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Hangman
Faye Kellerman
For Jonathan—the complete man, from A to Z And for Lila and Oscar—hugs and kisses
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Also by Faye Kellerman
Copyright
About the Publisher
CHAPTER ONE
THE PICTURES HAD photographed her swollen, battered, and bruised—a puffy lip, two black eyes, a bloated and bright face. Decker found it nearly impossible to reconcile those snapshots with the remarkable-looking woman who sat before him. Terry had changed in the fifteen years. She had morphed from a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl to an elegant, stunning woman. Age had turned her face softer and rounder with the fragile exquisiteness of a Victorian cameo. His eyes traveled from the picture to her face. He raised an eyebrow.
“Pretty bad, huh?” she said.
“Your husband certainly did a number on you.” If Decker squinted hard enough at her face, he could see remnants of the thrashing—a greenish tinge in certain spots. “And these pictures are around six weeks old?”
“Around.” She shifted her position on the sofa. “The body is a wondrous thing. I used to see miracles all the time.”
Being a doctor, Terry would know that information firsthand. How she managed to go through medical school and raise a kid while married to that maniac was a testament to her strength of character. It was hard to see her beaten down like this.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this? Meeting him here in L.A.?”
“I put it off about as long as I could,” Terry said. “It really doesn’t make sense to hide. If Chris wants to find me, he will. And it’s not me that I’m worried about. It’s Gabe. If he gets pissed off enough, he may take it out on him. I need to get him to adulthood, Lieutenant, before I make any decisions about myself.”
“How old is Gabe?”
“Chronologically, he’s about four months from fifteen. Psychologically, he’s an old man.”
Decker nodded. They were sitting in an elegantly furnished hotel suite in Bel Air, California. The color scheme was a soothing tone-on-tone beige. There was a stocked wet bar off the entry and a marble countertop for mixing drinks. Terry had curled up on the divan opposite a stone fireplace. He was sitting on her left in a wing chair with a view of the private patio lushly planted with ferns, palms, and flowers—an oasis for the wounded soul. “What makes you think that you’ll last until Gabe turns eighteen?”
Terry gave the question some thought. “You know how cool and calculating my husband is. This was the first time that he ever laid a hand on me.”
“So what happened?”
“A misunderstanding.” She looked at the ceiling, avoiding Decker’s eyes. “He found some medical papers and thought I had an abortion. After I finally got him to stop hitting me and listen, he realized that he had misread the name. The abortion had been for my half sister.”
“He confused the name Melissa with Teresa.”
“We have the same middle name. I’m Teresa Anne. She’s Melissa Anne. It’s stupid but my father is stupid. I still use McLaughlin, like my half sister, because it’s on all my diplomas and licenses. He misread the names and he snapped. Not that he cares about children, but the thought of my destroying his progeny made him unglued. I’m just thankful there wasn’t a gun within reach.” She shrugged.
Decker said, “Why did you marry him, Terry?”
“He wanted it official. I could hardly tell him no since he was supporting us. I could have never finished medical school without his money.” She paused. “Mostly he leaves Gabe and me alone. He buries himself in work or booze or drugs or other women. Gabe and I are adept at maneuvering around him. Our interactions are neutral and sometimes pleasant. He’s generous and knows how to be charming when he wants something. I give him what he wants and all is well.”
“Except when it isn’t.” Decker held up the photographs. “What exactly do you want me to do, Doctor?”
“I’ve agreed to see him, Lieutenant, not to go back to him. At least, not right away. I don’t know how he’ll take the news. Since I can’t escape him, I want him to agree to a temporary separation. Not a marriage separation—that wouldn’t settle well—just for him to agree to give me a little more time to be by myself.”
“How much more time?”
“Thirty years, maybe.” Terry smiled. “Actually, I’d like to move back to L.A. until Gabe finishes high school. I found a house to rent in Beverly Hills. I not only have to get Chris to agree to the separation, but I want him to pay for everything.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“Watch me.” She smiled. “He’s trained me, but I’ve also trained him.”
“And yet you feel the need for protection.”
“You deal with a feral animal, anything can happen. It’s good to take precautions.”
“There are a lot of younger, stronger men than me, guys that would probably do a better job at guarding you.”
“Oh please! Chris could take any of them down. He’s more…careful around you. He respects you.”
“He shot me.”
“If he wanted to kill you, he would have.”
“I know that,” Decker said. “He wanted to prove who was boss.” He blew out air. “More important, Chris likes shooting people. In plugging me, he got a two-for-one.”
Terry looked down. “He’s boasted that you’ve asked him for favors. Is that true?”
Decker grinned. “I ask him for information now and then. I’ll use any sources I can to help me get a solve.” He regarded her face—her milky complexion, hazel-gold eyes, and long chestnut-colored hair. There were a few strands of gray peeking through, the only sign that her life had been a pressure cooker. She was wearing a loose, sleeveless maxidress—something silky with geometric patterns in orange, green, and yellow. Her bare feet stuck out of the hemline. “When’s he due in town?”
