Cold Case 8-6: Enemies With Benefits

[valrush]

COLD CASE: ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS

Lilly and her team begin investigating the shooting of a rising star in the daytime talk show circuit when new evidence suggests that the original theory that the victim was killed for her car may have been a rush to judgment

PREVIOUSLY ON COLD CASE:

"Jimmy Mota," Pierson said. "He’s the piece of garbage that attacked your mother."

"What about him?" Scotty asked, frowning as they walked.

"Took a deal, three to five, sent him to Graterford."

Scotty looked at Pierson. "You gotta be kidding me!"

Pierson shook his head. "Could be out in eighteen months on good behavior."
 

"There’s a new fish on your block, likes to sing." Scotty said, quietly.

Hector looked at Scotty. "Sound to me like you want someone to catch a cold."

"It’s goin’ around."

Hector looked down in thought for a moment. "Suppose... suppose this fish gets made out to be a snitch in the yard."

Scotty shrugged. "Then he’s everybody’s problem."

"Yo, Mota." Scotty said with a smile as he approached Mota in the yard. Mota turned around and just recognized Scotty as Scotty put his arm around the felon. "What’s happenin’, bro?"

"Tag, you’re it, b*tch." Scotty said, quietly into his ear. "That’s for my moms."
 
In the prison showers, Mota lay in a pool of his own blood.

Scotty entered his apartment, and looked at his mail. Two bills, one letter trying to get him to apply for a new credit card, and an envelope with a typed address.

He opened the last one up. Inside was a newspaper clipping and a piece of paper.The clipping showed a picture of Scotty in uniform, smiling. It was from his time at West. He had helped solve the murder of Frank Gaines. Frank had been abusing his daughter for years. His wife had snapped and stabbed him with a knife when she found out.

The piece of lined paper was  torn from a notepad with a printed list of names: Frank Gaines killer got 3 years, Nash Cavanaugh 6 years, Lauren Williams 2 years, Rudy Tanner 2 years, Mark Ellison 7 years, Jimmy Mota … ?

Scotty ripped up the piece of paper and the clipping, and stuffed them both in the bin. He opened the trash and grabbed the bag, then took it downstairs to throw it in the chute.

He then took out his cell phone and looked at the display.

10 new messages.

[valrush]

1

The following story is fictional and
does not depict any actual person or event.
 
Tears for Fears: “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”

November 14, 1985
 
One golden delicious apple… three-quarter cup dried cranberries… preheat oven to 350 degrees… she didn’t even pay attention anymore. For Bella Valdez it was all a blur after hosting ‘A. M. Philly’ for seven years and listening to the same stuffing recipes every Thanksgiving. But she still had no choice but to force a smile for the camera as she said, “Well, that was very informative. Let’s have a round of applause for channel 5’s very own ‘Chef Judy’ and her recipe for sausage apple cranberry stuffing!”

A round of applause went up from the rows of viewers seated behind her before she spoke again. “Obviously we all love food during the holiday season, but after New Year’s Day it’s a very different story. After the break our next guest will show us an exercise routine guaranteed to work off those pesky holiday pounds. I’m Bella Valdez, and you’re watching ‘A. M. Philly’.”

The camera panned left and right to get a clear shot of all the applauding audience members before they cut to commercial and Bella walked off the stage. A tall blonde woman in a gray suit charged at her with a series of papers in her hands. “I hate Thanksgiving,” Bella told her.

“Bella, we need to talk about these possible show topics you submitted to me. ‘An expert discussing the appointment of Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union’, ‘Should President Reagan have thrown his support toward Iran?’, ‘Combat vets and their struggle with post traumatic stress.’!” Frustration was clearly growing in the woman’s voice.

“Patricia…”

“No Bella, it’s too heavy. When people wake up in the morning, they’re grumpy and mad at the world because they have to go to work. They tune in to this show to lighten the mood. People want entertainment in the morning, not news. We’ve talked about this before,” insisted Patricia.

“I’m almost thirty, and I have worked here for seven years. I don’t want to spend the rest of my career talking about stuffing recipes,” insisted Bella. “That’s why I want the 3:00 P.M. time slot. I want to discuss real issues.”

