Serpentine
- Автор: Келлерман Джонатан
- Серия: Alex Delaware #36
- Год: 2021
- Язык: английский
- Год: Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books
- ISBN: 978-0-525-61855-3
- Жанр: Криминальные детективы
Электронная книга - «Serpentine». Краткое содержание книги:
This murder warrants an immediate call. Milo’s independence has been compromised as never before, as the department pressures him to cater to the demands of a mogul: a hard-to-fathom, megarich young woman who is obsessed with reopening the coldest of cases — the decades-old death of the mother she never knew.
The facts describe a likely loser: a mysterious woman found with a bullet in her head in a torched Cadillac that has overturned on infamously treacherous Mulholland Drive. No physical evidence, no witnesses, no apparent motive. And a slew of detectives have already worked the case and failed. But as Delaware and Sturgis begin digging, the mist begins to lift. Too many coincidences. Facts turn out to be anything but. And as they soon discover, very real threats lurking in the present.
This is Delaware/Sturgis at their best: traversing the beautiful but forbidding place known as Los Angeles and exhuming the past in order to bring a vicious killer to justice.
“This feels like a turning point.”
A white Benz coupe screeched to within inches of the Seville’s rear bumper. The driver’s door swung open, a woman got out, saw Milo, and stomped forward, arms swinging.
Forties, short blond hair, a chin that led the way.
She wore a knee-length plum-colored coat over a matching dress and shoes, pearls, heels, full makeup. None of that detracted from the image of an infantry soldier marching to battle.
She stopped within inches of Milo’s face. All that was missing was the tire squeal.
“What happened?”
Milo said, “Dr. Delaware, this is Deputy Chief Martz.”
Martz looked at me as if I was a flu-carrier who’d broken quarantine. Back to Milo. “What. Happened.”
He told her.
She said, “When you decided to take the case on you were supposed to be careful.”
“I decided?”
“Who else?” said Martz. “This is the era of modern policing. No one forces anything on anyone.”
“Except for the criminals,” said Milo. “Oh, yeah, not always that, either.”
“Cut the humor, irrelevant,” said Martz. “Any way you cut it, tonight’s outing was at your behest. And now we’ve got a DB.”
“Who was a prime suspect in multiple murders.”
“So you say. I’m expecting backup and verification of any fact you purport to be in possession of. Understood?”
“And comprehended.”
Martz said, “I’m not talking your usual level of data memorialization. Details.”
“Got it.”
She looked up the street. “What a disaster. Does Ernie Arredondo know about his daughter?”
“Not from me,” said Milo.
“You didn’t think to inform him?”
“My concern has been preserving the scene and making sure Officer Arredondo and Detective Bogomil are okay psychologically.”
Martz turned to me. “You came here to certify their mental health?”
I said, “I’m sure Hollywood Pres will do a thorough job. I know the psych staff, if you’d like I can liaison.”
“Why are you here, Doctor?”
“I’ve been consulted on the case.”
“Have you... well, we’ll go over all of this once the full data set is in place. In the meantime, Lieutenant, the officer-involved team will be assigned and you’ll both be cooperating with them fully.”
Milo said, “Dr. Delaware wasn’t involved.”
“Really?” said Martz. “He just said he’s your consultant — uh-uh, no more debate.” Martz looked at the dark van. “Nine shots? Really?”
“He was armed and dangerous. No sense taking chances.”
“Of someone surviving.”
“He was out to kill both of them.”
“So you say.”
“So I do,” said Milo. “Far as I’m concerned she’s a hero. Do you see it differently?”
Martz’s chin edged farther into his personal space. “I’m not here to answer questions. I was at a bar association dinner, had to leave just before my husband’s speech.”
“So sorry.”
No sarcasm in his tone; a feat of acting. Martz studied his face, anyway, hoping to pick out a shred of insolence. Failing, she settled for a withering glance.
Milo said, “What was the speech about?”