“I told him to come by the hotel on Sunday at noon. I figured that would be a good time for you.”
“Where will your son be when all this goes down?”
“He’s at UCLA in one of the practice rooms. Gabe has a cell. If he needs me, he’ll call. He’s very independent. He’s had to be.” Her eyes were faraway. “He’s so good…the polar opposite of his father. Given his upbringing, he should have been in rehab at least a couple of times by now. Instead he’s hypermature. It worries me. There’s so much inside of him that’s been left unsaid. He really does deserve better.” She brought her hands to her mouth and blinked back tears. “Thanks so much for helping me out.”
“Make sure I do something before you thank me.” Decker checked his watch. He was due home a half hour ago. “Okay, Terry, I’ll come on Sunday. But you’ve got to do it my way. I’ve got to think of a plan, how I want this meeting to take place. First and foremost, you have to wait in the bedroom until I’ve cleared him. Then you can come out.”
“That’s fine.”
“Also, you have to tell Gabe not to come home until you’ve given him an all-clear signal okay. I don’t want him popping in the middle of a sticky situation.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
The room was silent for a few moments. Then Terry stood up. “Thanks so much, Lieutenant. I hope the payment is okay?”
“It’s more than okay. It’s very generous.”
“One thing about Chris—he’s very expansive. If I offered you anything less, he’d be insulted.”
DECKER SAID, “LOOK, if you don’t want me to do it, I won’t.”
“Of course I don’t want you to do it,” Rina answered. “He shot you, for God’s sake!”
“So I’ll call her up and say no.”
“A little late for that, don’t you think.” Rina got up from the dining-room table and began to clear the brunch dishes—two plates and two glasses. Hannah rarely ate with them anymore. She’d be starting seminary in Israel in the fall. With three months left of high school, she was as good as gone.
Decker followed his wife into the kitchen. “Tell me what you want?” When Rina turned on the faucet, he said, “I’ll wash.”
“No, I’ll wash.”
“Better yet, why don’t you use the dishwasher?”
“For two plates?”
Counting all the glasses, utensils, and pots and pans, it was a lot more than that, but he didn’t argue. “I should have consulted you before I agreed. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not looking for apologies. I’m concerned for your safety. He’s a hit man, Peter.”
“He’s not going to kill me.”
“Don’t you always tell me that domestic are the most dangerous situations because emotions get hot?”
“They do if you’re not prepared.”
“You don’t think your presence will inflame the state of affairs?”
“It could. But if she doesn’t have anyone around, it could be worse.”
“So let her hire some other body. Why does it have to be you?”
“She thinks I have the best chance of defusing Chris’s temper.”
“ ‘Defusing’ is the right word,” Rina said. “The man’s a bomb!” She shook her head and turned on the tap. Silently, she handed Decker the first dish.
“Thanks for brunch. The salmon Benedict was a real treat.”
“Every man deserves a last meal.”
“That’s not funny.”
Rina gave him another dish. “If anything happens to you, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Understood.”
“I don’t care what happens to her. I’m sure she’s a nice woman, but she got herself into this mess.” Rina felt anger rising. “Why do you have to get her out of it? Her asking you for help is chutzpadik.”
“It’s like she’s imprinted on me.” Decker put the dish away and put his hands on her shoulders. The tips of her black hair brushed against her shoulders, giving her face a breezy look. Rina was anything but. Intense, focused, task-oriented…those were the appropriate adjectives. “I’ll call her and tell her no.”
“You can’t do that now, Peter. He’s due to show up in a couple of hours. Plus if you backed out, you’d look like a wuss to Chris and that’s the worst thing you can do. You’re stuck.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. He was tall and big, but so was Donatti. “I think I should go with you.”
“Not a chance. I’d rather back out.”
“He likes me.”
“Precisely why he’d be tempted to shoot me. He has a crush on you.”
“He doesn’t have a crush on me—”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
“Well, then at least let me ride over with you into the city. You can drop me off to visit my parents.”
“I can do that.” Decker looked at the kitchen clock. “Leave the mess. I’ll get it when I come back.”
“You’re leaving now?”
“I want to set up the room before he arrives.”
“Fine. I’ll go get my purse. Call me when you’re done and everything’s okay.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Rina brushed him off. “Isn’t marriage about promising to love, honor, and obey?”
“Something like that,” Decker told her. “And if I must brag, I’d say I’ve been pretty good with my vows.”
“Pretty good at the first two,” Rina admitted. “It’s the third that seems to trip you up.”
CHAPTER TWO
STRAIGHT OUT OF a Diego Rivera painting, he showed up with an enormous bouquet of calla lilies that took up most of his upper body. Size for size, Decker matched every inch of Christopher Donatti’s six-foot four-inch frame.
“You shouldn’t have.” Before Chris could register surprise, Decker took the flowers, tossed them on the marble counter near the door, and then turned him around, pushing him until he was flat against the wall. Decker’s movements were hard and rapid. He pressed the nose of his Beretta into the base of the man’s skull. “Sorry, Chris, but she just doesn’t completely trust you right now.”