“I can’t let you have that, Bella. That sports show is doing too well in the ratings,” explained Patricia.

Suddenly a voice called out, “We’re on in 30 seconds!”

Bella turned to Patricia as she headed for the stage. “My contract is up on March of next year. If we do not renegotiate my time slot by then, I will find another station that will.”

Cold Case Soundtrack: “The Park”

The body of Bella Valdez was found in a parking garage in downtown Philadelphia next to a red convertible with two bullets in her chest.

[valrush]

In the office of Philadelphia PD Homicide division, Detective Kat Miller sat at her desk when a Hispanic woman in jeans and a pink, flowered blouse walked up to her. “Are you Lilly Rush?” she asked.

“I’m Lilly Rush,” said Lilly as she was walking past the desk.

“My name is Alicia Valdez. I was told you solve old crimes,” said Alicia.

“Old murders, yes. Do you have information for us?” asked Lilly.

Alicia set a red laptop that she had been carrying on Kat’s desk. “My sister was Bella Valdez, a local celebrity in the 80s before she was shot. The police never found her killer.”

“We’re sorry for your loss,” insisted Kat.

“Thank you, but I really have not thought much about my sister’s murder until recently. I have a daughter now; she is ten years old and just became a reporter on her school newspaper,” Alicia explained.

“Really, a school newspaper in this day and age,” said Kat with surprise.

“That was my first thought too, but then I told her how journalism ran in our family. Then I started looking for information about Bella to inspire her. That’s when we found this,” explained Alicia. Alicia opened the laptop to a screen with an internet page—bellavaldezfan.com—that showed the start of a video message. Lilly clicked the play button. A series of clips from Bella’s show began streaming.

“This dark-haired woman I keep seeing; that’s your sister?” asked Lilly.

“At first I thought this was it; random videos of Bella from her show. But then when you reach the end…” Alicia clicked fast forward until the video screen went blank. Then a message faded into view: IN MEMEORY OF BELLA VALDEZ 1956-1986. This was followed by a second message that also faded slowly into view: P. G. DID IT!!!!!!!

“’P. G. did it’. Well, I guess that’s a start,” said Lilly. “Whoever posted this would have had access to Bella’s show footage. Did Bella ever mention any P. G.s in her life?”

“When she was working she used to talk about how she argued with her manager at the station all the time—Patricia Geller,” informed Alicia.

“So maybe these two had an argument; maybe things got crazy and she pulled a gun,” said Kat.

“Growing up my father was very aggressive with my mother; she of course was in complete denial. It was Bella who took care of me. Please promise me that you will find out what happened to my sister,” said Alicia.

Lilly leaned in a little closer. “On one condition, when we catch this guy I want an interview with your daughter. It might be nice to talk a legitimate newspaper for a change.”

[valrush]

2

The team was down in the archive room searching for the box that had Bella’s information. Suddenly Lilly heard a voice from a few rose down. “Found it!” It was her lieutenant, John Stillman. Kat Miller, Lilly Rush, Scotty Valens, Nick Vera, and Will Jeffries all hurried to his location and huddled around the white box as John started reading. “Bella Valdez: Hispanic female approximately 30 years old. The body was found in a parking garage two blocks away from the Omni Hotel on January 10, 1986.”

“So much for a happy new year,” insisted Vera.

“Gold watch, purse, and gold necklace found on the body. I’m guessing we can rule out a robbery,” Lilly suggested.

“Police back then thought the killer was more interested in her car. She was found next to a red convertible. They ran the plates back then and found the car was registered to her, so the primary theory was a botched carjacking,” explained Jeffries.

Scotty spoke up, “I’d say ‘botched’ is an understatement for what I’m seeing here. Look at these pictures; we have two bullet holes in the left side door, a windshield that doesn’t exist, and the cherry on top, a bullet in the left rear tire.”

“Good luck selling that car for parts,” added Vera.

“What kind of car thief shoots out his own tire?” asked Jeffries.

“Maybe Bella put up a fight and they struggled over the gun,” said Lilly. “Did they recover any bullets from the scene?”

“The file says that all bullets recovered from the scene were of the same caliber; fitting the profile of a single shooter. The bullets were consistent with those of a 9mm pistol, but they never found a gun at the scene,” explained Stillman.

