When he had the opportunity to go to Oak Knoll and work under Cal Dixon, he had jumped at the chance. Dixon had a solid rep with the LA County Sheriff’s office; he had contacts. With this job, Mendez knew he could stand out. If Dixon liked him, this job could provide him a shortcut to bigger things.

So far that plan had worked very well.

As daylight faded into evening, Mendez entered LA International Airport, followed the signs, and parked in the garage opposite the American Airlines terminal.

At first glance through the throng of people arriving into baggage claim from the Dulles/LAX flight, he didn’t see Leone. He was looking for a man slightly larger than life, dressed in a flashy suit with a loud tie, a big white grin splitting his face. He scanned the crowd more slowly, spotting a tall, thin man coming toward them with a wheeled suitcase tagging along behind him. The long face broke into a familiar smile.

“Tony! It’s good to see you.”

Mendez met the handshake. “Jesus, Vince, I almost didn’t recognize you. You’ve lost thirty pounds.”

Leone waved off the remark. “It’s a long story.” He offered his hand to Dixon. “You’re Cal Dixon. Vince Leone. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Bruce Washington from LA County SO is an old friend of mine.”

Leone was a master at disarming people. He greeted every stranger as a long-lost friend. He had gotten a lot of confessions out of suspects that way, luring them in with a smile and a pat on the back.

“I haven’t heard from Bruce in a while,” Dixon said.

“He’s gone into the private sector—executive security. Somehow, he thought making a pile of dough beat the glory and accolades of being a civil servant. Go figure.”

He nodded toward the exit doors. “Shall we, gentlemen? I don’t want to hold up the show.”

What Vince wanted was to lie down on the ground and pass out after the trek through the terminal. He had been determined to get to baggage claim ahead of Mendez and Dixon, so he could have a minute to catch his breath and spot them before they spotted him. The five-and-a-half-hour flight had drained him. He had time to amp up his energy and muster the big grin, even while he questioned his sanity at coming here.

Show no weakness, he reminded himself. The first rule of thumb in dealing with the locals.

Exhausting himself doing something necessary was far preferable to lying around thinking about the shrapnel in his brain. So he wouldn’t think now about how his head was pounding or how he was beginning to feel edgy and shaky. All he had to do was keep himself together a little longer. All he had to do was get through an autopsy, then the drive up to Oak Knoll, then finding his hotel . . .