Who Killed Jenny Schecter? Ch. 21

Chapter 21 Pulling the Trigger

Carmen picked up Shane on Monday morning at Alice's old apartment on North Harper Avenue, and when they arrived at the conference room, coffees from The Planet in hand, they were surprised to see Marybeth Duffy sitting next to Lauren. They both had their laptops open.

"Good morning, park your butts in your chairs, let's get going," Marybeth said.

"Copy that. Roger, dodger. Ten-four," Carmen said. "Happy Monday morning to you, too."

"Hey, guys," Lauren said.

"Hey," Shane said back. "Hey, Lieutenant."

"You heard me tell Jack I was going to supervise this case personally," Marybeth said, "and that's what I'm doing. But there's something else. You guys have exceeded my expectations and turned up half a dozen viable suspects, not to mention an extra murder, so I'm officially kicking this thing up to formal, official status. Lauren knows what this means, which is she'll need to start filing more official paperwork and reports. And normally a murder investigation requires detectives to work in pairs, so there's always some backup. I'm not going to assign Lauren a partner, though, partly because she has you two tagging along with her, and partly because I'm assigning myself as her partner if and when she runs into anything requiring a second badge and gun on scene. If we were back in the 1880s, I'd just deputize you two guys and toss you some badges, but today I'd get my ass fired for even thinking about deputizing two rank amateurs."

"Badges? We don't need no steenkin' badges," Carmen said.

Marybeth looked at Lauren.

"Hey, don't look at me like that," Lauren said. "You walked into that one all by yourself. The minute you said the word 'badge,' I knew it was coming. Carmen's a world-class movie trivia expert."

"I'm your huckleberry," Carmen said.

Marybeth closed her eyes for a moment, composing herself. She decided to move on. "Even though we're going official, we're still going to keep it quiet, and we're not telling the DA's office yet, so don't you guys say anything to anybody, including Alice. I know that may be hard for you, if and when you talk to her. I understand she knows you're working on it with Lauren, and that's fine. Just don't get her hopes up, because I don't want her running around Humboldt telling everybody she's going to get sprung any day now. You may disagree, but my opinion is Alice doesn't have need-to-know what we're doing. We'll get her out if and when we get her out, and nothing anybody says to her will speed it up. So I'd appreciate it if you kept her out of our loop. Lauren and I have talked about it, and we know we'll have to re-interview her, maybe even more than once. So that's yet another reason I don't want you guys telling Alice anything she doesn't already know. I don't care about personal stuff, but I don't want a single word said about anything relating to the case or suspects unless Lauren is there and she's the one asking the questions. You both on board with that?"

Shane and Carmen looked at each other and back at Marybeth. "Yes, we're on board," Carmen said. "We get what you're saying. I'm okay with it."

"Me, too," Shane said.

"Good. Next up, Lauren's been updating the old timeline, as you know. So here's new, fresh copies. Lauren has boldfaced some of the key events and spaced them out so they stand out." She passed them each a sheaf of papers stapled together. "There's a lot of stuff in it for us to chew on. I'm going to insist it stay inside this building. If you're with Lauren, she'll have a copy, and if need be, you can work off that. I just don't want one of you guys found carrying an official LASD homicide case document."

Shane and Carmen nodded. "Yes, sure," Carmen said. She began to read the updated timeline.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau

Homicide Case 51039 Schecter, Jennifer Diane

Date/Time of Homicide: 03/08/09 Approx 2100 hours to 2115 hours

Investigators: Det. Sgt. M. Duffy, Det/2 S. Holden, Homicide Bureau

Location: 254 14th Street, West Hollywood CA and adjacent house at 256 14th Street,

where vic resided

TIMELINE

Timeline modified by Det/2 Lauren Hancock, LASD Badge #1471

5/14/07 Jenny gets offer to turn book into film

5/23/07 Jenny signs contract, receives $100,000 for film rights to Lez Girls

6/06/07 Tina and Jenny (via Shaolin Studios) hire Kate Arden to direct Lez Girls, Jenny to write screenplay