“Here’s something interesting. The medical examiner noted that there were recent spiral fractures on Bella’s right wrist,” Kat mentioned. Then she took a few steps backward. “So if I’m getting into my car, and a thief comes at me from behind tugging on my free hand wouldn’t the fractures be on my left wrist?”

“Maybe Bella was left-handed,” Scotty suggested.

“I don’t think so. All the pictures have Bella’s watch on her left wrist; a left-handed person usually wears their watch on the right wrist,” insisted Lilly.

“M. E. could have screwed up,” said Vera. He could feel the eyes of everyone on him. “What? You’d be surprised how many grown adults can’t tell left from right. I just saw this thing on ’60 Minutes’ about this doctor…”

“Next week is my yearly physical; I don’t need to hear your horror stories,” Jeffries replied. Lilly turned her head suddenly.

“So the thief breaks her wrist with one hand… and shoots her with the other? Why not just use the gun? It doesn’t add up. I say there were at least two people there that night,” Miller insisted.

“It’s all speculation until we find out more about Bella. You said that she used to fight with her boss a lot?” asked Stillman.

“Patricia Geller, Bella’s sister said they argued all the time,” said Lilly.

“Could be a motive plus she’s a P. G. Rush and Miller I say you two track her down. Vera and Jeffries see if you can locate a… Paul Goldman. It says here he was a witness who told police he saw a shirtless man running from the crime scene after the

shots were fired,” Stillman commanded.

“Boss, where do you want me?” asked Scotty as the others started to pull out.

“Here with me checking hotel and phone records. Bella lived clear across town from that garage; she was in that part of town for a reason,” Stillman replied. “Scotty, speaking of phone records I received a notice from Personnel that you changed your cell phone number. Is something going on?”

Scotty started to sweat. “Oh that. It’s nothing; me being the klutz that I am I dropped my phone and it broke, so I had to get a new one.”

“And they had to change your number?”

“Tell me about it. It’s some security thing with the phone company. I have to change my contact information with everyone now,” Scotty explained.

“I see. In that case, I will update my records.”

[valrush]

Miller and Rush stood at the front desk with the red-haired receptionist as she pressed a button on the office intercom. “Ms Geller, there are two detectives out here who say they need to speak with you. They say it’s about Bella Valdez?”

Patricia’s voice came through the speaker. “Bella Valdez? I’m finishing up with a potential sponsor right now. I’ll be ready in two minutes.”

The intercom went dead. “Are you really here about Bella?”

“Did you know her?” asked Lilly.

“I’m Brenda Moore; I was her assistant years ago before she was killed. That was a sad day for me when I found out; she was more than another boss to me.”

“You were friends,” said Miller.

“She stood up for me. Sometimes other personalities would try to dump their personal errands on me, but Bella always made it clear that I only worked for her. And as crazy as working for her was, she was always the one person at channel 5 I could talk too…”

[valrush]

Donna Summer: “She Works Hard for the Money”


 
Bella walked into the office as I, in a light blue dress and heals, was about to run past. “Brenda, where are you racing off to?” asked Bella.

“I was just running these copies up to Mr. Bett’s office,” I replied.

“Bett! Great, on top of everything else I have to do today, now I have to go yell at him.”

“I really don’t mind.”

“I mind. You work for me, not that aging, hairless, tub of lard,” insisted Bella. Then she noticed that her phone was ringing. “Meanwhile, my phone is ringing off the hook. Answer the phone while I have a word with baldy.”

I dove behind my desk and held a calendar in mid air. “Bella, I organized all your appointments for the month. Your interviews are in red, your advertising meetings are in blue, your dentist appointment is in green, and the Thanksgiving holiday is in… white. I guess I didn’t really need a color for that.”

“Alex, I’ll take interviews for $100. Just please answer the phone,” insisted Bella.

My hands started to shake. I stumbled over to the coffee pot across from my desk. “I noticed that we’re out of the decaf that you like. I can run to the store and buy some. I’ll even pay for it myself.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll need the caffeine to stay awake through another stupid recipe,” replied Bella.

