LA Deadly

LA DeadlyA Detective Howard Drew Novel, 4Larry DarterFedora Press Copyright © 2023 by Larry Darter All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.Larry Darter asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.eBook ISBN 979-8-9876944-0-4Paperback ISBN 979-8-9876944-1-1Hardcover ISBN 979-8-9876944-2-8 For my sister, Debbie. Thank you for your unfailing support. I appreciate it so much. LOS ANGELES, Calif. (February 5, 2023) — Two women killed in separate homicides in Downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles Police Department officers are investigating a pair of homicides that occurred in Downtown Los Angeles early Sunday morning in separate locations. The victims were both women in their early thirties. Police are still searching for suspects.“It’s worse than a war zone around here lately.” — unnamed police official Contents 1. One 2. Two 3. Three 4. Four 5. Five 6. Six 7. Seven 8. Eight 9. Nine 10. Ten 11. Eleven 12. Twelve 13. Thirteen 14. Fourteen 15. Fifteen 16. Sixteen 17. Seventeen 18. Eighteen 19. Nineteen 20. Twenty 21. Twenty-One 22. Twenty-Two 23. Twenty-Three 24. Twenty-Four 25. Twenty-Five 26. Twenty-Six 27. Twenty-Seven 28. Twenty-Eight 29. Twenty-Nine 30. Thirty 31. Thirty-One 32. Thirty-Two 33. Thirty-Three 34. Thirty-Four 35. Thirty-Five 36. Thirty-Six 37. Thirty-Seven 38. Thirty-Eight 39. Thirty-Nine 40. Forty 41. Forty-One 42. Forty-Two 43. Forty-Three 44. Forty-Four About Author Books by Larry Darter OneIT WAS THE THIRD day of the battle. As Sergeant Howard Drew and his squad moved cautiously down a narrow side street toward the courtyard of a two-story building, they came under heavy small arms fire. A brutal gun battle erupted, leaving two of Drew’s soldiers shot and trapped in the open. Drew dove behind the blackened hulk of a burnt out vehicle as one of his team leaders, Specialist Conner Atkinson, crouched behind the trunk of a date palm in the center of the courtyard. As the gunfire slackened, Drew and Atkinson heard the cries and screams of the wounded. Atkinson sprang into action and darted across the kill zone as enemy fire raked past him. Drew, laying down suppressing fire, watched as Atkinson sprinted forward, leaned down, and in one fluid motion, grabbed up a wounded soldier, threw him over his shoulder, and ran across the courtyard toward a door at the front of a building. Before Atkinson reached it, the door swung open. A figure clad in a black abaya stepped out. Drew’s brain registered the tan suicide vest strapped over the abaya as Atkinson continued running toward the open door with the wounded soldier. In horror, Drew swung his M4 carbine toward the female insurgent as an urgent shout of warning erupted from his throat. The shrill ring of his cell phone yanked Drew out of the nightmare. He sat bolt upright in bed and reached for the phone with a shaky hand, the all too familiar panicky feeling in his chest. The trembling, quavering voice sounded unfamiliar to his ears, as though it belonged to someone else. When he had whispered into the phone, the word hello had sounded feeble, almost whimpering. “Detective Drew?”For a moment, Drew felt too embarrassed to speak further. He wondered if the caller had recognized the fear in his voice.“This is Captain Kenneth Mann. Is this Detective Drew?”Sweat trickled from Drew’s forehead and armpits. His breathing was rapid and ragged, and he seemed unable to think clearly or focus. The name meant nothing to him at first. Then he remembered who Mann was—Robbery-Homicide Division’s commanding officer. Drew looked at the glowing blue numerals on the LED display on the clock beside the bed: 11:21. After a moment, he worked out it must be 11:21 P.M. since there was no sunlight coming through the bedroom windows. He’d slept for less than two hours. With one hand, Drew gripped the phone he held to his ear while he absently rubbed his chest to relieve the feelings of tightness.“Detective Drew?”Another long moment of silence passed; Drew’s eyes closed.“Detective Drew, are you there?”“Yes, I’m here,” Drew croaked after gaining control of his breathing.“Detective, I’m calling because I need you and your partner for a special assignment, a homicide, in Studio City. Are you able to respond to a call out?”“I can respond. Sorry, I just woke up.”“Well, I’m sorry if I woke you. But I’m sure you’re accustomed to it.”Drew suppressed a snort. Accustomed to it—why would I be? Drew hadn’t received a middle of the night call out since leaving West Bureau. Assigned to the Open-Unsolved Unit, Drew investigated murders that had happened years, often decades ago. There were no call outs, no homicide scenes to report to, or dead bodies to examine in the middle of the night.“No, problem. What happened?”“Lieutenant Lou Moreno will brief you on the scene. Call your partner and get going without delay.”Now wide awake, Drew recognized Moreno’s name. He commanded the RHD Homicide Special Section. Drew wondered why Mann was summoning him and Li to a scene belonging to Homicide Special.“What scene?”“Spirito’s, an Italian restaurant in Studio City. Do you know it?”“Yeah, on Tujunga Avenue. Why—““Moreno will explain everything. Find him first when you get there. He will brief you.”“What about Lieutenant Howard? He should—““We will inform him we’ve temporarily reassigned you and your partner to Homicide Special, Detective. We’re wasting time. Get your partner and get down there. Am I making myself clear?”“Yes, Captain, you’re clear.”“Then Moreno will expect you.”Mann hung up without waiting for a reply. Drew stood up and headed to the