“Check with the airlines again, and tell surveillance to stay at LAX,” Mulrooney said into the phone. He spun back on his counter seat to face Clarke, who was sipping water.
Clarke groaned, “Jesus! Rats in a tumor!”
“You"re definitely a whiter shade of pale, partner.”
Sophie set down two menus as she sauntered past. Mulrooney pushed the menu aside. Neither of them had much appetite after viewing the decayed carcass of Lyle P. Clapp. In the few hours since then, Mulrooney and Clarke had reviewed his long rap sheet of porno-related crimes.
“I think we"ve connected a few more dots, Smokey. According to our informant, the oh-so-ruptured Tumor knew Clarence Smolley, who was killed in the Jersey peep show. Both Clarence and Clapp hung out at Sam Bennett"s Long Beach jazz club. They were both
