Like I said, I come from trailer trash,” said Marcia Peaty. “No shame inthat, my father, Dr. James Peaty, pulled himself up, it’s even more to hiscredit.”
“Unlike his brother,” I said.
“Brothers plural,” she said. “And sister. Reyn’s dad, Roald, was theyoungest, in and out of prison his whole life, later shot himself. Next up wasMillard and between him and my dad was Bernadine. She died after being put away.”
“Put away for what?” said Milo.
“Alcohol-induced craziness. She was a good-looking woman but she used herlooks in not the best way.” She pushed her plate away. “I know all this from mymother who hated Dad’s family, so she may have heaped it on a bit. But overallI think she was accurate because Dad never denied it. Mom used to hold upBernadine as a negative example for me—don’t do what that ‘immoral wench’ did.”
“What’d Bernadine do?” said Milo.
“Left home at seventeen and went down to Oceanside with a friend, another wild girlnamed Amelia Stultz. The two of them worked the sailor trade and God knows whatelse. Bernadine got pregnant by some guy on shore leave who she never sawagain. Had a baby boy.”
“Brad,” I said.
She nodded. “That’s how Brad came into this world. When Bernadine got putaway he was three or four, got sent to Californiato live with Amelia Stultz, who’d done a whole lot better, married a navycaptain with family money.”
Milo said, “Amelia was an immoral wench butshe raised someone else’s kid?”
“The way my mother told it, my uncle Millard blackmailed her, said he’d tellher rich husband about her past if she didn’t ‘take the brat.’”
“Conniving fellow, your besotted uncle,” I said. “Did he ask anything forhimself?”
“Maybe money changed hands, I don’t know.” Marcia Peaty frowned. “I’m awarethat this lays responsibility on everyone but my father. I’ve wondered aboutthat, could Dad have been that calculated.” A cheek muscle jumped. “Even ifhe’d wanted to help Brad, no way my mother would have agreed to take him in.”
“The rich captain was Bill Dowd Junior.”
“Hancock Park,” she said. “On the surface, Bradlucked out. The problem was Amelia had no interest in raising her own kids, letalone one she’d been stuck with. She’d always fancied herself a dancer and anactress. A performer, Mom called it. Which meant stripping in some of those Tijuana clubs and maybeworse.”
“How’d Amelia snag Captain Dowd?”
“She was great-looking,” said Marcia Peaty. “Blond bombshell, when she wasyoung. Maybe it was like that country song, guys going for women on the trashyside.”
Or family tradition. Albert Beamish had said Bill Dowd Junior married a“woman with no class” just like his mother.
Milo said, “Amelia took Brad in but didn’tcare to raise him? We talking abuse or just neglect?”
“I never heard about abuse, more like she ignored him completely. But shedid that with her own kids, too. Both of whom had problems. Have you met Noraand Billy Three?”
“Yup.”
“I haven’t seen them since we were kids. What’re they like?”
Milo ignored the question. “How’d youhappen to see them as kids?”
“Dad must’ve felt guilty because he tried to make contact with Brad when Iwas around five. We drove into L.A.and visited. Amelia Dowd liked my dad and started inviting us to birthdayparties. Mom griped about it but down deep she didn’t mind going to a fancyaffair in a big house. She did warn me away from Bill Three. Said he wasretarded, couldn’t be counted on to control himself.”
“He ever act scary?”
She shook her head. “He just seemed quiet and shy. Obviously he wasn’tnormal but he never bothered me. Nora was a space cadet, walked around talkingto herself. Mom said, ‘Look at Amelia, marrying rich, living the good life, butshe ends up with defective kids.’ I don’t want to make it sound like Mom was ahateful person, she just had no use for Dad’s family and anyone associated withthem. His whole life Uncle Millard did nothing but sponge off us, and Roald wasno picnic either before he died. Also, when Mom talked like that it was alwayspart of complimenting me. ‘Money’s nothing, honey. Your children are yourlegacy and that makes me a wealthy woman.’”
Milo said, “Could we talk to your mom?”
“She’s gone. Four years ago, cancer. She was one of the ladies you see atthe slots. Wheelchair-bound, smoking, and feeding nickels.”
I said, “Brad goes by ‘Dowd.’ Was he adopted legally?”
“Don’t know. Maybe Amelia let him use the name to avoid uncomfortablequestions.”
“Or,” said Milo, “she wasn’t such a witch.”
“I guess,” said Marcia Peaty. “Mom could be intolerant.”
I said, “Captain Dowd didn’t mind another child?”