Donatti said nothing as Decker patted him down. The man was packing good-quality pieces: the tools of his trade. He had an S&W automatic in his belt and a small .22-caliber Glock pistol in a hidden compartment in his boot. With his own standard-issue Beretta still at Donatti’s neck, Decker picked his pocket, tossing his wallet on the counter. He told him to take off his shoes, his belt, and his watch.
“My watch?”
“You know how it is, Chris. Everything these days is micro-mini. Who knows what you’re hiding inside?”
“It’s a Breguet.”
“I don’t know what that is, but it sounds expensive.” Decker relieved him of the gold timepiece. It was incredibly heavy. “I’m not stealing it. I’m just checking it out.”
“It’s a skeleton watch. Open up the back and you can see the movement.”
“Hmm…it’s not going to explode on me, is it?”
“It’s a watch, not a weapon.”
“In your hands, everything’s a weapon.”
Donatti didn’t deny that. Decker told him to keep his hands up and his body against the wall. He slowly backed up a few inches to give himself some room. With an eye on his hands at all times, Decker began to remove the ammo from Donatti’s guns.
“You can turn around but keep your hands up.”
“You’re the boss.”
He rotated his body until they were face-to-face. Stripped of his weapons, Chris seemed impassive. There was flatness in his eyes; blue without any luminosity. It was impossible to tell if he was angry or amused.
One thing was certain. Chris had seen better days. His skin was patchy and wan and his forehead was a pebble garden of pimples. He’d grown out his hair from the crew cut he had sported a half-dozen years ago; the last time Decker had seen him in the flesh. It was brushed straight back, Count Dracula style, and trimmed to the bottom of his ears. He was still built lanky but with bigger arms than Decker had remembered. He had dressed up for the reunion, wearing a blue polo shirt, charcoal gabardine pants, and Croc boots.
“I’m starting to get a little pain in my arms.”
“Lower them slowly.”
He did. “Now what?”
“Take a seat. Move slowly. When you move slowly, I move slowly. If you rush me, I shoot first and ask questions later.” When Donatti started to sit on the chair, Decker stopped him. “On the sofa, please.”
Donatti cooperated and plopped down on the cushions. Decker tossed him his watch. He caught it one-handed and placed it back on his wrist. “Is she even here?”
“She’s in the bedroom.”
“That’s a start. Is she coming out?”
“When I give her the okay, she’ll come out.”
“Where’s Gabe?”
“He’s not here,” Decker said.
“That’s probably better.” Donatti dropped his head in his hands. He resurfaced a moment later. “I suppose your being here makes sense.”
“Thanks for your approval.”
“Look. I’m not going to do anything.”
“Why the armory, then?”
“I always pack. Can I talk to my wife now?”
Decker stood at the marble countertop of the hotel bar, the Beretta still in his hands. “A couple of ground rules. Number one: you stay seated the entire time. Don’t approach her in any way, shape, or form. And no sudden movements. It makes me jumpy.”
“Agreed.”
“Mind your mouth and your manners and I’m sure everything will go swimmingly.”
“Yeah…sure.” His voice was a whisper.
“You look a little pale. You want some water?” He opened the bar. “Something stronger?”
“Whatever.”
“Macallan, Chivas, Glenfiddich—”
“Glenfiddich neat.” A moment later, Decker handed him a crystal cut glass with a healthy dose of Scotch. Donatti took a delicate sip and then drank a finger’s worth. “Thanks. This helps.”
“You’re welcome.” Decker regarded the man. “Your color’s coming back.”
“I haven’t had a drink all day.”
“It’s only twelve in the afternoon.”
“It’s almost happy hour New York time. I didn’t want her to think I’m weak. But I am.” Another sip. “She knows I’m weak. What the fuck!”
“Watch your mouth.”
“If my mouth was my only problem, I’d be in good shape.” He handed Decker his empty glass.
“Another?” When Donatti shook his head, Decker closed the cabinet. “What happened?”
“What happened is I’m an idiot.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
“I’ve always had reading comprehension problems.”
“You’re missing a crucial element here, Chris. You don’t use your wife as a punching bag even if she did have an abortion.”
“I didn’t punch her, I hit her.”
“That’s not acceptable either.”
Donatti rubbed his forehead. “I know that. I’m just correcting you because I knew I was using an open hand. If I would have punched her, she’d be dead.”
“So you were aware that you were beating the shit out of her?”
“It’s never happened before, it won’t happen again.”
“And she should believe you because…”
“I can count the number of times I’ve lost my temper on one hand. Look, I know she’s scared, but she doesn’t have to be. It was just…” As he started to get up from the couch, Decker waved the gun in his face. He sat back down. “Can I see my wife, please?”
“At least, this time you said please.” Decker stared at him. “Let me ask you a couple of theoretical questions. What if she doesn’t want to talk to you?”
“She wouldn’t have agreed to meet with me if she didn’t want to talk to me.”
“Maybe she just didn’t want to tell you over the phone. That would give you time to plan something dangerous and probably stupid.”
