A Second Glance

By Tony Precopio

Its the late eighties, and Sam Horner and Mike Silvers are longtime neighbors living in the San Fernando Valley. Both are experiencing significant life changes in the form of divorces and midlife crises. They decide to move in together in a small home on the quaint shores of the Venice California canals.

In their new lives, Sam and Mike undergo a significant career change: they become private detectives. First, they must solve the mystery of who is killing pets in an affluent section of Santa Monica. Next, they are hired to resolve the issue of stolen Mercedes in a prosperous area of the San Fernando Valley. Finally, they are employed by a Santa Monica woman to discover what her husband has been concealing from her. When the man is murdered outside of a West Los Angeles bar, however, Sam and Mike find themselves taking on much more than they bargained for. As they try to keep their client safe and to determine who had killed her husband, they travel to San Francisco, where Sam encounters many ghosts of his past.

In this mystery novel, two recently divorced middle-aged men become private detectives and are soon involved in a murder investigation while protecting their client.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781491796474

Tony Precopio

Tony Precopio earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (cum laude) in Folklore and Mythology from Harvard University. He is the author of Mr. Ody: Eternal Traveler, a time-travel fantasy and Murder in Malibu, a murder mystery. Originally from Boston, he has spent much of his life living in the Malibu area. He has two grown children and currently calls the San Fernando Valley home.

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© 2016 Tony Precopio.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-9648-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-9647-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016907849

iUniverse rev. date: 07/21/2016

Contents

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Epilogue

Dedicated to my extraordinary father, Dominic Anthony Precopio, who left us in February 2016, after a very productive life; A strong character with much of a contribution to his family and friends.

Dedicated also to my considerate brother, Dominic Francis Precopio, who devoted unselfishly three years of his life, caring for our father, and preserving his health and welfare until Dad’s last days.

CHAPTER I

S am felt very uncomfortable, sitting in the bedroom of his newly established employer. It was his responsibility presently to keep a watchful eye over the woman who was on the floor adjacent to him. They were engaged in a very casual game of Scrabble and Sam was wondering how they had arrived at this locale. Sam recognized that his partner was down the hall, in a bedroom at the end of the long corridor that wound throughout the entire home. Sam could see that all the rooms were connected to this long hallway, and he knew that he had been chosen to be at the first watch and sentry for that night. Sam was actually very pleased that he was allotted the first patrol of the night. It presented him with the opportunity to get to know their new employer who had just hired him and his partner. He was rather pleased with this selection and he saw this as an excellent chance to get to know the woman, and to be able to size her up. Sam saw this woman, Mrs. Wendy Miller, as an extremely attractive woman in her early forties, and he saw her as well-dressed and in line with her lifestyle as the wife of a successful attorney on the Westside of Los Angeles.

As they continued to play on, Sam also looked around her bedroom to take in whatever information he could accumulate through his keen eye and insightful observation. He perceived that the room displayed the taste of a very wealthy couple, along with other expensive furniture such as a bed with a large canopy spread over the entire surface. Sam noticed that all the furniture was extremely elegant and he observed that the woman and her husband had obviously spent many hours shopping for the refined furnishings. He glimpsed at the makeup table with a myriad of perfumes and other items, and two large walk-in closets. Sam continued to take in as much as possible, even keeping in tune with the progress of the Scrabble game.

His employer, Mrs. Miller, had chosen the master bedroom for two specific reasons: the safety of the two would be guaranteed, in case of any dangers, that might wander into the residence, along with the comfortable setting of the room. There were pillows that were spread throughout the entire room and the atmosphere of this cozy environment was perfect for the game. Mrs. Miller had insisted that they utilize this room since it was the most secure and the most relaxing of all in the home.

With their new duties of protecting the woman, Sam agreed with Mrs. Miller that it was a good idea to stay away from the windows. Sam and his partner, Mike, had just departed from a murder scene where everything had become rapidly very perilous. Sam and Mike had become incredibly stunned by what they had observed recently outside of the bar, Strange Brew, in West Los Angeles. As newly designed private detectives, they had ascertained very quickly that one must be primed constantly for the worst. As witnesses to a murder of the husband of Mrs. Miller, both felt that the best solution was to lay low and wait out the storm. They recognized Mrs. Miller as terribly shaken by the loss of her husband. Sam understood how very difficult it was for her to concentrate on a trivial game of Scrabble.

After spending many hours of consolation with her and getting her to a more sedate condition, Sam had decided that it was best to try to divert her attention away from the reality of the situation and go with this distraction of the game of Scrabble. He was hoping she would reach a calmer state of mind and a departure from the hysteria by which she had suddenly been overcome. He was attempting his best to keeping her serene, at all costs.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside, coming from the street, Wellesley Avenue, and the squealing of brakes as an automobile was racing by. Before anyone could react, there were bullets flying through the living room windows and subsequently toward the bedroom of the Millers. Immediately, Sam moved toward the woman and pushed her away from the glaring windows, so that she could seek refuge under her bed or even in her large closet adjacent. He could see that Mrs. Miller was shaking horribly and her legs were moving in such a fast pace that she could barely keep her breath. Sam could almost hear her heart pounding and felt it as it raced, as he was trying his best to shield her from any harm by keeping her low so as to not be hit by any stray bullets. He immediately surmised that it was a shotgun as he heard many shots that rang through the home, at various places. He watched as windows were smashed and glass was shattered in all directions. Sam continued to be relentless so that the lady remained down as low as possible. He was shouting for her to remain still, quiet, and as low on the floor as viable. Sam could hear Mike running down the corridor and Mike was also shouting as he ran.

