“Neither was Troy,” I said. “Because Troy was behind bars and with all of C.Y.A.’s problems, they keep firearms out. Shooting someone in a homeless encampment in the middle of the night would be possible but extremely reckless. Hannabee’s murder was so stealthy it wasn’t discovered for hours. She was pulled out of her sleeping bag, cut, slid back in, rewrapped in plastic.”

“You’re saying signature doesn’t matter to Malley.”

“He’s not governed by a structured compulsion because his goal isn’t sexual satisfaction. His goal is housecleaning. Whatever gets the job done.”

“Alex, if Malley’s really done all these people, he’s still a serial killer. Guess Rand’s grandmother’s the lucky one, dying of disease.”

The coffee arrived. The waitress set Milo’s mug down with exquisite caution, leaned over and flashed a triangle of freckled chest. Tight wrinkles tugged at her cleavage. She lingered for a second before straightening.

“Anything else?” she said with a song in her voice.

“Nope, we’re fine, Elise.”

“You’re very kind,” she said.

“So they tell me.”

* * *

We headed back to West L.A., taking Sixth again. Milo slowed to glance at Lafayette Park. Trees, lawns, benches, a few men sitting, a couple of others walking. The courthouse on Commonwealth loomed. Who’d have thought so much threat resided in empty, green space.

He said, “Anyone approaching the campgrounds where Malley lives from either direction on Soledad would be spotted easily. There’s nowhere to hide on the road, so forget surveillance. Not that surveillance would tell me anything. Doesn’t sound as if Malley’s gonna go pub-crawling and blab to lowlife friends.”

He rubbed his face and made an abrupt lane shift that evoked frenzied honks. “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered.

The honker’s Toyota whipped in front of us. On the rear bumper was a War Is Not the Answer sticker.

Milo growled. “It got rid of slavery in America and Nazis in Germany.”

I said, “If Malley’s still active in the drug trade, he might leave the campsite periodically.”

“Unless I can watch him, how the hell do I find that out?”

“Maybe his boss is more aware of his comings and goings than she let on.”

“Bunny the stuntwoman? Think there’s more than a work relationship, there? I sensed something personal going on.”

“Maybe. She made a point about not keeping tabs on Malley. Which was an answer to a question you didn’t ask.”