“Is that what she said?” Donatti looked up.
“How about if I ask the questions?”
“I’m not planning anything. I was an idiot. It won’t happen again. Just let me see my wife, okay.”
“What if she doesn’t want to see you anymore? What if she asks for a divorce?”
“Don’t know.” Donatti kneaded his hands together. “I haven’t thought about it.”
“It would piss you off, right?”
“Probably.”
“What would you do?”
“Nothing with you around.” His eyes finally sparked life. “Decker, she’s not going to ask me for a divorce—at least not now—because, first and foremost, I’ve got enough money to engage her in a very expensive and protracted legal battle for Gabe. It would be easier for her just to wait me out until he’s eighteen, and Terry is nothing if not practical. I’ve got another three and a half years before I have to confront this issue. I’d like to see Terry now.”
He was panting. Decker said, “Another Scotch?”
“No.” Donatti shook his head. “I’m fine.” He took in a deep breath and let it out. “I’m ready when you are.”
Decker gave him a hard look. “I’ll be watching your every move.”
“Fine. I won’t move. My butt is glued to the chair. Can we get on with it?”
There was no sense putting off the inevitable. Decker called out her name. He had placed Terry’s chair to the side so he had a clear path from the barrel of his gun to Donatti’s brain. Not that he really expected a shoot-’em-up, but Decker was a Boy Scout and a cop and always tried to be prepared. Terry had curled her legs under her long dress, but her posture was erect and regal. Again, she was sleeveless, her long tanned arms adorned with several bangles. Her eyes were on Donatti’s face even though he was the one who had trouble meeting her gaze.
“You look good,” he told her.
“Thank you.”
“How do you feel?”
“Okay.”
“How’s Gabe?”
“He’s fine.”
Donatti exhaled and looked up at the ceiling. Then he focused on her face. “What can I do for you?”
“Interesting question,” she told him. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”
He scratched his cheek. “I’ll do anything.”
“Can I quote you on that?” Before he could answer, she said, “I’m not ready to come back with you.”
Donatti folded his hands in his lap. “Okay. Are you ever going to be ready?”
“Possibly…probably. Just not now.”
“Okay.” Chris glanced at Decker. “Could we get a little privacy, please?”
“Not gonna happen.” Decker held up the flowers. “He brought you these.”
Terry glanced at the lilies. “I’ll call for a vase later.” To Chris, she said, “They’re lovely. Thank you.”
Donatti fidgeted. “So…when do you think…I mean how much longer do you want to stay here?”
“In California or here in the hotel?”
“I was thinking away from me, but yeah, how much longer are you going to be here, too.”
“I don’t know.”
“A month? Two months?”
“Longer than that.” She licked her lips.
“That’s getting a little on the expensive side. I mean, not that I’m begrudging you the money…”
“It is expensive,” Terry said. “I want to rent a house. Technically you’d be renting it. I saw one that I’d like. I’m just waiting for you to write the check.”
Decker was amazed at how confidently she spoke, daring him to deny her anything.
“Where?” Donatti asked.
“Beverly Hills. Where else?”
As she started to stand, Decker said, “What can I get for you?”
“I’m a little thirsty.”
“You sit back down. What would you like?”
“Pellegrino, no ice.”
“Not a problem. What about you, Chris?”
“Same.”
“Give him a Scotch,” Terry said.
“I’m fine, Terry.”
“Did I say you weren’t?” she snapped back. “Give him a Scotch.”
Donatti threw up his hands. Decker said, “No problem just as long as both of you stay put.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Donatti said testily. As soon as the Scotch reached his lips, he seemed to calm down. “So…tell me about this house that I’m renting.”
“It’s in an area called the Flats, which is prime real estate here. It’s twelve thousand a month—about as minimal as it gets for that neighborhood. It needs a little work, but it’s certainly live-in ready. The main reason I chose Beverly Hills was for the school district, which is a good one.”
“No problem,” Donatti said. “Whatever you want.”
Judging by this conversation, it would seem that Terry was in control of the relationship. Maybe she was most of the time. Obviously most didn’t equate to all.
Donatti said, “Do I get a key?”
“Of course you get a key. You’re renting it.”
“And how long do you intend to live out here…in the house that I’m renting?”
“Usually leases are for a year.”
“That’s a long time.”
Terry leaned forward. “Chris, I’m not asking for a legal separation just a physical one. After what happened, that’s the least you can do.”
“I’m not arguing with you, Terry, I’m just trying to get an idea of how long. If you want a year, take a year. It’s about you, not me.”
She was silent. Then she said, “You’ll know where I am, you’ll have a key to the house. Come whenever you want. I’m not going anywhere. Fair enough?”
“More than fair.” Donatti forced his lips upward. “It’s not bad for me to have a hitching post on the West Coast anyway. It’s probably a good idea.”
“So I did you a favor.”
“I wouldn’t say that. Twelve thousand a month. How big is this sucker?”
Terry gave him a smile—a cross between humor and flirtatiousness. “It has four bedrooms, Chris. I think we can work something out.”
