daughter was murdered in Olympia； Washington； and boy did the cops screw up the case！ Bill's a primo monologuist。 He's got his audience hookedeven though every detective has heard the story six dozen times。 Lieutenant Frank Merriman's interjecting punch lines； smiling his standard shit…eating grin。 Frank grins 96 percent of the time。 Somebody should transpose his brain waves to TV so the whole world could cut in on the laughs。
Cheryl Lyons zips by。 She's got electric turquoise eyesor she's wearing electric turquoise contact lenses。 The late jack Hoffenberg bootjacked Cheryl's persona for the female lead in his novel 〃The Desperate Adversaries〃。 Cheryl the 1973 narc became Cheryl of the Paperback Pantheon。 Cheryl's pensive todaywill the county notch in eight more murders and top its all…time yearly high of 537？
Ike Sabean thinks it's a lock。 Ike works juvenile Missing Personsand must be considered a certified genius。
You've seen his work on milk cartonsthe photos of missing kids and the number to call if you spot them。 Ike developed the idea in cahoots with a Chicago dairyman。 He got a total of sixtyseven dairies and industrial firms to display the pixand ran up a 70 percent local found rate until the public became inured to the photos。 Ike's also a board…licensed mortician。 He explains the allure of his moonlighting job thusly： 〃I like to work with people。〃
Jerome Beck lingers by the chocolate…chip…cookie plate。 Beck was the technical adviser on the flick 〃Dead Bang〃。 He also wrote the story。 Guess what？ The director of that movie named the Don Johnsonportrayed lead character 〃Jerry Beck。〃
Big Gil Carrillo walks in。 The floor shakes； a serving bowl full of Jell…O jiggles。 Gil buttonholes Louie the Hat and runs the Donna Lee Meyers crime…scene pix by him。
They discuss defensive wounds and blood…spatter trajectories。 Louie's got a spaced…out woman in towa psychic he consults every so often。
They call him 〃the Hat〃 because he always wears a Tyrolean porkpie with a feather in the band。 If you fuck with Louie's hat； Louie will fuck with you。 A few years ago； some LAPD clown snatched Louie's hat and goofed on Louie's shaved head。 Louie unhesitatingly popped him in the chops。
Big Gil walks off。 Louie hobnobs with his psychic。 Don Garcia tacks a notice to the bulletin board： Bulldog wristwatches make wonderful Christmas gifts！
The puter women look pissed。 All this holiday bonhomie is drowning out the volume on their soap opera。
The boss is teething on the Guevara case。 His ceramic bulldog is teething at the fur ball on the tip of his Santa Claus capDan Burt likes to dress the beast in seasonal headwear。
Ray Peavy's crew got the joba double abduction/murder way the hell out in Lancaster。 Deputy Liova Anderson and Sergeant Joe Guzman caught the first squealone baffling whodunit。
Peavy's laying out a chronology for Dan Burt。 It's an informal captain's office confaband the open door encourages kibitzers。
Anderson got the initial call on Wednesday； November 3o： a body dump out in the desert。 Liova drives up to Palmdale/Lancaster and views the stiff： a male Latin with his hands； face； and crotch scorched。
The victim was wrapped in a baby blanket； doused with a flammable agent； and burned。 Liova picks up a strong vibe： The genital scalding indicates some sort of sex murder。
Liova has to work solo for the first seventy…two hoursJoe Guzman； a nationally known expert on gang violence； is off giving a lecture in Texas。 She knuckles down and hauls。
She attends the postmortem on Friday。 The doctor pulls a bullet out of the dead man's head and tags the cause of death as a 〃gunshot wound。〃 He cuts the dead man's fingers off； rehydrates them； and rolls a clean set of prints。
On Sunday； Liova hears a radio news broadcast。 A Latin couple named Carlos and Delia Guevara have been reported missing in Lancaster。 She gets another strong vibe： Her dead man is Carlos Guevara。
She calls the Antelope Valley Sheriff's Missing Persons unit。 An officer tells her that Sergeant jim Sears and Deputy jerry Burks of Sheriff's Homicide have already been assigned to the case because a bullet hole was found in Carlos and Delia Guevara's living…room wall。
Joe Guzman returns from Texas。 Liova drives him up to Lancaster and explains the case en route。 The team meets up with Burks and Sears at the Guevara house。 Sears drops a belated bomb： Delia Guevara's body was discovered in Yermo over the weekend。
The woman had been shot and similarly dumpedin San Bernardino County； sixty miles from the spot where Guzman and Anderson's body w