What the hell is going on? What’s happening? Someone has shot up the house and a lot of the windows?

Sam watched as Mike was pointing in the direction of all the damage and Sam just kept the woman still so that she didn’t budge for one moment.

Mike continued to shout and now hit the floor like the other two in the room.

Sam always kept a camera at his side, sometimes in a jacket pocket. He suddenly jumped up and took a photo of the car as it sped away down Wellesley Avenue. Even in the dark, with a flash bulb, he got a photo of the fleeting vehicle.

Suddenly, everything was calm again, but emotions still were elevated for all in the home.

This was the beginning of their new case as private detectives, and Sam and Mike were shocked beyond all of their expectations. Suddenly, they were thrown into a world of complete chaos. For the first time, they questioned a choice of this profession and they looked to each other for some sanity amidst all this turmoil. They found neither answers nor any relief at this early stage.

Sam Horner was a true product of the sixties and was reared during that tumultuous era. He would continue to daydream about those good old days when he was footloose and liberated. Sam had always felt out of place in the present and he was only comfortable when he could casually retrace his tracks back to that archaic decade. Sam most often couldn’t deal with or recognize the severity of present-day reality. He was just plainly a flower child of the sixties and there was no way around this burdensome fact. His appearance had not changed that much in the past twenty years, with clothes that had remained remnants of that era. He even talked as if he had never left that period. His jeans were bell-bottoms and some were even the same he had worn back in that period of time.

Sam Horner was forty-five, and definitely a direct artifact of the sixties. He was still wearing granny glasses that he brandished consistently. He also flaunted paisley shirts, many of which there were in his closet. He had become a very unsuccessful actor as he had attempted to break into the business for over twenty years. As the end of the eighties decade came to a close, he was constantly involved in trying out for just about anything he could find in any audition, but he never seemed to be able to get the break for the right part. Sam spent most of his time in the unemployment line or working as a waiter in a local restaurant. Sam experienced the other alternative of working as an extra on a film, where he was only in the background, earning minimum union scale. He was also found to be waiting for hours to audition for whatever part he could find in Variety or whatever potential role his agent could discover for him. Sam never seemed to find anything that worked for him, and, was frustrated by his many failures in life.

His wife, Meredith, on the other hand, was a very successful lawyer in a flourishing law firm in Century City that handled many a renowned celebrity in the entertainment industry. Ironically, the more his wife Meredith excelled in her respective career, the more she watched Sam drifting away from any success at all. Even though Meredith represented many a millionaire in the movie business, she was at a loss as how to assist her forlorn husband amidst his many setbacks. This ultimately led to a very discontent partner in Meredith who just wanted her husband to find some personal fulfillment.

Sam and Meredith had been married for fifteen years, as their wedding day was July 2, 1973. Meredith wanted Sam to discover a career where he could reach some personal achievement and become content. However, Meredith sensed that Sam would remain to be a lost puppy in a dog-eat-dog world where he just persisted in disappointing her with his unrealistic dreams and expectations. She watched as he could not find anything to make things work and continued to go nowhere.

As was his custom, Sam was fantasizing in his automobile as he drove up Pacific Coast Highway toward the city of Malibu, California. He had just spent a few pleasant hours at his favorite bar on the Westside, Chez Jay, in Santa Monica, a beloved and well-known watering hole for celebrities and a fortress of anonymity. Sam had spent many an hour there over the years with the intent of rubbing shoulders with some of the most famous stars in Hollywood. As was his custom, he thrived on the ride back home along the coast, choosing it religiously over the tedious drive along the freeways to the Valley. This day, he was reveling in the glorious atmosphere around him, drinking in the waves beating against the shoreline and feeling the brisk Pacific breezes pounding upon the beaches nearby. He had been there with a one of his closest actor buddies, spending a leisurely afternoon, recalling many episodes of their lives crossing paths with the major players such as Lee Marvin, and Steve McQueen. Sam and his friend cherished every moment spent in regal company of the film industry.

As he drove up Pacific Coast Highway, Sam was gazing out at the pelicans flying in formation high above him and the rest of the ongoing traffic. He was fascinated with the uniform movement of these birds and the overall graceful formation that they carried high above the highway. He was completely enraptured in the charming configuration that the nimble yet awkward creatures portrayed as they dashed away in perfect order along the highway. It was as if they were strolling along in their own fashion on a separate yet distinct freeway of air high above the meandering road below. He was awe-struck by the beauty of their procession in the towering sky above and the grace with which they all move in unison. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of the amazing sight and he could barely keep his eyes on the road.