Donatti’s smile turned genuine. “Okay.” He took a sip of his booze, then laughed. “Okay. If that’s what you want…fine. Maybe you’ll actually miss me when I’m gone.”
“You can dream.”
“Very funny.”
“Are you hungry?” Terry’s eyes ran up and down his body. “You lost weight.”
“I’ve been a little anxious.”
“How would you know what anxiety feels like?”
Donatti looked at Decker, his eyes unreadable. “The girl’s a wit.”
“Are you hungry, Chris?” Terry asked him.
“I could eat.”
“They have a world-class restaurant.” She glanced at a diamond wristwatch sitting among her gold bracelets. “It’s open. I wouldn’t mind something.”
“Great.” He started to stand, but then looked at Decker. “Can I get up without you shooting me?”
“Go down to the restaurant and get something for the two of you, Chris. Get a table next door for me. We’ll catch up with you in a minute.”
Donatti’s expression turned sour. “We’ll be in a public place, Decker. Nothing’s going to happen. How about a little privacy?”
“I’ll be sitting at another table,” Decker said. “Whisper if you don’t want me to hear. Go ahead. We’ll meet you there.”
Donatti rolled his eyes. “Do I get my steel back?”
“Eventually,” Decker said.
“You can keep the ammo, just give me the pieces.”
“Eventually.”
“What do you think I’m going to do? Coldcock you?”
“I wasn’t even thinking along those lines, but now that you mention it, you are unpredictable.”
He turned to Terry. “Do you care if I pack?”
“It’s up to him,” Terry said.
“They’re worthless without ammo.” When Decker didn’t reply, Chris said, “C’mon. It would show good faith. All I’m asking for is what’s mine.”
“I hear you, Chris.” Decker opened the door. “But you can’t always get what you want.”
The two men faced off. Then Donatti shrugged. “Whatever.” He swaggered through the door without looking back.
Decker shook his head. “That’s one icy dude.” He regarded Terry. “You handled him very well.”
“I hope so. At the very least, it’ll buy me some time to think.”
Decker noticed she was shaking. “Are you all right, Terry?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little…” Perspiration dripped from her forehead. She wiped her face with a tissue. “You know what they say, Lieutenant.” Nervous laughter. “Never let them see you sweat.”
CHAPTER THREE
AS LONG AS Decker was in the city—about twenty miles from his front door—Rina made reservations to meet for dinner at one of the many kosher restaurants along Pico Boulevard. They left her parents’ house at six, and a half hour later, they were in a booth, sipping glasses of Côtes du Rhône. Although Peter wasn’t a big talker, tonight he seemed unusually subdued, so Rina was happy to carry on the bulk of the conversation. Maybe Peter was hungry. She figured he’d join in when the mood hit. But even after polishing off his rib steak, fries, and salad, he remained quiet.
“What’s going on inside that cranium of yours?” Rina finally asked.
“Nothing.” “I don’t believe you.”
“See, that’s where you females mess up. Whenever we men don’t talk, you ascribe it to some deep inner meditation we’re having with ourselves. In my case, I was thinking about dessert—whether it was worth the calories.”
“If you’d like, we can split something.”
“Which means I eat ninety percent.”
“How about we forgo the desert and just have some coffee. You look a little beat.”
“Do I?” Decker stroked his red-and-gray mustache as if he was thinking of something profound. While his facial hair still retained some of its youthful, fiery color, his head hair was more white than orange, but there was still plenty of it.
He smiled at his wife. Rina had changed to a deep purple satin dress that she kept in her mother’s closet. Although she was way too religious to ever show cleavage, the neckline did accentuate her lovely throat. He had given her a pair of two-carat diamond studs for her forty-fifth birthday and she wore them every chance she got. He loved to see her in expensive things, even though with his paycheck, that didn’t happen very often. “I guess I am a little tired.”
“Then let’s just go home.”
“No, no. I could use a cup of coffee.”
“Okay.” Rina touched his hands. “You’re not just tired, you’re bothered. What happened this afternoon?”
“I told you. Everything went smoothly.”
“And yet you remain perplexed.”
Decker chose his words. “When she talked to him…she appeared confident…clearly in control.”
“Maybe she was with you around.”
“I’m sure there was some of that. And he was contrite, so she had a certain amount of free rein. I don’t know, Rina. She was bossy almost. When they had lunch, she did most of the talking.”
“You could hear them?”
“I could see them. She clearly dominated their conversation.”
“Maybe when she gets nervous, she talks.”
“Could be. Before we met him for lunch, we spoke a few minutes. All of a sudden she started shaking and broke out in a cold sweat.”
“So there you go.”
“But there was something else, Rina. If I didn’t know any of the backstories, I would have sworn she was acting flirtatious at lunch—downright sexy. Something was strange.”
“What’s so strange? She likes him.”
“He beat her up six weeks ago.”
“She knows what he is and there’s still something about him that she finds attractive. She makes poor choices. That’s what got her into the situation to begin with. No one told her that she had to visit him in jail and have sex with him without birth control.”
