Hotline to Murder

we’ll go talk to my mother and tell her what we’re going to do. I’ll live with her decision. If she says I can’t go, I won’t go. If she says yes, then you’ve got to take me.”
    Tony was astonished. “You’re willing to do that? Introduce me to your mother and abide by her decision? There’s no way she is going to say yes.”
    “Then you’re off the hook.”
    “All right.” Tony found that he was looking forward to meeting Shahla’s mother. And being a mother, of course she wouldn’t let Shahla go. What kind of a mother would she be if she did? So it was settled. Curiously, Tony found that he wasn’t completely happy with the result. While he was wondering about that, the phone rang.
    “Central Hotline. Tony speaking.”
    “Hi, Tony, this is Rick. I don’t know if I talked to you before. I called about three months ago.”
    “I’m not sure, Rick.” Of course he hadn’t been on the line three months ago, but he didn’t want to sound negative.
    “Anyway, whoever I talked to helped me. I had just come here from Nebraska and needed a job bad. He told me to go to this place in Santa Monica called Chrysalis. They help homeless people get back in the job market. Well, I wasn’t homeless, but close to it. So, anyway, I went there. I walked in and hadn’t even registered when I met a guy in the lobby. He said he was looking for heavy equipment operators. Man, that’s what I do.”
    “So he gave you a job?”
    “Yeah. Now I’m making more money than I ever made in my life. I brought my wife and kids here. Now we’re going to take a trip back to Nebraska to visit the family.”
    “That’s wonderful, Rick.” It was nice to get positive feedback from a caller.
    “My wife said I should show my appreciation by donating some money to a good cause. Do you have any suggestions?”
    “Well, you can make a donation to the Hotline. We rely on donations to keep us operating.”
    Tony gave the address of the Hotline post office box to Rick. When he hung up, he was elated. He told Shahla, “I’m going to write this up and put it on the board so everyone can see it.”
    Several hang ups and several calls later, Shahla signaled that she had the Chameleon on the line. Tony knew from checking the call reports of other listeners that the Chameleon was still calling the Hotline on a regular basis, using different aliases, but nothing new had been learned about him. And as far as Tony knew, Detective Croyden hadn’t been able to track him down.
    Shahla put him on the speaker. He was saying, “…step-mom just circumcised me. She’s a doctor.”
    “How old are you?” Shahla asked. She was playing along with him.
    “Fifteen. But when she did, I got an erection.”
    The voice could be that of a teenager. Or of somebody impersonating a teenager. But Shahla was sure it was the Chameleon.
    “That must have been embarrassing for you.”
    “Yes, of course it was. She’s married to my dad.”
    There was a pause. Tony had discussed the Chameleon with Shahla and she had agreed not to attempt to meet him. She would stick to trying to pinpoint his location. The dead air continued. He wasn’t exactly voluble tonight.
    Shahla broke the silence saying, “For our records, could you tell me where you’re calling from?”
    More silence. Then, “El Segundo.”
    At least he was consistent in that regard. Shahla said, “I love El Segundo. There’s a cute little shop on Main Street that sells imported knickknacks. I bought some dolls there that nest, one inside the other.”
    Shahla had probably never stopped in El Segundo in her life. She had just driven through it to points north. El Segundo wasn’t a destination. Tony had told her about it, in case this very situation occurred.
    “They’re called matroshka ,” the Chameleon said. “That means ‘little mother.’”
    “You are so lucky to live in a place like El Segundo. Do you live near that store?”
    Silence. Tony and Shahla looked at each other. Tony put his finger to his lips. Outwait him. Maybe he would give something away.
    “I pass it on my walks.”
    “When do you walk?”
    “In the afternoon.”
    “After school?”
    “When I…. Listen, I have to go.”
    He hung up.
    “I think he was about to say, ‘When I go to work.’” Shahla said.
    “He broke character,” Tony said. “He forgot who he was today. That may be useful. Write it up and…”
    “Pass it on to Detective Croyden.”
    “Right.”
    “I knew you were going to say