Trent's Brass Knuckles

Thomas Trent’s brass knuckles represent the self-righteousness and pride of “big evil.” When Ramona Ramone arrives at the hospital, she shows signs of having been assaulted with brass knuckles, a particularly vicious weapon that is illegal in California. Because Ballard suspects that Ramone might be one in a number of victims, she searches the database for arrests for possession of brass knuckles and finds Thomas Trent. The brass knuckles are “part of a paraphilia—in this case, a sadomasochistic fantasy” (120). They are inscribed with Good and Evil in part because Trent, who holds racist and transphobic beliefs, believes he is fully justified in harming his victims. However, his self-righteousness is also his undoing, as Ballard confirms him as her primary suspect by identifying the lettering in Ramone’s bruises.

Heliotrope

When Ballard attempts to find Ramona Ramone’s address on the LAPD database...