“She’s not a stupid girl, Rina. She’s a conscientious mother and she’s an emergency care physician.”
“Like all of us, she has positive aspects and some blind spots. In Terry’s case, her weaknesses are harmful.” She leaned forward. “But like I said this morning, Peter, this isn’t our problem. You were hired help. She paid you money and you did your job. How about letting go?”
“You’re right.” Decker sat up and kissed her hand. “We’re out to dinner and you deserve a noncomatose husband.”
“How about some coffee now?”
“Coffee would be great!” Decker grinned. “I’d even go for dessert.”
“How about the peach pie?”
“Peach pie, it is. Dare we order it with vanilla ice cream or whatever frozen concoction they make up to simulate the real deal?”
Rina smiled. “Sure, let’s go crazy.”
THE CELL PHONE went off just as the car had crested the 405 freeway and began to dip into the San Fernando Valley. Mountains on either side made reception spotty. Since Decker was driving, Rina took the phone from his coat pocket.
“If it’s Hannah, tell her we’ll be home in about twenty minutes.”
“It’s not Hannah. I don’t recognize the number.” She depressed the on button. “Hello?”
There was silence on the other side. For a moment Rina thought she lost the party, but then she saw that the phone hadn’t disconnected.
“Hello?” she tried again. “Can I help you?”
“Who is it?” Decker asked. When she shrugged, he said, “Just hang up.”
“Sorry.” The voice was male. He cleared his throat. “I’m looking for Lieutenant Decker.”
“This is his cell phone. Whom am I talking to?”
“Gabe Whitman.”
It took all of Rina’s effort not to gasp. “Is everything all right?”
“Who are you talking to?” Decker asked.
“No,” Gabe said over the phone. “I mean I don’t know.”
“Who is it, Rina?” Decker said.
“Gabe Whitman.”
“Oh Lord! Tell him to hold on.”
“He’ll be right with you,” Rina said.
“Thank you.”
Decker maneuvered the car onto the freeway shoulder, turned on his hazard lights, and took the cell. “This is Lieutenant Decker.”
“I’m sorry to bother you.”
“No bother. What’s going on?”
“I can’t find my mom. She’s not here and she’s not answering her cell. My dad isn’t answering his cell phone, either.”
“Okay.” Decker’s brain was whirling a mile a minute. “How long has it been since you’ve spoken to your mom?”
“I came back to the hotel around six-thirty, seven. We were supposed to go to dinner. She wasn’t here. Her car isn’t here, her purse isn’t here, but she didn’t leave any note or anything. That’s not like her.”
Decker’s stomach dropped. His watch said it was almost nine. “When was the last time you spoke to her, Gabe?”
“Around four. You were already gone. Mom said that everything went well. She sounded fine. She said she wanted to run some errands and she’d be back around six. I don’t know if I’m overreacting, but with Chris, I just don’t know.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m at the hotel?”
“In the room?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay. Gabe, I’m turning around and I’ll be there in about a half hour. Leave the room and wait for me in the lobby. I want you in a public place, okay?”
“Okay.” A pause. “The room’s okay…I mean like nothing was disturbed or anything.”
“That doesn’t mean that your dad can’t suddenly show up. It wouldn’t be good for the two of you to be alone.”
“That’s true.” A pause. “Thanks.”
“No thanks necessary. Just walk out that door and don’t look back.”
Fifteen minutes later, Decker pulled his Porsche into the valet lot. The parking attendants were different from the ones who had been here in the afternoon. When they asked how long he’d be staying, Decker told them that he didn’t know.
The resort hotel was fifteen acres of lush plants and tropical foliage set at the foothills in Bel Air. The evening air was sweet from night-blooming jasmine with a hint of gardenia. Broad-leaf palms, ferns, and flowering bushes lined stone walkways and draped over the edges of a man-made lagoon populated with ducks and swans. Decker and Rina crossed over a bridge, glancing at the lake as the birds glided by.
Decker faced her. “Why don’t you take the car and go home.”
“Hannah’s at a friend’s house. I can wait.”
“I don’t know if I want you around in case Chris pops in. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“How about if I wait in the lobby?”
“Would you mind? It may take a while. If I don’t find her right away, I’m going to have to do a search of the hotel.”
“It’s not a problem unless they kick me out.” She paused. “What are you going to do with Gabe? You don’t know what’s going on. You certainly can’t let him stay here by himself even if he was of age.”
Neither of them spoke.
Rina said, “He can stay with us.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I don’t think you have any choice.”
“He has a grandfather living in the Valley.”
“Then contact him in the morning. One night with us won’t make a difference.”
“You really are Earth Mother.”
“That’s me,” Rina said. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, et cetera, et cetera. Emma and I had a lot more in common than just our last names.”