Left with no other options, I slunk back to my desk and picked up the phone. “Bella Valdez’s office; this is Br… I… No, I’m… I told you to stop calling me here… We need money… If you want me to stay home, maybe you should look for a job… Screw you too!”

That’s when Bella knew something was up. “Is that the reason you are afraid of the phone?”

“That was my boyfriend, who thinks he owns me. I’m seriously considering leaving him,” insisted Brenda.

Bella turned her head and noticed a black mark on the side of my neck. “Is he the one who gave you this bruise?”

“That… is nothing. I… took my dress out of the closet, and the hanger hit me.”

“How big was the hanger?” asked Bella. I had no response. “Brenda, my mother spent half of her life ‘walking into doors’. I know abuse when I see it. You need to get away from him.”

“Bella, that’s a little strong. He’s not usually a bad guy…”

“I just saw how good he can be. Leave him,” Bella whispered.

“I don’t want to talk right now.”

“He won’t stop until… Baldy just got off the elevator. We’ll talk later,” Bella whispered. She left my desk and headed for the elevator. ‘BETT! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO HIRE YOUR OWN DAMN SECRETARY!?”

[valrush]

“Sharing a secret like that bonded us.”

“Did you leave him?” asked Kat.

“Probably not as soon as I should have, but yes,” replied Brenda.

“You’re still lucky, some victims never get out,” said Lilly.

Two men in suits left the adjacent office. “Are you the police?”

“Detectives Rush and Miller,” said Lilly as they flashed their badges. They crossed onto the soft, blue carpeting of Patricia’s office and sat in the two puffy red swivel chairs across from Patricia’s white swivel chair on opposite sides of a glass desk. “I have to say I was surprised to hear that name. I haven’t heard the name Bella Valdez in over 25 years. Had you ever seen ‘A. M. Philly’?”

“I’ve done some research: decorating tips, cake recipes, who bought the most expensive wedding dress this year—not the sorts of things girls who play with guns are into,” Lilly replied.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly Bella’s thing either.”

“What do you mean?” asked Miller.

“Bella always felt that the morning show was holding her back. She always wanted to do a show with more substance to it,” Patricia explained. “She kept begging me to give her an afternoon slot.”

“Her sister came to us with this. She mentioned that you argued with her a lot. Was that what the arguments were about?” Lilly asked.

“Most of the arguments surrounded that,” Patricia responded.

“How heated did these fights get?” asked Kat.

Patricia leaned back in her chair. “I didn’t shoot Bella.”

“That’s not exactly what I asked.”

“I threatened to fire her a few times, but it was mostly just to keep up appearances. At the end of the day Bella had talent and was growing more popular all the time, and she knew it. Had she lived, I think she would have given Oprah a serious run for her money. I was actually about to negotiate a new contract with her before she was killed that would have given her that afternoon air time she wanted,” explained Patricia.

Miller leaned forward. “Ms. Geller, the tip we received said a P. G. did it. So unless you can give us another possibility…”

“Oh that’s an easy one, Pete Galespi,” Patricia responded quickly.

That answer seemed to take Miller by surprise. “Pete Galespi, the radio sports guy?”

“He wasn’t always radio. In the mid 80s he hosted a local sports talk show on channel 5,” Patricia explained.

“And this put him at odds with Bella?” asked Lilly.

“Bella wanted his show time. Do the math,”

“Yeah, Pete’s a loudmouth on the radio. I can’t imagine he was happy about losing to Bella,” said Kat.

“Put it this way, if Bella was Oprah, Pete was Springer…”

[valrush]

Guns ‘n’ Roses: “Welcome To the Jungle”

 
Bella was standing in the middle of a faux living room set as she was rehearsing her lines for a promo. “But don’t worry everyone. I’ll still visit you, just at 3:00 P. M., and maybe instead of that morning coffee you’ll enjoy an afternoon tea watching ‘Afternoons with Bella’ starting after the new year…”

Pete Galespi, a heavy built man with curled black hair stormed onto Bella’s set. “b*tch!”

“Pete, what the hell are you doing here!” yelled Bella.

Pete charged full steam for Bella knocking over a small wooden chair. “This is my show, not yours! 3:00 P. M. belongs to Pete Galespi!”