While he returned from the Westside of Los Angeles, he headed up Pacific Coast Highway toward Topanga Canyon. He was casually moving along the highway until he saw a car attempting to make a U-turn on the road. Suddenly, he viewed the car stalling in the oncoming traffic and he watched it being violently struck by a pickup truck traveling in the opposite direction. Horrified, Sam slammed on his breaks and pulled over along the right hand shoulder. Immediately, as it was hit, Sam watched as the rear of the vehicle began to smolder and he ran toward the vehicle in trouble. He viewed the driver, a young man in his twenties, hitting the steering wheel of his car and falling forward, stuck in position by his seat belt. Sam, pulling a small jack knife that he always carried with him, courageously opened the driver door and cut the man loose from his seat belt. At this juncture, Sam experienced only the rear of the car smoldering and Sam dragged the driver to safety towards the shoulder of the opposite side of the roadway. He saw that the man had been a bit dazed by the collision and Sam tried his best to get the driver to become more alert, even though the collision had knocked the wind out of him. Sam was aware of other cars along the highway beginning to slow down and stop, attempting not to hit the same vehicle in harm’s way. Sam got the attention of the driver he pulled from the vehicle and kept him from falling off into a trance. Sam recognized that the young man appeared to be not that damaged by the crash and Sam continued to keep him from further dangers until an ambulance and paramedics arrived on the scene. Sam continued to hear a tremendous amount of noise, between the sirens of the emergency vehicles along with the large amount of passenger vehicles coming to a halt due to the accident.

Sam was grateful as the young man was whisked away by the paramedics. Sam watched from a distance and now seemed a bit dazzled by all the commotion and confusion that followed. Sam was still standing on the shoulder of the crowded highway and now displayed a very stunned look on his face. He was not totally aware of the entire amount of danger that he had just endured. He was startled now by the realization of all the peril that could have followed such a collision. He was standing still along the shoulder of the highway and he did not move a muscle for a great deal of time. Sam now seemed mesmerized as he looked both ways into the oncoming traffic and bent down to pick up a piece of one of the headlights that was lying upon the ground near him. Finally, he was approached by a sheriff who had appeared on the scene and Sam gave him his depiction of the accident and exactly what had just occurred. Finally, after the sheriff was satisfied with his description, Sam headed back to his vehicle and drove home to the San Fernando Valley.

As he veered up the highway along the coast, he turned right onto Topanga Canyon Blvd and headed toward the Valley. When he finally reached the destination of his neighborhood, he immediately looked for his neighbor, Mike Silvers, to recount the incident on PCH and relate exactly what had happened. He found neighbor Mike in his front yard, performing some yard work. Sam saw Mike mowing his lawn as he pulled in front of Mike’s home. Sam jumped out of his vehicle to recount the dangerous accident he had just encountered and told the story of the rescue of the young man and the safe results. He observed Mike listening intently, but then heard Mike interrupt his story at the end.

How are things between you and Meredith? Any better news to tell?

Mike already saw Sam shaking his head in a negative fashion and proceeded to go further with his interrogation.

So what you are telling me is that things have not improved between you and your wife? I could have only guessed that nothing has really changed and the two of you are still back in total disagreement with each other. Am I correct?

Mike watched as Sam nodded in agreement and then Sam broke into his own discourse.

Well, what about you and Debbie? Are things still on the rocks? as he was watching his friend’s reaction to his questioning. Sam saw Mike also nodding his head.

Nothing has changed. We are ending our marriage. You know how unhappy we both are.

Mike went back to his lawn mower before anything further was stated. As neighbors and close friends, both were extremely familiar with each other’s marital situation and all the obstacles that stood in the way of any matrimonial happiness. They both were resigned to take the final steps toward dissolutions of the marriages and both had already made all the arrangements and legal matters.

For Mike, he had grown unhappy for a very long time and he was looking for a significant change in his lifestyle. Mike Silvers, forty-three, was an accountant at a local CPA firm in the San Fernando Valley. He married his college sweetheart and they had been married for well over twelve years, with no children to show for their many years together.

His wife, Debbie, worked in the entertainment industry for a small production company and had done quite well over the years. As she was a producer of feature films, Debbie worked long hours and was the higher paid of the two. Her objective was to take in as many movies as possible and to keep up on the latest activity in her field. As a result, she relied heavily upon Mike to be the runner to the local video store to catch up on all the latest releases.

On the weekends, Debbie spent a good deal of time readings scripts that were presented to her company. While watching whatever movie Mike would bring home, she would also be glancing at countless scripts that were coming her way. Even though her company relied heavily upon readers who were constantly reviewing script after script, the volume of submissions required her also to be evaluating as many as possible. Debbie was constantly searching for new films so that she could keep up with the latest competition.

Mike provided her with many to view. At first, Mike didn’t mind his task as a