ALTHOUGH THE ACTUAL hotel was series of connected low-profile, pink stucco bungalows topped with a Mediterranean red-tiled roof, the lobby was a stand-alone building. Through the window, Decker could see the registration desk with a uniformed woman flipping through files, an empty concierge desk, and a suite of traditional furniture facing a stone fireplace. One of the beige chairs was taken up by a lanky adolescent—The Thinker done by Giacometti. He and Rina went inside and the thin kid looked up, then stood up. Decker tried out a reassuring smile. “Gabe?”
He nodded. Good-looking kid—an aquiline nose, strong chin, a mop of dirty blond hair, and gem-quality emerald eyes that sat behind a pair of frameless glasses. Not much bulk, but he had the same kind of wiry muscle that his dad had as a teenager. He appeared to be grazing the six-foot mark.
Decker held out his hand and the boy shook it. “How are you doing?” The kid shrugged helplessly. “This is my wife. She’s going to wait here for me…or for us. Still haven’t heard from anyone?”
“No, sir.” He looked at Rina as much as he did at Decker. “I’m sorry to drag you down here. It’s probably nothing.”
“Whatever it is, it’s not a problem. Let’s take a walk back to the room.”
The woman at the registration desk looked up. “Is everything all right. Mr. Whitman?”
“Uh, yeah.” Gabe forced a smile. “Fine.”
“Are you sure?”
Gabe nodded quickly. Decker turned to Rina. “See you in a few.”
“Take your time.”
Decker and his charge went outside into the cool misty air, neither of them speaking as they walked. The pathways looked different at night than they had in the daytime. With the artificial colored lighting slipped between the plantings, the entire complex looked surreal, like a movie set. Gabe twisted and turned from one garden to another until they came to the bungalow he shared with his mother. He opened the door, flipped on the light switch, and the two of them stepped inside.
“Just like I left it,” Gabe said.
And not too different from when Decker had left. The flowers that Chris had given Terry had been put into a vase and sat on the sofa table. Donatti’s Scotch glass lay in the sink of the bar. The trash had been cleared and the living-room sofa had been folded out into a bed, a room service breakfast menu and a few chocolates left on a silver tray. Water on the coffee table and music coming from a Bose stereo system, the station set on classical music.
“You sleep here?”
Gabe nodded.
Decker walked into the bedroom. Terry’s bed had also been prepared. “Were the beds turned down when you arrived here at around six?”
“No, sir, they came in later. Around eight.” A pause. “I probably shouldn’t have let them in, huh.”
“It doesn’t matter, Gabe.” Decker studied the room. There were a lot of clothes in the closet and a small safe. Decker asked the boy if he knew the combination number.
“Uh, not to this one. But I know the code she usually uses.”
“Could you try to open it?”
“Sure.”
Gabe punched in a set of numbers. It took him a couple of tries, but eventually the door opened. It was loaded with cash and jewelry. Decker said, “Do you have anything to transport the valuables in?”
“Why?”
“If your mom doesn’t come back, you can’t stay here alone.”
“I’ll be all right.”
“I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but I’m a cop and you’re a minor. I’d be in violation of the law if I let you stay here alone. Plus, under the circumstances, I wouldn’t want you alone even if you were eighteen.”
“Where are you going to take me?”
“You’ve got a choice.” Decker rubbed his temples. “I know you have a grandfather and an aunt that live in L.A. Would you feel comfortable calling either of them up? I’ll be happy to take you over there.”
“Is that my only choice?”
“You could spend the night at my house and hopefully things will work out in the morning.”
“That would be my first choice. I’d way prefer that to my grandfather. My aunt is nice, but she’s a little ditzy. She’s not much older than I am.”
“How old is Melissa?”
“Twenty-one…a very young twenty-one.”
“All right. So this is what we’ll do. You go home with my wife. I’m going to stick around here for a while and try to figure out what’s going on.”
“Why can’t I stay here with you while you try to figure it out?”
“Because it may take a long time. It’s best if you go home with my wife and let me do my job. I’ll catch you in the morning. If your mom comes home, I’ll call you right away. And if you happen to hear from either your mother or father, you call me right away, so I’m not spinning my wheels. Fair enough?”
The boy nodded. “Thank you, sir. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Decker pulled out a notepad. “I have your mom’s number. I’ll need your dad’s number and your cell number.”
Gabe rattled off a series of number. “You know that my dad changes phones all the time. A number might be working one day and disconnected the next.”
“When was the last time you spoke to your dad?”
“Let me think. Chris called me Saturday morning…around eleven. He’d just landed. He told me he was at the airport and was meeting with Mom tomorrow.”
“And you said?”
“I don’t really remember. Something like…cool. Then he asked me how she was and I said she was fine. It was like a two-minute conversation…which is pretty typical for us.” Gabe bit his lip. “Chris doesn’t really like me. I’m an annoyance, something that stands between him and Mom. He rarely talks to me unless it’s about my music or my mom. But he’s forced to deal with me because I’m what links him and Mom together. It’s really messed up.”
“Your father’s messed up. You wouldn’t happen to know his flight number, would you?”
Gabe shook his head.
“Do you know what airlines he usually chooses?”
“When he doesn’t fly privately, he takes American first class coast to coast. He likes to stretch out.”
