Double Take Chapter 2

* * *

They finished shooting at noon the next day, and Sandy suggested to Ashley that they spend the night at her place. There were a few things he needed to do at home first – he had missed a car insurance and mortgage payment while he was in Hawaii, and he needed to go to the bank – so Ashley caught a ride back to the hills with one of the other actresses, and they agreed to go out for a late dinner, both as girls this time.

After Ashley left, Sandy went back to the makeup trailer and cornered one of the women who worked on him. "Grace, I need a big favor."

Grace had a soft spot for Sandy, and she was only too happy to help. For over an hour, she worked patiently while Sandy sat back with his eyes closed, rehearsing again and again his answers to the questions that the lieutenant might throw at him. When Grace was finished, she shook her head at the end result. "Are you sure you want to leave here looking like that?" she said.

Sandy studied his face in Grace's mirror. "Yes. At least I won't have to worry about getting picked up if I stop someplace on the way home."

"Honey, anybody who picks you up is in for a world of surprises."

* * *

Lieutenant Goering knocked on the door of Sandy's condo promptly at four o'clock. Sandy opened it immediately to let him in. The lieutenant handed him a card, trying not to grimace as he looked away from Sandy's face.

Sandy offered him a beer, which the lieutenant declined. "On duty," he explained. Sandy got one for himself, and they went out onto the lanai and sat down in two sling chairs next to a small glass-topped table. The lieutenant took in the view of Palos Verdes while Sandy sipped on his Pacifico Clara.

"I suppose you are wondering why I'm here," the lieutenant said at length.

"I'm betting is has something to do with Buster Cruz."

"Oh? What makes you think so?"

"I saw on the web what happened to him. And I said to myself, Buster had a lot of enemies. I hope they catch who did it, because if they don't, sooner or later they're probably going to turn up here."