“Not anymore, dumbass! Patricia wants to see how I do in the afternoons!” Bella yelled back.

“What a shock! She’s a b*tch too, and b*tches always stick together! b*tchES!” At this point the whole studio was staring.

“Pete, you’re making a scene!”

“You’re right; I guess I should just sit back while a couple of skirts RUN CHANEL 5 OUT OF BUSINESS! Do you really think people want to watch your whiney, girly crap and drink tea! Tea sucks!”

“Only when it doesn’t have booze in it right?” replied Bella.

“Shut up!”

“You’re clearly drunk!”

“Shut the hell up!” yelled Pete as he picked up teacup and threw it at the wall.

“That’s it! Get out of my set before I call security!” Bella shot back.

Pete jumped up in Bella’s face. “Oh, you want a war! I’ll give you a war! Hit me, b*tch! I dare you! Hit me! Hit me! Hit…”

She hit him clean across the face. “Back off!”

Pete rubbed his sore nose. “This is far from finished!” he said as he stormed out of the exit like a charging bull.

[valrush]

“That was Bella, she never backed away from a fight,” insisted Patricia.

“This Pete sounds like a really rational and professional guy,” said Lilly.

“He overreacted. I wasn’t going to fire him; I was only moving him to 4:00 P. M,” said Patricia.

“Do you know where we could find him?” asked Kat.

“1220 AM WAEJ. He should be on the air soon,” Patricia informed.

“Thank you for your time,” said Lilly as they left the office. “Sounds like Pete didn’t like losing to a girl.”

“Maybe he figures a 9mm would help him win.” 

[valrush]

3

Vera and Jeffries were out walking the street. “You said your yearly physical is next week?” asked Vera.

“Don’t remind me. Talk about a pain in the ass, literally,” Jeffries replied.

“Well, I wouldn’t bring it up at all, except I could have sworn your yearly physical was last month. Is something going on?”

Jeffries stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “Nobody else knows, but I have to go in for more tests. The doctor found something on my chest x-ray; it’s probably nothing, but at my age they like to be cautious. I say I’m already old; why waste the time I have left?” They started walking again. “I don’t want anyone else to worry, so don’t say anything.”

“Have it your way,” said Vera.

“Nick, I’m serious. I don’t want anyone to know until I know what I’m facing,” insisted Jeffries.

The pair walked for another block until Vera spotted something. “There it is, ‘Goldman Studios’.” The pair walked through the glass doors that had ‘Goldman Studios’ in gold print. Inside there were a series of cameras and various landscapes used as backgrounds for photographs. A man stood behind a wood table with a cash register; he had more gray in his hair now as compared to the photo in Will’s hand, but it still looked like him. “Paul Goldman, detectives Vera and Jeffries.”

“What can I do for you?” asked Paul.

“You were a witness to the shooting of Bella Valdez back in 1986, is that correct?” asked Jeffries.

“That’s not a night I’d forget, yes I was,” said Paul.

“We’re reopening Bella’s case and were wondering if, after all this time, you might have something to add to your story,” said Jeffries.

“All I can tell you is what I told the cops back then. I was doing some photography work at a convention in the Omni Hotel, I was on my way back to the parking garage to find my car, and then I heard multiple gunshots. The next thing I know, some guy with no shirt on comes barreling out of the garage and runs right past me,” Paul explained.

“You sure you don’t remember the guy’s face?” asked Vera.

“That night is etched in my brain. If I had seen his face, I would have said something,” Paul responded.

“Well, here’s one of our cards,” said Vera as he pulled a business card from his right pants pocket and dropped it on the counter. “If you remember anything, please call us.”

“And I’ll take one of your cards,” added Jeffries. “I’ve got a Police Academy reunion coming up. Not many of my class left now, but we may still need a photographer.” Jeffries took one of Paul’s business cards from the counter; it had a drawing of a camera with Paul’s information written across the lens.

“I appreciate your business,” said Paul. The pair walked out of the studio.

[valrush]

Rush and Miller stood outside the recording booth at WAEJ radio where a heavy, curly-haired man was giving some caller the business. “You morons can have your opinions, but I still maintain what I’ve been saying for years; the Eagles will NEVER win a Super Bowl with Andy Reid as the coach—“

“Pete Galespi!” yelled Rush.

