Zero Effect Page #5

You know, when I was in L. A...

...it seemed like such a lonely town.

Everybody's driving in their cars,

nobody talks to each other...

I don't really know,

to tell you the truth...

...about that.

So where are you from?

Originally?

Minnesota.

Minnesota.

I've never been there.

Do you go back there much?

You still have family there?

We're not really in touch.

So...

...what are you doing in L.A.?

Oh, I was there twice.

Once when I was little.

I was there with my aunt and uncle.

I was raised by my aunt and uncle.

They adopted me.

Then last year I was there skydiving.

Skydiving?

Why do you do that?

Because I love it.

It's the most amazing

thing in the world.

Aren't you afraid you'll die

or something?

I know what you need.

Try again.

Take your time now.

Really set yourself.

Remember to bend your elbows a little.

A little less.

Keep the right arm straight

with the left elbow.

Check your aim again.

Then whenever you're ready.

You do this all the time?

Whenever I can.

I find it deeply satisfying.

Nice.

You try again.

Take your time.

Don't be afraid. It's safe...

...just as long as you're careful.

It's all about...

...staying relaxed.

Sorry.

It's okay.

Just relax.

Bend this a little.

Keep this straight.

Hips back a little.

Lean into it.

Commit to it.

Check your aim again.

Relax...

...and fire.

There you go.

Doesn't that feel good?

- Want to try the shotgun?

- Sure.

You want to stay at my place tonight?

I mean, you don't have to.

But the couch folds out.

I just thought it'd be silly

to go to my place...

...then you'd have to drive across town

to some crummy old motel.

That'd be great.

Good.

I'll even give you a receipt.

You can write it off.

You know my motto:

Always save the receipt.

You slept at her house?

She thought it'd be easier...

...than driving back to the motel.

I can't believe you slept at her house.

I can't believe,

with all that time with her...

...I couldn't tell more

what was going on in her head.

I couldn't tell what she

was thinking.

That's usually how it is

in the beginning.

Maybe I'll be able to see more

tonight at dinner.

You're taking her to dinner.

What was I going to say, no?

You got anymore on Kragen Vincent?

There's one serving time

at the State Penitentiary.

A life sentence.

Prison records didn't say what for.

We better go find out. Anything else?

What is it?

Nothing.

You the officer in charge of records?

I'm him. Lieutenant Earl Hagans.

- Steve Arlo. Can I come in?

- What is this regarding?

I work for a private...

The Department does not share records

with P.I. S except by court order.

I assume that you do not have

a court order.

I work for a private detective

named Daryl Zero.

Murder One, in 1972. Single count.

And guess what the victim's name is.

Let me guess.

I don't mean really guess.

No way you could actually guess.

Clarissa.

Yeah. Clarissa Devereau.

Of 'plummeting birds' fame.

Seems likely, doesn't it?

Very likely.

Two shots, one to the head,

one to the torso, execution style.

In her motel room.

Sounds professional.

Except he made a complete mess.

A ton of evidence, prints on everything.

I got crime scene photos.

Remember the case of the hired gun

who made way, way too many mistakes?

It's a lot like that. They pick him up,

try him, give him life, no parole.

They think he works for someone

but he won't talk...

...even when they offer him a deal.

And Clarissa has quite

an arrest record for a young girl.

Mostly political, New York and Boston.

Disturbing the peace,

public indecency...

...breaking and entering.

Regular firecracker.

Regular 'plummeting bird.'

And Vincent's still in jail?

No. He was moved for medical reasons

a couple years ago.

Kragen is her father.

She was raised by his sister

because he was in prison.

She blames Stark

for ruining her father's life.

Stark hired Vincent to kill Clarissa...

...for some reason.

Vincent got caught, spent his life

in prison. Now he's dying...

...this slow, painful death.

She's watched her father's life

drip away and she's getting even.

She has something,

some evidence or something...

...that ties Stark to the murder.

I got to figure out what it is

and where she's keeping it.

Take me to the scene of the crime.

It's right up here.

Ready? 1, 2, 3.

The bed we just moved

is a full-size bed.

In 1972, there was no size

called full.

They had doubles and queens.

The full was invented

to combine the width of a queen...

...with the space-efficient

length of a double...

...and eventually replaced the double

in North America and Europe...

...except for Quebec and Sweden.

The bed in the picture...

...is not a double.

It's too long. It's not a full.

It wasn't invented.

It is a queen.

Which means that that bed then

was longer than this bed...

...now.

So sometime in the last 30 years,

somebody must have replaced the bed.

Hear that?

Secret room?

It's a pipe. There once was a radiant

water heater right there.

Kragen bursts into the room.

Her body was found face up. She must've

been facing him, probably standing...

...close to where you are now.

Right away, before she could scream,

she's down...

...she's dead, it's over.

The only question is,

once she was dead...

...why didn't he get out of there?

Instead he proceeds

to touch the dresser, the sink...

...the doorknob and the nightstand.

What does the bed have to do with it?

In 1972, it was against code...

...to have a hotel bed

...7 feet from a fish tank...

...or a lava lamp...

...or 3 feet from a radiant...

...heater.

Imagine if you will,

a bed longer than this one...

...and a heater over here.

Wouldn't clear 2 feet...

...much less 3. And no inspector

would let that pass.

Which means...?

Which means...

...lKragen may have moved the bed.

I see. So you're proposing...

...that he busts in the room...

...sees her standing there,

shoots her twice...

...moves the bed.

Something like that.

Why would anybody do that?

Hello.

I don't know.

I'm trying to figure out some physical

evidence that Kragen might have taken...

...that he gave to his daughter

so that she could blackmail Stark.

I'm trying to figure out what is absent.

Something happened in here. Something

involving his touching the dresser...

...touching the sink, touching the

doorknob, touching the nightstand...

...and probably...

...moving the bed.

Probably?

Somebody else could have moved it.

Come on. There were only

two of them. Him and her.

Exactly.

You need to talk to Stark.

We got a few questions for him.

I had a feeling you two

would be a good match.

I'm good at reading people.

Thank you.

Do you want my opinion?

You should try to hold onto him.

How often do you meet a wealthy single

architect from Los Angeles?

Daisy, he's an accountant.

Are you sure?

He's here for their convention.

That's why I asked him to do my taxes.

I swear I thought he said

he was an architect.

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