7/23/07 Kate fires Jenny from writing screenplay, assigns Stacey Merkin to write

1/05/08 Jenny returns from Mexico vacation with financier William Halsey

1/08 to 03/08 Jenny fights with Tina, studio, gets Halsey to finance Lez Girls; Kate Arden, Stacey Merkin fired

4/14/08 Jenny signs contract for $20k/month to direct Lez Girls, will be paid $200k to write/finish screenplay; pre-production meetings begin that week

7/10/08 Studio (Aaron, Tina, Halsey) accepts screenplay, greenlights production, Jenny bank account receives $200k wire transfer payment for screenplay

8/02/08 Adele becomes Jenny's assistant

8/02/08 Casting for Lez Girls begins

8/05/08 Natalie Portman says no to Lez Girls

8/06/08 Big fight w/Aaron, Tina over casting Niki Stevens

8/09/08 SheBar party -- Niki talks to Jenny

8/11/08 [Monday] First table read-through, full principal cast

89/13/08 [Afternoon] Shane and MyLoverCindi [MLC] affair

8/13/08 2000+ Party at Jenny/Shane's for cast plus Friends group; Denbo makes scene, war with Planet begins

8/14/08 [Late morning] Shane goes to SheBar to apologize, Denbo wants SheBar to replace Planet as location for $50k/day; Shane says no

8/18/08 [Monday] Principal photography on Lez Girls begins

8/23/08 [Saturday night] SheBar Turkish Oil Wrestling Night; Denbo, MLC arrested, $10k fine

8/??/08 [End of summer] The Creep shows up at unoccupied house behind Jenny/Shane's house [256 15th Street, West Hollywood], intermittent appearances thereafter

9/13-14/08 Subaru Pink Ride bike marathon, Jenny/Niki make sex tape

9/17-14/08 Denbo, Cindi Tucker (MLC) buy 51% of Planet from Ivan

9/18/08 [Day] Kit buys gun

9/??/08 Kit goes to SheBar with gun; nothing happens

?/??/08 MLC sells her share of Planet to Helena; SheBar crisis over

10/06/08 [Monday] Jenny, Niki make bank withdrawals of $9,950 each

10/29/08 circa late morning Adele coup against Jenny on film set

11/06/08 [Thursday] Jenny, Niki make bank withdrawals of $9,950 each

12/08/08 [Monday] Jenny, Niki make bank withdrawals of $9,950 each [Saturday 6th bank closed]

1/06/09 [Tuesday] Jenny, Niki make bank withdrawals of $9,950 each

1/13/09 Jenny bank account receives $500k check for movie treatment [alleged to be Alice's]

1/18/09 [Afternoon] Molly returns Shane's jacket to Jenny, assume placed in attic

1/24/09 [Day] Adele signs three-picture deal for $1.5 mil

1/24/09 [evening, night] Lez Girls wrap party, Jenny discovers Shane/Niki sex. Shane evicted.

1/25-26/09 [Sunday night/Monday morning] -- Jenny has all-night sex w/ Niki, rejects her in the morning

1/26/09 Deluxe Motion Picture Labs ready to ship negatives, Mid-afternoon fax sent saying messenger will pick up negatives

1/26/09 2000-2100 Eastside Messengers picks up negative canisters, delivers to Wilson/Cramer Productions attn. Jenny Schechter [sic misspelled]

1/26/09 after 2100 or unknown time later -- Someone (Niki?) picks up negative canisters (effective date/time of theft)

1/27/09 to approx. 2/04/09?? Niki puts canisters in Jenny/Shane's attic (assume earlier date)

2/06/09 [Friday] Jenny, Niki make bank withdrawals of $9,950 each

2/08/09 [Morning] Max walks out after LaMaze class

2/22/09 [Night] Bette art gallery opening; Jenny sees Bette & Kelly in believed (untrue) kitchen sex

2/15/09 Alice discovers/claims Jenny stole manuscript/treatment

2/15/09 [Evening] Tina/Bette have dinner, Tina accuses William/Aaron of stealing negatives

2/22/09 1800 Baby shower; Jenny tells Dylan about Niki plot, angering Helena

3/1/09 Jenny threatens to tell Tina about Bette/Kelly

3/06/09 [Friday] xxxx No bank withdrawals made (no blackmail payments delivered?)