“What do you know; we have another psycho fan in the studio. I keep telling them no autographs until after the show…” Pete looked up and saw Miller flashing a badge. “I’ll be right back to beat some sense into all your heads after this commercial.”

Rush and Miller walked into the booth. “If you ask me, the real problem is Vick; he’s the one who keeps getting hurt,” said Kat. “Detectives Miller and Rush; we’d like to talk about Bella Valdez.”

“You’re joking right? If you’re really dragging me into that again, I want my lawyer now!” yelled Pete.

“You can call him; there’s a phone right outside the booth. But I’m just curious; how long does a typical commercial break last, about five minutes?” asked Rush.

“Maybe longer if we play with some of these buttons.”

“Don’t touch my stuff!” yelled Pete.

“Then you have a choice; talk to us, or let your fans listen to dead air for two hours,” insisted Rush.

“What I know is I didn’t kill that girl,” Pete replied.

“We have reason to suspect otherwise. We talked to your old boss, Patricia Geller,” Lilly informed.

“She told us that you were threatened by Bella because she was about to take over your time slot. She also told us how you got drunk one day and trashed Bella’s promotional shoot, and how you got beat up by a girl,” Miller added.

“You talked to Patricia. Unbelievable, 25 years later and the b*tch is still screwing up my life. I’m guessing she didn’t tell you Bella was in on it,” Pete informed.

“Bella… told you to threaten her?” asked Miller with skepticism.

“Not Bella, Patricia. She told us that it would get more people talking about us if we stirred the pot a little. She said it would get me a job on a national network if more people knew who I was; trusting her was the dumbest thing I ever did…”

[valrush]

Don Henley: “Dirty Laundry”

 
Me and Bella sat across from Patricia in her office. “You want me to threaten Bella in plain sight at her shoot tommorrow?” I asked stunned.

“Make sure you spill some whiskey on your shirt; the smell will help sell the illusion,” Patricia added. “I’ll make sure one of the camera guys keeps the film rolling so we can put the ‘shocking footage’ on the evening news.”

“Won’t people start to wonder why Pete is still on the air after that?” asked Bella.

“Not if you fight back. Make it a real war of words between the morning show and the sports show; people don’t like to admit it but they like drama. Trust me, do this and everyone in the city will know your names.”

“Yeah, they’ll make Bella out to be a tough career woman, and they’ll make me out to be the monster who picks on little girls,” I insisted.

“Which is why you have to let Bella hit you; it will level the playing field showing that Bella can defend herself just fine,” said Patricia.

“Then I’ll be the guy who got beat up by a girl. I just don’t see how I come out better here,” I said.

“Just go on your show the next day and make a few smart remarks; you’re good at that. You can say something macho like ‘If this chick likes to hit, maybe she should step into the ring with me.’,” said Patricia.

“But now I have a problem. Won’t people expect me to actually fight him?” asked Bella.

“Nobody wants a real fight; that would obviously be a slaughter. Just keep taking shots at each other in the media,” insisted Patricia.

“I just don’t see how this helps me,” I replied.

“If you want to move up in this business, you have to be known. What’s that new cable network? … ESPN. I know I can get you a job there, but more people need to know who you are. And then, Bella, we’ll need to make preparations in case Pete leaves. In which case, you’ll be guaranteed that 3:00 P. M. time that you want,” Patricia insisted. I still looked suspicious. “Look, if this doesn’t work, we can always go back to the way things are now. Trust me; you have nothing to worry about.”

I shook my head. “Alright, I guess I’ll gamble.”

[valrush]

“At first everything was actually working; the local press was following us, the ratings were going up and up with more guys watching me and more girls watching Bella,” Pete explained.

“So what happened?” asked Rush.

“Bella got shot, and then the walls caved in. Patricia stabbed me in the back; she said it didn’t matter that the cops had nothing on me. The public said I killed Bella, and she couldn’t have a suspected murderer working for her. Then everyone forgot about me completely, and five years later I ended up in this dive.”

“That’s quite a story, Pete,” insisted Miller.

“Newspapers have archives, right? The local tabloid that was primarily interested in us was ‘The Philadelphia Squealer’; check that if you don’t believe me,” Pete informed.

