The Patrolman (Detective Lacey, #1)
THE CITY IS BURNING
Los Angeles, June 1943. The Zoot Suit Riots tear through the streets. Young Latinas are being strangled and dumped like trash. The newspapers call him the Zoot Suit Strangler. He's still hunting.
Jake Lacey is a disgraced cop with four days to crack the case or lose everything. One murder stands between him and the detective's badge that could save his family - if the killer doesn't destroy him first.
June Hartsfield built her nightclub on stolen money and dirty secrets. She recognizes the killer. But revealing his identity means exposing the corrupt cops who want her dead.
Mr. Slate breaks his own code to save a girl - and becomes the most wanted man in California. Now he's running out of time to protect her.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING
As the riots escalate and bodies pile up, their paths collide in the burning heart of Los Angeles. The killer sets deadlines. Corrupt cops close in. And in a city where everyone has blood on their hands, the price of justice might be more than any of them can pay.
This work reflects the language and societal norms of the period. Some terms and attitudes may offend by today’s standards, but were included to preserve historical authenticity.
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The Patrolman - 1
The Super Chief came into the station like it was out of breath.
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The Patrolman - 10
‘I wish I could’ve been there to see it,’ she told her son. ‘Is your father there? I need a word.’
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The Patrolman - 11
In Inglewood, Jake Lacey hunched over his kitchen sink.
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The Patrolman - 12
Nobody else was on the 6 th Street Bridge that night – that’s why he chose it.
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The Patrolman - 13
The club wasn’t as crowded tonight.
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The Patrolman - 14
Brenda's third house was a sleek white ship of a thing considered 'in' for Wilshire.
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The Patrolman - 15
Three in the morning - the witching hour.
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The Patrolman - 16
'Officer Lacey?' The simple yes he had whispered into the telephone was full of hope. But the voice on the other end offered none.
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The Patrolman - 17
Agnes Underwood was older than he figured she'd be – around Mr. Slate's age.
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The Patrolman - 18
She used Brenda's phone to get a ride to Good Samaritan.
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The Patrolman - 19
Two blocks from Carmelita Sabella's apartment, the radio crackled.
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The Patrolman - 2
The cabbie kept glancing at him in the rear-view mirror.
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The Patrolman - 20
What the hell had he done?
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The Patrolman - 21
Jake Lacey stood outside, smoking a Lucky down to the filter.
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The Patrolman - 22
Lacey entered Hollywood Police Station through the parking lot.
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The Patrolman - 23
Taxi drivers who ‘do nights’ don’t need things spelled out to them.
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The Patrolman - 24
Mr. Slate dropped to the floor for his evening workout.
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The Patrolman - 25
Jake Lacey crouched in the bushes and waited.
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The Patrolman - 26
Carruthers was sweet, but he still packed her off to jail.
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The Patrolman - 27
The killer drove Downtown to watch the riots.
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The Patrolman - 28
June Hartsfield forced herself to stay awake.
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The Patrolman - 29
It was six o'clock when he got back to his apartment.
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The Patrolman - 3
She took the stairs from the private room, her evening dress bunched up in one hand.
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The Patrolman - 30
They had watching and waiting eyes, patient and careful, disdainful eyes.
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The Patrolman - 31
‘Calling Car Three King, Car Three King.’
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The Patrolman - 32
Mr. Slate hung up the payphone and headed back to his apartment building.
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The Patrolman - 33
Carruthers continued up Weidlake Drive toward the Reservoir.
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The Patrolman - 34
Mr. Slate stood outside the pawnshop on Hill Street.
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The Patrolman - 35
Williams Ranch was bigger than Lacey expected.
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The Patrolman - 36
The pawnbroker hadn’t lied.
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The Patrolman - 37 (1/2)
Nobody moved. The three men in front stood with their feet apart and hands held wide and ready. They didn't want to move, not right away.
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The Patrolman - 37 (2/2)
A resounding quiet filled the bar.
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- 332 reads
The Patrolman - 38
She appreciated Evelyn taking her in, but the house left her feeling cold.
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The Patrolman - 39
The engine roared to life at the touch of the starter.
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The Patrolman - 4 (1/2)
It had been a spell since Jake Lacey darkened the doorstep of Hollywood Police Station.
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The Patrolman - 4 (2/2)
The Lincoln threaded up the slopes, navigating the hairpin curves of Canyon Drive.
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The Patrolman - 40
If someone wanted to feel truly alone, they only had to stand still in a train station.
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The Patrolman - 41
The kid lay half-naked outside his door.
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The Patrolman - 42
Someone was calling him.
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The Patrolman - 43
Trouble had followed her before the warehouse, the murders, and long before the club.
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The Patrolman - 44
Mr. Slate crouched in the alley behind the pharmacy, next to a reeking dumpster.
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The Patrolman - 45 (1/2)
'Look away,' Lacey said, drawing his pistol.
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The Patrolman - 45 (2/2)
Lacey extended an arm and gently pushed Hartsfield aside, clearing the line of fire.
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- 166 reads
The Patrolman - 46
Elmer V. Jackson caught it on the car radio.
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The Patrolman - 47
June Hartsfield was drying her hair.
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- 167 reads
The Patrolman - 48
'Well, I ain't paying you twenty cents for twenty minutes,' Carruthers said.
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The Patrolman - 5
After the looks he got from the cab driver, Mr. Slate made up his mind - tomorrow, he'd buy a car.
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The Patrolman - 6
It was late, almost noon. June Hartsfield was pulling on her stockings, getting ready for work when the phone rang.
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The Patrolman - 7 (1/2)
Madre Jalisco’s stood on the corner of Hollywood and Schrader at 6536.
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The Patrolman - 7 (2/2)
The streets were hot and sticky, pungent with marihuana.
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The Patrolman - 8
He came to on the concrete floor with a rag pressed to his head and someone yelling.
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The Patrolman - 9
Marlon Bishop stepped over the unpaid bills.
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The Patrolman - 49
Mr. Slate propped the booth door open, the phone pressed to his ear.
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The Patrolman - 50
City Hall rose above, casting him in its monolithic shadow.
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