“Hey, bruddah-man! What’s the word on those AKs?”

Sitting there, he reminisced about the good times he had with Frank Meyer in foreign lands, and waited for something to happen.

Chapter 33

33

COLE WENT THROUGH THE call log on Grebner’s phone, examining both the incoming and outgoing calls, and made notes in a spiral notebook. When he finished, Cole brought up the most recent incoming call number on Grebner’s phone, and held it out. Pike saw a number in the 818 area code.

Cole said, “This is the call you answered when the caller hung up. The incoming number.”

“Darko.”

“I think so. This is the last outgoing call, which is the pager number programmed to Darko’s name.”

Cole showed him a number with a 323 area code, then scrolled back through the outgoing call log.

“The second to last outgoing call went to the same number, which is the call we saw Grebner make before he threw the phone.”

“That’s why I think it was Darko. Grebner paged him, so he was probably answering the page.”

“Uh-huh, so check it out. This particular phone only retains the most recent twenty incoming calls and outgoing calls—”

Cole turned the tablet so Pike could see. Cole had listed the call numbers in two columns, along with the times and dates the calls were made or received. Cole had drawn an X next to almost half of the incoming numbers, indicating the calls were received from blocked numbers. Cole had drawn lines connecting three of the outgoing calls with three incoming calls. He pointed out the outgoing calls.

“Here’s Grebner paging Darko. See the times?”

“Yeah.”

Cole pointed out the corresponding incoming calls.

“Okay, over here he receives an incoming call within twenty minutes of making the page. One of the callbacks was from a restricted number, but two come from the same number as the call you answered up at the house.”

“Different locations?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. But why use a listed number? Twice?”

“No cell service. Nothing else available.”

Cole stared at the call lists for a moment, then picked up his phone.

“Let’s see what we get.”

Cole dialed the number, then listened. He listened for a very long time before he ended the call.

“No answer. I counted twenty rings, but nada. That usually means a phone is unplugged.”

Pike said, “Can you get an address?”

Two calls and twelve minutes later, Cole had an address. The phone number was listed to something called Diamond Reclamations in Lake View Terrace, up in the San Fernando Valley. When Cole lowered his phone, he nodded at Pike.

“It fits. Lake View is in the foothills up by Angeles Crest. Mountains mean bad cell service, so landlines are the way to go.”

Pike said, “Good start. How about I check out Lake View, and you see what you can get from the rest of this?”

Cole pushed the papers back into the grocery bag.