We took the Santa Ana Freeway into downtown Los An-geles and then the Hollywood Freeway back out again. AgentPage drove with a kind of automatic aggressiveness, passingcars closely and frequently One cell-phone-using businessman took his other hand off the wheel long enough to give usthe finger.

Page seemed oblivious to all of this as he sped northward and told me what else he knew about the grisly doublemurder.

Both Antonia Schifman and her driver, Bruno Capaletti,had been shot somewhere between 4:00 and 5:30 in themorning. A gardener had discovered the bodies around 7:15.

Schifman's beautiful face had also been slashed with a sharp blade of some kind.

Apparently no money or other valuables had been taken. Bruno Capaletti was found withalmost two hundred dollars in his pocket, and Schifman's handbag was still in the limonext to her body. It held credit cards, diamond earrings, and more cash.

“Any prior connection between the two of them?” I asked. “Schifman and the limodriver? What do we know about the two of them?”

“The only other movie of hers Capaletti worked on was Banner Season, but he drove forJeff Bridges on that one. We're still checking the driver out, though. You ever see BannerSeason?”

“No, I didn't. How hot is the crime scene? Our people, LAPD, the media? Anything elseI should know before we arrive?”

“I haven't actually been there yet,” Page admitted. "But it's probably going to be off thecharts. I mean, it's Antonia Schifman, you know? She was a really good actress.

Supposed to be a nice lady."

“Yes, she was. It's a shame.”

“She had kids, too. Four little girls: Andi, Elizabeth, Tia, and Petra,” said Page, whoclearly liked to show off.

Minutes later, we were off the highway and driving west on Sunset. I watched as the