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then head along the north side of the property.”
    “Excuse me?” Dillon sat up straight in his seat.
    “Come on man! We’ve got a big studio wrap party starting in like two minutes!” The twit explained. “Management wants this thing kept more than quiet. They’ll have my ass if I screw up! Please go, they’re waiting for you. You’ll see the black and whites. Please! You’re killin’ me here!”
    “Nice, jackass.” Lou glared at the moron as she leaned over Dillon and stuck her head through the window. “I think the corpse sitting in one of your swanky set-ups would rather be in your shoes so maybe you wanna trade?”
    The twit tossed his hands up and stomped back to the building, muttering something to himself.
    “What a total dick!” Lou grunted as she sat back in her own seat.
    “Welcome to L.A.” Was all Dillon could say as he followed the twit’s directions and headed back around.
    As promised, there were three cruisers parked on the far northern end of the lot. Three deputies stood at the mouth of a pathway, one of them waving as if he knew Dillon’s SUV. Lou understood, once they got closer she recognized the rookie right away as a lifelong friend of her cousin, Liam.
    “Good evening, Detectives.” the eager young officer saluted them.
    “Oh, quit it Jimmy.” Lou grinned. “I’ve changed your diapers so we can dispense with the formalities.” The other deputies laughed but Jimmy was not embarrassed.
    “You’re the boss, Lou. Hey Dillon.” Jimmy beamed. He should have been embarrassed by the diaper crack but instead his chest pumped up visibly. That Lou acknowledged him at all, let alone like he was old family, that was a big deal. Lou had a serious reputation and was respected among his ranks.
    “How’s it going Jimmy?” Dillon had become friends with the rookie since he had taken Lou’s cousin under his wing. The man-boys had taken part in many all-night video game marathons. Liam and Jimmy had also helped Dillon paint his new house and move furniture.
    “I wasn’t the first on scene.” Jimmy stuck to business. “My T.O. is up there now with the guys who were, but he made me stay here to flag you down.”
    “You get a look at things?” Lou asked him.
    “No, but Scott did.” Jimmy pointed to one of the other deputies standing at the path.
    “I did, ma’am.” The stocky young deputy came to attention. “At least a little, before I got booted to secure the area.”
    “We all gotta start some place.” Lou reassured him. “Now what can I expect?”
    “A lot of brain matter, ma’am.” Scott had a gag reflex just recalling the scene. “Excuse me, ma’am.” He covered his mouth.
    “Suck it up, Scott.” Lou remembered her first brain matter case and tried to be kind. “Just take a breath of this nice sea air and tell me what you saw. Think of it like it was a movie.”
    “I’m sorry, ma’am. It was just everywhere, and I couldn’t see most of the body, just the feet.” Scott covered his mouth again.
    “It’s all right. We’ll look for ourselves. Who’s escort?” Lou asked the three.
    “Me!” Jimmy skipped ahead of them, making Dillon grin. Traversing the place was a hike when you were not allowed to go through the front doors. They walked around the perimeter, the long way, to the last bungalow. Two more deputies stood at the entrance to a private patio and they stepped aside when they saw Jimmy leading the detectives in.
    “Thanks Jimmy.” Dillon shook his hand then pulled a wad of gloves out of his pocket.
    “My pleasure!” He saluted them both then skipped off.
    Lou and Dillon donned their gloves and covered their shoes with paper booties, Dillon set the box in front of the entrance for the others to use. It was a very high end joint, even with the cool and casual So. Cal. influences and the Mediterranean architecture. The ground floor bungalow was a warm swirl of butters and caramels with all the luxuries you would expect from a fifteen-hundred