3/08/09 1700 Shane talks to Molly about letter/jacket

3/08/09 1830 Shane discovers jacket, negatives

3/08/09 1830-1900 Times wits/suspects arrived at party

3/08/09 1910 Shane notifies Tina, Tina sees negatives in attic

3/08/09???? Last time Jenny seen alive by??

3/08/09 approx 2100 to 2115 Jenny murdered x drowning

3/08/09 2127 Switchboard 911 call from Tina reporting drowning

3/08/09 2134 Squad car C-7 Cpl. R Richards, Off. T. Hoskins arrive 256 14th Street

3/08/09 2142 Cpl. Richards reports possible homicide

3/08/09 2143 Dispatcher call-out to Sgt. M. Duffy, Det/2 S. Holden, Coroner, Forensic Teams

3/08/09 2146-8 Squad cars A-6, A-19, K-8 arrive 256 14th Street

3/08/09 2150 Coroner Unit 3 arrives 256 14th Street

3/08/09 2152 CSI forensics team arrives 256 14th Street

3/08/09 2201 Duffy/Holden arrive 256 14th Street

3/08/09 2203 Duffy/Holden briefed, view scene

3/08/09 2204 Duffy meets w/ 7 wits + infant

3/08/09 2207 Off. Tasha Williams, off duty, acquaintance/Alice ex-lover, arrives 256 14th Street

3/08/09 2214 Niki Stevens, acquaintance/ex-lover, discovered in bushes by Off. Hoskins

3/08/09 2308 7 wits (+ infant) + Niki asked to go to LASD West Hollywood Station for

further questioning

3/08/09 2331 8 wits arrive LASD WHS for further questioning

3/09/09 0017 First interrogation Alice by Duffy/Holden

3/09/09 0119 First interrogation Bette by Duffy/Holden

3/09/09 0131 Adjacent residence at 254 14th Street prelim search

3/09/09 0148 Coroner removes Jenny, taken to morgue

3/09/09 0231 First interrogation Tina by Duffy/Holden

3/09/09 0359 First interrogation Shane by Duffy/Holden

3/09/09 0510 First interrogation Helena by Duffy/Holden

3/09/09 0620 CSI/Forsenics departs, scene taped off & restricted

3/09/09 0718 First interrogation Kit by Duffy/Holden

3/09/09 0822 First interrogation Max by Duffy/Holden

3/09/09 0926 First interrogation Niki by Duffy/Holden

3/10/09 0940 Telephone call from Alice to Duffy requesting another interview

3/10/09 1117 Second interrogation Alice by Duffy/Holden, Mirandized, confesses to murder of Jenny

3/10/09 1344 Pieszecki permitted to call atty. Joyce Wischnia for legal referral

3/10/09 1344 Duffy calls ADA G. Berger, gives update

3/10/09 1350 Duffy calls Tasha Williams for interview

3/10/09 1524 Alice taken to holding cell

3/11/09 1006 Alice's atty. Malcolm Drinkwater arrives, confers with client

3/12/09 0930 Interview with Tasha by Duffy/Holden

3/16/09 0756 Preliminary forensic report picked up by Duffy

3/16/09 0818 Duffy/Holden arrive at coroner for Jenny autopsy

3/18/09 1123 Jenny autopsy results delivered; body release by coroner, to be shipped to mother in Illinois

4/01/09 Alice preliminary hearing, pleads guilty

4/05/09 Alice bail hearing, no bail requested, no bail set

4/27/09 Grand jury indictment (pro forma)

5/02/09 Max gives birth to male child

5/??/09 Adoption of Max's child

5/13/09 Alice trial expedited by guilty plea, pled down to second degree manslaughter

5/26/09 Alice sentencing hearing, 7-10 years

5/27/09 Alice arrives Humboldt Farm

6/??/09 Max has top surgery

8/21/09 Max employed by Fast Fix Golden State Computers, Bakersfield (personnel records)

9/13/09 Max's baby dies of SIDS in foster home [Did Max know?]