“We will. Thank you for your time,” said Lilly.

[valrush]

“It took some digging, but I finally found archives for the Squealer. It looks like your guy was telling the truth,” said Scotty back at the station. “I found a bunch of articles between November, 1985-January, 1986 that feature Bella and Pete going back and forth; in one article Pete challenges Bella to a boxing match, and in the next Bella says it would have to be sumo wrestling to be fair to him. It just gets uglier from there.”

“That still doesn’t exonerate Pete. He could have bought a 9mm and taken things too far,” explained Lilly.

“In any case we still don’t have any evidence to bring him in,” said Scotty.

“I just can’t believe so many people cared about two local talk show hosts who hated each other,” said Vera as he passed by with a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Please Vera, you are such hypocrite. I’ve seen you looking at ‘People’ magazine before,” replied Scotty.

“Think about it, Vera: Elton John and Madonna, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, John Gosselin and Kate Gosselin, Mel Gibson and … everybody. Patricia was right about one thing; celebrity feuds get big press,” Lilly explained.

“Here’s what I don’t get; ‘P. G. did it.’. If the person who made that video wants this murder solved, why not just give us a name?” asked Scotty.

“Nobody wants to be a rat,” Vera replied. “Did computer crimes ever find out who posted that website?”

“Not yet, but I found something interesting,” said John as he dropped a pile of papers on Lilly’s desk. “Bella’s credit card records show a charge for the Omni Hotel from January 3-10, 1986.”

“She was staying there before she was killed,” said Lilly.

“Omni Hotel records confirmed that, from January 3-10, 1986, room 205 was registered to a Bella Valdez and guest,” explained John.

“Bella had a man? Nobody has mentioned one,” asked Lilly.

“And she had her own place. Why go to a hotel?” asked Valens.

“There’s something else too. The day after Bella was killed maintenance had to go to her room to replace a broken window, but they couldn’t tell me anymore,” John added.

“Well, chicks tell each other everything, right? Maybe if we go back to that friend of hers we can find out,” insisted Vera.

[valrush]

Brenda Moore was seated in a restaurant near her work. Lilly and Scotty walked up to her. “We have a few more questions about Bella Valdez,” explained Scotty.

“Detectives, I’m on my lunch break. Can this wait?” asked Brenda.

“We found out a few things. Bella was staying with someone at the Omni Hotel before she was killed. Did Bella ever mention a boyfriend at all?” asked Rush.

Valens’s cell phone rang, and he stepped away from the two women.

For a long moment Brenda was silent. “Forgive me; it’s a part of my past I’m trying to forget. Bella was seeing a man there, but he wasn’t her guest. I was…”

[valrush]

Pat Benatar: “Love Is a Battlefield”

 
Bella and I took pairs of suitcases up to the room. “We should be safe here,” Bella said as she sat on the edge of the rose-colored bed. “You’re doing the right thing, but can I ask why you suddenly decided to leave him?”

I joined Bella on the edge of the bed. “A month ago I discovered that I was pregnant, and after I told him the beatings just got worse. Then finally, two weeks ago, I miscarried.”

“So that’s why you requested time off before the Christmas break,” Bella insisted.

“Thank you for that by the way,” said I. “I finally realized you were right. All those times he would hit me and then say how sorry he was about it; I kept thinking he would change. I kept thinking there was some good in him. I’m such an idiot.”

Bella took my hand. “You realized the truth and you left; you are not an idiot. And maybe the miscarriage was a blessing, because at least you only have yourself to worry about now. My mother never got out, and so I spent my entire childhood taking care of my sister.”

That’s when we heard a knock on the door causing me to jump out of my skin. “Bella, it’s me. You said you would be here,” said a man’s voice. Bella opened the door to find Pete on the other side. “Brenda’s here?”

“I’m helping her with some personal issues. Pete and I need to discuss our next b*tch session in the media. Why don’t you go down to the restaurant? You said you haven’t eaten today,” insisted Bella. “And remember it’s my credit card. Don’t be afraid to go nuts.” I walked out of the room.

[valrush]

“I always knew they didn’t hate each other as much as they let on, but Pete kept coming back to that room and sometimes I could hear their ‘discussions’ all the way down the hall,” Brenda explained.

