Working nights and sleeping days and doing things for Billy

“A homebody,” I said.
The word puzzled her.
“He comes home and stays here.”
“Yes, yes, exactly. Watching the flat screen, DVDs, eating—I cook,sometimes. He likes some things…sauerbraten—special veal meat. Spaetzle, it isa kind of noodle. I cook for two, bring it downstairs.” She looked over hershoulder. The room behind her was tidy and bright. White porcelain figurinescrowded the ledge of an arched, tiled mantel.
In the current market, the rent would be three, four thousand a month. Steepon a nurse’s pay.
“You live alone, Ms. Holzer?”
“Yes.”
“You’re from Germany?”
“Lichtenstein.” She pinched thumb to forefinger. “It is a teeny tiny littlecountry between—”
“Austria and Switzerland,” Isaid.
“You know Lichtenstein?”
“I’ve heard it’s pretty. Banking, castles, Alps.”
“It is pretty, yes,” she agreed. “But I like it here better.”
“L.A.’s moreexciting.”
“More to do, the music, the horses, the beach.”
“You ride?”
“Anything with sunshine,” she said.
“Working nights and sleeping days and doing things for Billy.”
“Work is good. Sometimes I do a double shift.”
“What are Billy’s needs?” I said.
“Very easy. If he wants takeout and it is a long time for the restaurant todeliver, I get him his dinner. There is Domino Pizza on Doheny near Olympic.Billy likes Thai food, there’s a nice place on La Cienega and Olympic. Sushi isalso on Olympic. Nice place near Doheny. Very convenient, being near Olympic.”
“Billy’s a gourmet.”
“Billy eats anything,” said Annalise Holzer. “You must really think of himas a boy. A good boy.”

When I was back on Olympic, I celled Milo,expecting voice mail because he was with Armando Vasquez.
“Canceled,” he said. “Vasquez’s D.P.D. had other plans but didn’t bother totell me. The prelim on Michaela’s autopsy finally came in. I woulda been therebut they did it earlier than scheduled. Bottom line is no sign of sexual assault,cause of death was strangulation, the stab wounds on her chest were relativelysuperficial. The neck wound was a puncture, pathologist can’t say what causedit. Get to Billy’s place yet?”
“Just finished with that and you’re going to feel smart. The woman upstairsis a nurse on the night shift at Santa Monica Hospital,meaning she’s gone by ten fifteen or so. Plus, she thinks L.A.’s an exciting city, likes art, thebeach, riding horses. Her tan says she’s out plenty during the day.”
“Not much supervision.”
“On top of that, Peaty came to Billy’s apartment several times. Claimed hewas sent by Brad to return things Billy left at the office. Brad told us hethought Peaty wasn’t licensed to drive. Unless he lied about that, Peatymisrepresented his presence.”
“How many times is several?”
“The woman couldn’t quantify. Or wouldn’t. She said Billy lost his wallet alot. Then she backtracked to ‘a few.’”
“What’s her name?”
“Annalise Holzer. She’s one of those people who gives you lots of detailsand ends up not telling you much. She considers Billy childlike, gracious,absolutely no problem. Some of that could be the rent-break Brad gives her. Thebuilding’s another Dowd property.”
“That so? Not on the BNB list.”
“Maybe the Dowds have another corporation or a holding company that doesn’ttrace back to their names.”
“All that real estate,” he said. “These people have got to be hugely rich,and rich people get protected.”
“Holzer was protective, all right. But I wouldn’t trust her to know thedetails of Billy’s life.”
“Meaning Peaty coulda been a regular at Darling Billy’s. I’ve got to take aserious look at the guy. After I speak to Vasquez’s wife. That’s the change inplans. All of a sudden, I can’t have access to Armando until I talk to themissus.”
“About what?”
“P.D.’s being cryptic. It’ll probably turn out to be a stupid lawyer trickbut the D.A. insists I check it out.”
“D.A.’s office has their own investigators.”
“Whom they pay. That’s why I’m figuring it for scut palmed off on me.”
“Where are you meeting the wife?”
“Right here in my office, half an hour.”
“I’m twenty minutes away.”