Free My Dark Places by James Ellroy

light or dark.
    Q    Would you be able to recognize a car similar to this one?
    A    Oh, yeah.
    Q    In other words, you’d be able to tell a car, whether it was similar, or not similar?
    A    I could tell, I’d know. I probably couldn’t pick the car out, that particular car, but if I saw a car like it, I could tell.
    Q    You feel, at that time you’d know, when you saw it, whether the car you have in mind for this car would be two-toned or one-toned?
    A    Uh huh.
    Q    Did you notice whether either one of them smoked, while they were in there?
    A    I never noticed.
    Q    Going back to this man’s features, was his skin swarthy, or regular, smooth, in your opinion?
    A    It was smooth, it was dark.
    Q    Would he be a light-complected man?
    A    No, he was a dark-complexioned man.
    Q    But light skin?
    A    No, his skin wasn’t light, but it wasn’t dark. Not like you see a real dark Mexican, like that. It was a dark skin, like an Italian.
    Q    You mentioned the hair as being black, and straight back?
    A    Uh huh.
    Q    And also, that it receded at the forehead?
    A    Slight—receded slightly. Not very much.
    Q    And a thick head of hair, though?
    A    Yes, his hair was quite thick on top.
    Q    Was there anything distinguishable about his ears?
    A    I don’t remember.
    Q    Outstanding, or—
    A    (Shook head from left to right.)
    SGT. LAWTON: One other thing. Did you notice whether he wore any kind of jewelry, such as rings?
    A    No, I didn’t notice.
    SGT. LAWTON: Thank you very much. STATEMENT CONCLUDED AT 4:15 P.M.
    A region-wide teletype went out Wednesday night. It summarized the Ellroy case 72 hours in.
    It mentioned the victim’s missing purse and undergarments, the male suspect, the blond woman and the ’55—’56 Olds. All police agencies with information were directed to contact Sheriff’s Homicide or the El Monte PD.
    A California Highway Patrol man called in a tip at 10:10 p.m. The El Monte PD desk man logged it.
    The CHP man knew a “dark Latin type” with a two-tone Olds. The guy hung out around Five Points. His vehicle had press photographer plates and a whip antenna. The dark Latin type had a surly disposition and liked to monitor police radio calls. The CHP man said he’d get his plate number and call it in.
    The teletype drew heat fast. Dead white women always stirred things up.
    Thursday morning.
    Vickers and Godfrey concluded their canvassing and reached the last of their callback people. The victim’s Saturday-night whereabouts were now halfway sketched in.
    Hallinen and Lawton sent a RUSH query to the California DMV. They requested stats on all ’55 and ’56 Oldsmobiles registered to San Gabriel Valley owners. They sent a second RUSH order, to the Sheriff’s Records Bureau.
    They requested mug shots and file data on registered sex offenders resembling the dark man. Their suspect was most likely Caucasian—but he could be a racial Latin. They added notes on the suspect’s vehicle and the crime itself: beating, strangulation, probable rape. Their victim was a 43-year-old white woman known to frequent cocktail bars.
    Lavonne Chambers and Margie Trawick were transported to the Hall of Justice. A deputy helped them construct Identi-Kit portraits of the suspect.
    The Identi-Kit was a new device. Witnesses picked out individual features printed on cardboard strips and built mix-and-match faces from memory. There were dozens of chins, noses, hairlines and mouths to build from. Skilled technicians helped the witnesses put them together.
    The deputy worked with Lavonne and Margie separately. The result was two similar—but distinctly differentiated—faces.
    Lavonne’s man looked like a lean-faced average guy. Margie’s man looked vicious.
    A sketch artist was brought in. He sat down with both witnesses and elicited separate portraits of the suspect. His third run-through melded