Omerta

Howard Drew, a thirty-three-year-old eight-year veteran of LAPD and a recently promoted Detective II, had transferred to West Bureau homicide after three years as a burglary/theft detective at Hollenbeck. Drew wore a more modest Brooks Brothers navy pinstripe suit with a store brand white shirt. He had purchased the suit on sale off the rack at a Nordstrom outlet. He wore his brown hair in the high and tight military variant of the crew cut, with the back and sides of his head shaved to the skin and the top blended or faded into slightly longer hair. Drew had become accustomed to the style during his four years in the U.S. Army while serving in the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Howard wasn’t a tall man. He stood two inches short of six feet and was on the lean side because he was a dedicated runner. His brown eyes were serious and seldom revealed any emotion.

“This isn’t what I expected,” Ortega said. “This place is only a mile from the Cielo Drive mansion where the Manson family murdered Sharon Tate and her friends.”

“Yeah, it’s a dump,” Drew said, “especially by Beverly Hills standards.”