“Pete and Bella were seeing each other?” asked Lilly.

“Let’s just say I spent a lot of time in that hotel restaurant alone,” said Brenda.

“Did this scumbag you were dating have a name? Maybe Bella had a run in with him,” asked Lilly.

“Thankfully, I don’t think Bella ever met him. But he did have a name, Magdon Lapul; I think that name is why I started seeing him in the first place,” Brenda informed.

Lilly got up from the table as Scotty returned. “Rush, Stillman just called. He ran a check on local gun shops to see if Pete Galespi ever purchased a 9mm. Pete never bought one, but it turns out Patricia Geller did.”

“Well, I just found out Pete and Bella were sleeping together,” Rush explained.

“Really, enemies with benefits? How the hell does that work?” asked Scotty.

“Apparently not too well,” Lilly added.

[valrush]

4

“You know, Patricia, withholding information from the police makes you look suspicious,” said Jeffries leaning across the table toward Patricia in the gray interview room.

“What are you talking about?” asked Patricia.

“Where’s the gun?” asked John. Patricia remained silent. “That’s okay, you don’t need to talk. We already know.”

“What’s to know?” asked Patricia.

“We know you purchased a 9mm two weeks before Bella was killed. What happened, you find out about Pete and Bella’s affair?” asked John.

“What affair?”

“You sure like to play dumb, don’t you?” asked Jeffries.

“When I don’t know what you’re talking about, yes.”

“I think you do know what we’re talking about,” said John. “I think you found out that Pete and Bella were getting romantic.”

“But this couldn’t happen, because if they were caught it would have exposed their war of words for what it was, a sham. Then people would lose interest in them and ultimately your network would take a huge ratings hit,” added Jeffries.

“I didn’t kill Bella.”

“So maybe you followed her to the parking garage and you confronted her with what you know! Bella wouldn’t back down as usual, and then you lost your temper and pulled your gun and shot her! You figured you would get away with it because Pete was the perfect patsy! I saw the crime scene photos; you’re not a very good shot!” added John.

“I didn’t kill Bella! I didn’t even know they were seeing each other!” Patricia yelled back.

“Then why were you so quick to give us Pete’s name?” asked Jeffries.

Patricia took a breath. “Because I panicked; I bought a gun before Bella was killed, and I knew you would suspect me. But I swear I never used it.”

“I want to believe you, Patricia, but right now you’re the only one involved in this that had access to a gun,” explained Jeffries.

“I didn’t want Bella dead; she was a good person. I bought that gun because of her; she told me someone needed protection…”

[valrush]

‘til Tuesday: “Voices Carry”

 
It was after Christmas, but a small string of lights still lined the door of my office. Bella ran through that door. “I know what to do for my first show. I want to do a show for Brenda.”

“Secretary appreciation? I don’t think that will be a big ratings getter,” I laughed.

Bella shook her head. “There’s more to her than just that.” Bella closed the office door. “Did you know about the man she was seeing?”

“What about him?” I asked from behind my desk.

“He hits her, every day,” Bella explained.

For a moment, I could not catch my breath. “You’re serious. I’ve… seen her come in with bruises before, but she always had a reason for them. I just… always assumed she was clumsy.”

“That’s what abuse victims do, and she probably fooled a lot of people. But I grew up around it so she didn’t fool me. Even when I caught it; I had to drag the truth out of her,” Bella explained. “That’s my show idea: Victims United Saying No to Abuse.”

I took a deep breath. “It sounds risky. Do you really think people would pay attention to it?”

“I think so. People watched Farrah Fawcett do ‘The Burning Bed’ last year. They are ready to hear these stories; they need to hear these stories,” Bella insisted.

“You know what, I agree with you. And if you can actually convince people to come on television and talk about this; it will guarantee you a new contract for next year,” I replied.

“Thank you, I won’t let you down,” said Bella as she rushed out of the office.

[valrush]

“Then the following Monday I bought the gun.”

“To give to Brenda?” asked Jeffries.

“Yes. I didn’t know anything about any affair. If I had I would have told Bella and Pete to be careful. I liked Bella,” insisted Patricia.