3/11/10 1732 Max departs work (timecard)

3/12/10 0330 approx. Max killed by hit-and-run (autopsy determination)

3/12/10 0740 CHP dispatch receives phone call reporting body by road

3/12/10 0806 CHP Patrol Car 19, Cpl. Baker reports body (Max), requests Kern County full roll-out

3/12/10 0849 CSI, coroner teams arrive

3/12/10 0917 Tentative identification of Max

3/12/10 1006 Call-out to Kern County Homicide

3/12/10 1117 Dets. Collins, Baxter arrive on scene

3/13/10 1119 BOLO on Max's Subaru (never found)

3/13/10 1435 Telephone conversation w/ Tom Mater

3/13/10 1100 Interview w/ Tom Mater at Kern County homicide bureau office

3/17/10 Kern County autopsy of Max

3/24/10 Kern County officially files Sweeney hit-and-run case homicide, not accidental

4/01/10 Max autopsy official, final results of lab tests delivered to Kern County/Det. Collins (on leave)

401/10 Max's body released by coroner, referred to county for cremation

The conference room was quiet while they read. "Wow," Carmen muttered about three-quarters of the way through. "Good work, Lauren."

Thanks," Lauren said. "I got help from you guys, of course, but Tina e-mailed me a lot of dates and times from her appointments calendar back then. So she had a lot of input. And obviously some of the information about Max came from Detective Collin's folder he gave me."

When they finished reading Marybeth handed Shane and Carmen copies of another document. "I had Lauren put this together," Marybeth said. It read:

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau

Homicide Case 51039 Schecter, Jennifer Diane

Date/Time of Homicide: 03/08/09 Approx 2100 hours to 2115 hours

Investigators: Det. Sgt. M. Duffy, Det/2 S. Holden, Homicide Bureau

Location: 254 14th Street, West Hollywood CA and adjacent house at 256 14th Street,

where vic resided

List of Suspects as of This Date

By Det/2 Lauren Hancock, LASD Badge #1471

Theoretical Suspects in Schecter Homicide:

Max Sweeney

Tina Kinnard

Bette Porter

Kit Porter

Shane McCutcheon

Helena Peabody

Alice Pieszecki

Niki Stevens

Unsub #1, aka The Creep

Unsub #2, The Blackmailer (if any)

Adele Channing (Is she the Blackmailer/Unsub #2?)

Aaron/William/Studio

Dawn Denbo

Probable/Actionable Suspects in Schecter Homicide:

Max Sweeney

Niki Stevens

Unsub #1, aka The Creep

Unsub #2, The Blackmailer (if any)

Adele Channing

Aaron/William/Studio

Theoretical Suspects in Max Sweeney's Homicide:

Unsub #3 (Unsub#1, The Creep? Unsub #2 The Blackmailer? All one and the same?)

Adele Channing

Tom Mater

Adoptive Family of Max's Baby

Possible Suspects in Max's Homicide:

Unsub #1, aka The Creep

Unsub #2, The Blackmailer (if any)

Unsub #3 (if Bakersfield is unconnected to Schecter)

Adele Channing (if she's the Blackmailer)

What if:

1)Max saw Jenny's murder (or figured out who the killer was)?

a.Suppose it was Unsub#1/Creep

b.Suppose it was Adele

c.Suppose it was Niki

2)What if Niki Stevens saw Jenny's murder (or figured out who the killer was)?

a.Suppose it was Unsub#1/Creep

b.Suppose it was Adele

c.Suppose it was Max

3)What if Unsub #1/Creep saw Jenny's murder?

a.Suppose it was Max

b.Suppose it was Adele

c.Suppose it was Niki

Common Factors/Similarities in Both Homicides:

1)Presence of Unsub

2)Knew same general circle of people

3)Both possibly/superficially interpreted as "accidents," possibly by intention

Differing Factors/Dissimilarities in Both Homicides:

1)Jenny's homicide possibly spontaneous/unpremeditated; Max's homicide clearly premeditated

2)Jenny surrounded by possible suspects w/motive; Max isolated, no one around him

3)Jenny wealthy, Max poor/struggling financially

Traditional Question: Who Benefits From the Homicide:

Of Jenny: Jenny's mother (inheritance); Anyone seeking revenge/payback; Anyone wanting

to keep her quiet about something

Of Max: Possible killer of Jenny (get rid of witness); Tom Mater (revenge); Adoptive Family (revenge)

Other Questions:

1)Was there really blackmail going on? Over what? Sex Tape, or Stolen Negatives? Other?

2)Is there connection between the two homicides?

If Max killed Jenny, is Max's homicide due to his killing Jenny (Paybacks)?

"I've got a question," Carmen said.

"Yes, Grasshopper?" Marybeth said.

Carmen didn't like "Grasshopper," but it was important to her not to show it, especially to Marybeth. "Suppose Alice had been arrested but pleaded not guilty. Wouldn't her defense attorney have turned up some of this stuff?"

"Excellent question," Marybeth said. "With all these alternate suspects and theories, Alice's case would have been blown out of court because of the 'beyond a reasonable doubt' requirement. But here's the thing: I hope to god that if Alice hadn't confessed and shut down my investigation, she would have never been charged at all, and that Sean and I would have started turning up all this stuff. No offense, but the minute you guys went to work suspects started jumping out of the woodwork at you. So in a way, your defense attorney 'reasonable doubt' situation would never have arisen in the first place. Because, god forbid, if we hadn't started turning up all this stuff, I'd have to turn in my badge and go home and swallow my gun."

"Uh, yes, okay," Carmen said. "I see that."

"Here's something you may not have seen," Marybeth said. "If Alice hadn't fucked up my investigation, we'd have been all over all this other evidence. You agree?"

Carmen and Shane nodded.

"If we'd have been tracking all this stuff down, talking to everybody, sweating the more obvious alternate suspects like Adele and Niki, maybe even working on the Unsub creep behind your house, you know what? Maybe we'd have prevented Max's murder."

"What are you saying?" Carmen asked, although she thought she knew.

"I'm saying that Alice may have blood on her hands, after all. Her false confession that stopped the investigation may have allowed Max's murder to occur."

"Oh, my god," Carmen murmured.

"Fuck," Shane said.

"Shane," Carmen said quietly.

"Yes?"

"Even when all this is over and Alice is out of prison, we can never say this part to her. We can never say anything that suggests she's responsible for Max getting killed because she fucked up."

"Yes, I know. I mean, yes, I agree."

"Maybe she'll figure it out for herself someday, I don't know. But I'm not going to be the one to help her figure it out."

"I understand. Me, neither."

Carmen turned to Marybeth and Lauren. "Since we don't get no steenkin' badges, what's our next step?"

Lauren looked at Marybeth, who said, "I think it's time we pulled the trigger. We've deliberately avoided talking to Niki Stevens while we gathered other information and interviews. Lauren, if you agree, it's time we got her ass in here and sweated her until she's the proverbial 98-pound weakling. You know how to contact her?"

"Not exactly. But I found out who her lawyers are. All we need to do is call them and tell them to produce their client. They'll come, too, but even if we contacted Niki directly I don't see any way she consents to be interviewed without lawyering up the wazoo."

"No. So give them a call and get her in here. If they balk and say they prefer to do it in their office, tell them no. Tell them we're in the middle of an official murder investigation, and she's both a material witness as well as a suspect, and that we're going to record and film the entire interview. Tell them we'll get a warrant for her arrest if they don't agree to produce her in 24 hours."

"You think they'll buy that bluff?"

"Bluff? What bluff? I want you in front of a judge in an hour with a warrant request in your hand. If probable cause comes up, tell the judge we have bank statements indicating Stevens was a blackmail victim, and we want to know if she murdered her blackmailer."