“Captain Dowd wasn’t a real tough guy. Just the opposite. Anything Ameliawanted, she got.”
“Did your mother ever say anything about how Brad fared psychologically?”
“Her name for him was ‘the Troublemaker’ and she warned me away from him,too. She said unlike Billy he was smart, but always lying and stealing. Ameliasent him away several times to boarding schools and military academies.”
Persimmons and more. Alfred Beamish had pegged Brad’s behavior but neveruncovered the boy’s origins.
Mansions, country clubs, rented elephants at birthday parties. A mother whoreally wasn’t. Who fancied herself a performer.
I said, “How did Amelia Dowd channel her interest in acting?”
“What do you mean?”
“All those performance dreams that never came to pass. Sometimes people livethrough their kids.”
“Was she a stage-door mom? Brad did tell me she tried to get the kids on TV.As a group—singing and dancing. He said he could carry a tune but the otherswere tone-deaf.”
The photo-covered wall of the PlayHouse theater floated into my head. Amongthe famous faces, a band I hadn’t recognized.
Kiddy quartet of mop-haired youngsters…the Kolor Krew. “What was the name ofthe group?”
“He never said.”
“When did all this take place?”
“Let’s see…Brad was about fourteen when he told me, so it must’ve been rightaround then. He laughed about it but he sounded bitter. Said Amelia draggedthem to talent agents, made them sit for photos, bought them guitars and drumsthey never learned to play, gave them voice lessons that were useless. Evenbefore that she’d tried to get Nora and Billy Three jobs as actors.”
“Not Brad?”
“He told me Amelia only included him in the band because the other two werehopeless.”
“He call her that?” I said. “Amelia?”
She thought. “I never heard him call her ‘Mom.’”
“Nora and Billy have any success at all, individually?”
“I think Nora got some dinky modeling jobs, department store stuff, kiddyclothing. Bill Three got nothing. He wasn’t smart enough.”
“Brad told you all this,” said Milo. “Youand he talk often?”
“Just during those parties.”
“What about as adults?”
“Except for one face-to-face twelve years ago, it’s been the phone and notoften. Maybe once every couple of years.”
“Who calls who?”
“He calls me. Christmas greetings, that kind of thing. Mostly showing offhow rich he is, telling me about some new car he bought.”
“Twelve years ago,” I said. “That’s pretty precise.”
Marcia Peaty fooled with her napkin. “There’s a reason for that and it mightbe important to you guys. Twelve years ago Brad got questioned on a Vegas case.I was doing hot cars, a D from headquarters calls me, says a person of interestis tossing my name around, claiming we’re kissing cousins. I find out who itis, call Brad. It’s been a while since we’ve talked but he turns on the charmlike it’s yesterday, great to hear from you, cuz. He insists on taking me to abig dinner at Caesars. Turns out he’d been living in Vegas for a year, doingsome kind of real estate investment, never thought to get in touch. And once hedidn’t need me I didn’t hear from him for seven more years—Christmas, to brag.”
“About what?”
“Being back in L.A.,living well and running the family real estate business. He invited me tovisit, said he’d give me a spin in one of his cars. As in he has a lot ofthem.”
“Platonic invitation?” I said.
“Hard to say with Brad. I chose to take it as platonic.”
Milo said, “What kind of case was he questionedon?”
“Missing girl, dancer at the Dunes, never found. Brad had dated her, was thelast person to see her.”
“He ever go beyond person of interest?”
“Nope. No evidence of a crime was ever uncovered. Brad said she told him shewanted to try for something better and left for L.A. That happens a lot in our town.”
I said, “Something better as in breaking into acting?”
Marcia Peaty smiled. “What else is new?”
“Remember this girl’s name?” said Milo.
“Julie something, I can get it for you—or you can call yourself. The primaryD was Harold Fordebrand, he retired but he’s still in Vegas, listed in thebook.”
“I used to work with an Ed Fordebrand.”
“Harold said he had a brother who did L.A. Homicide.”
“No evidence of a crime,” said Milo, “butwhat did Harold think about Brad?”
“Didn’t like him. Too slick. Called him ‘Mr. Hollywood.’ Brad wouldn’t takea polygraph but there’s no crime against that.”
“What was his reason?”
“Just didn’t want to.”
“He get lawyered up?”
“Nope,” she said. “Cooperated fully, real relaxed.”
“Mr. Hollywood,” I said. “Maybe some of Amelia’s aspirations rubbed off.”
“He actually learned how to act?” she said. “I never thought of it that way,but maybe. Bradley can definitely tell you what you want to hear.”
I said, “Those birthday part............