“Eminent domain, Ismail’s a specialist in land-use law — what’s the difference.” Another glance at the scene. “Nine bullets.”
“How many times have you had to actively fire your weapon, ma’am?”
Martz blinked hard, rocked back on her heels. “No times. Not that it’s your concern but I view that as a testament to good judgment.”
“I’m sure it is, ma’am, but it’s tough to be in someone else’s shoes unless...”
“So,” she said, “when can we hope to wrap up your little adventure with Ms. Barker?”
“We’re getting there.”
“How much longer?”
“Hopefully a few days.”
“Hopefully,” said Martz. “Empty word.”
She turned, sped back to her car, backed up, roared away.
Milo grinned. He’d stopped sweating. Inert jaw. The racing neck pulse was gone.
I said, “The power of fantasy.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re thinking about all sorts of unpleasant ends for her and it’s kicked in your parasympathetic nervous system and mellowed you out.”
“Moi? Engaging in cruel and vindictive and bloodthirsty thoughts? Perish the notion.” He chuckled. Welcome sound.
As I got in the Seville, he said, “Be nice, though, if some other perishing would go down.”
Chapter 41
Milo had expected a warrant by noon Tuesday but the day passed without my hearing from him. Probably tied up with the shooting board.
When radio silence stretched to Wednesday, I began to wonder if complications had set in. Bureaucracy’s like untreated cancer: Once it takes hold, it ravages.
I searched for media coverage of Du Galoway’s shooting, was surprised to find nothing but a page-32 squib in the Times about “the death of a gun-wielding felony suspect.”
The department pulling up the drawbridge. That said nothing about how it would treat Jen Arredondo, Alicia, and Milo.
Wednesday at nine forty p.m., he finally called.
“I was starting to wonder.”
“Yeah, it’s been interesting. As in a pain. Fortunately, once we got through the bullshit, the people assigned to evaluate turned out to be sane and the kid’s connections didn’t hurt.”
“Dad’s well thought of.”
“Big-time. Top of that, Mom’s a dispatcher at Hollenbeck, there’s a brother in Burbank PD, and an uncle is a robbery D in Saugus.”
I said, “Police aristocracy.”
He said, “Nothing like blue blood when you need a transfusion. What also helped was I told them about Galoway’s lies, what he was suspected of. Nothing pisses off good cops more than bad cops. So no doubt about the kid being ruled justified. I managed to put in for the phone subpoena, no guarantee when the data dump will come in. In terms of the warrant for the house, you know how it is: time-limited so I waited until today to apply, just got it. Moe’s been checking out Galoway’s street, no movement, I’m starting to think she’s somewhere else. The goal is to enter the house Friday morning, planning session’s tomorrow. Nine work for you?”
“Tied up until ten, I can be there by twenty after.”
“Then that’s when we’ll start.”
The whiteboards were filled with the same shots of Galoway’s street and house. Galoway’s DMV photo had been removed.
In the first row was an empty chair for me, flanked by Milo, Reed, and Sean Binchy returned from vacation and sporting a sunburn.
A couple of years ago I’d saved Sean’s life. Terrifying near-miss as a psychopath tried to toss him off a skyscraper. Tough thing to come to grips with but for the most part, we’d dealt. Still, sometimes he avoided eye contact.
This morning he waved and smiled. Let’s hear it for sand and surf.
In the second row sat six uniformed officers from the SWAT team, the lieutenant a six-four, brush-cut, heavy-jawed stereotype named Mackleroy Bain.
Milo had prepped them. They stood, nodded, shook my hand.
Bain was the last to greet me, smiling warmly and offering just enough pressure in his grip to imply power. “Really great to meet you, Dr. Delaware. You taught my wife in grad school.”
Soft, boyish voice.
I said, “Who’s that?”
“Laurie Trabuco.”
“Great student.”
“She had wonderful things to say about your seminar,” said Bain. “Got her Ph.D. last year, works for the V.A. Long Beach doing PTSD therapy.”
“That’s terrific. Give her my best.”