“If he left the L.A. area, where do you think he’d go?”
“He could go home. Or he could go to Nevada and camp out there for a while.”
“He owns brothels in Elko, doesn’t he?” When the boy blushed, Decker said, “Would you know the name of his places?”
“One’s the Pleasure Dome.” His face was bright red. “The Pleasure Palace…he has like three or four places with word ‘pleasure’ in them.”
“Have you tried calling the places?”
The boy shook his head. “I don’t have the numbers. They might be listed. I could call up information if you want.”
“No, I can take it from here. Why don’t you pack a few things, take out the money and the jewelry from the safe, and then I’ll walk you back to the lobby.”
“I’m so sorry to be a pain. I feel like a jerk.”
“It’s no problem.” He put his arm around the boy’s shoulders. At first the kid stiffened, but then his shoulders relaxed under the weight of Decker’s arm. “And don’t be too concerned. It’ll probably work out.”
“Everything works out. Sometimes it works out good. And sometimes it works out bad. It’s the bad that concerns me.”
CHAPTER FOUR
THE CAR WAS quiet on the way home, the boy staring out at the passenger window, looking like a forlorn puppy. Rina didn’t even bother to try to engage him. It took all of her energy to drive Peter’s Porsche. He had souped up the engine to God-only-knows-how-many horsepower and the clutch required muscle. Thank goodness most of the ride was on an empty freeway and in one gear.
As soon as she parked in the driveway, the kid leaped out of the car like a caged cat finally set free. His baggage was a school knapsack that he carried by one strap, a laptop, and a small duffel. He was tall for his age, with spindly legs. His pants had a hard time staying on his nonexistent hips.
Rina put the key in the front door lock. “Lieutenant Decker and I have four children, but only our daughter still lives at home. She’s seventeen.” She opened the front door and yelled out a hello. From behind the bedroom door, Hannah answered back.
“We’ve got company,” Rina said. “Could you come out a moment?” “Now?”
“It’s okay.” Gabe cringed.
Rina tried to look reassuring as Hannah came storming out in her pajamas and robe. The two teens took each other in with a quick sweep of the eye. Rina said, “Hannah, this is Gabe Whitman. He’s going to be staying with us tonight. Could you show him to your brothers’ room and make up the bed?”
“I can do it,” Gabe said, pink-cheeked.
“So can Hannah,” Rina said.
“I’ll do it.” Hannah shrugged. “You need anything to eat? I was gonna get myself some cherries. You want to look around the fridge?”
“Uh…sure.” Gabe followed her into the kitchen and that was that.
Sometimes peer counseling was far superior to the best mothering.
AFTER HANNAH WASHED the cherries, she gave him a handful in a paper bowl. “These are really good. I think my mom got them at the farmers’ market.”
“Produce is really good out here.”
“Out here? Where are you from?”
“New York.”
“The city?”
“The burbs.” He studied his fruit. “Do you know New York?”
“I have lots of friends out there.” She bit into a cherry and spit out the pit. “And my brother goes to Einstein Med School.”
Gabe said, “My mom worked at Mount Sinai for a while. She’s an ER doc.”
“Are you interested in medicine?”
“Not a chance.” He finally picked up a cherry and ate it. “You know I’m perfectly capable of putting on my own sheets.”
“Fine with me. Can I ask why you’re here?”
“My mom’s gone…like missing. I think your dad is looking for her. He said it was illegal for me to stay in a hotel by myself, so he offered to take me in tonight.”
“That sounds like my dad.”
“He’s a nice guy?”
“He’s a very nice guy,” Hannah said. “He comes across as very cop, but he has a heart of mush. My mother is even mushier. They’re both pushovers. You want something to drink?”
“No, thanks. I should probably get to bed.” He put the fruit down on the counter. “Thanks for the cherries. I don’t think I’m so hungry.”
“Are you going to be able to sleep?”
“Probably not.”
“I’ll show you how to work the TV. It’s a little funky because it’s from the Stone Age. My brothers have been out of the house for a while. What grade are you in?”
“I was in tenth. My mom and I just recently moved out here, so I haven’t been going to school.”
“So you’re fifteen?”
“Four months shy. A lot of people think I’m older ’cause I’m tall.”
“Yeah, same with me. But I don’t mind.” She hopped off the counter. “Follow me. And try not to worry too much about the situation. My dad may be a mush ball with me, but he’s really tough when it comes to police work. Whatever it is, he’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“That’s good.” Gabe smiled weakly. “I just hope that when he gets there, the bottom doesn’t drop out.”
DECKER’S FIRST CALL was to his favorite detective, Sergeant Marge Dunn. “I’ve got a situation here. I could use some help.”
“What’s going on?” In the next breath, she said, “Is it something to do with Terry McLaughlin?”
“She’s missing.” After he explained the state of affairs, Decker said, “She has a sister and a father in town. I’ve already called her sister, Melissa—apprised her of the situation. She hasn’t heard from Terry in a few days. She also told me not to bother with the father. The two of them are barely civil to each other.”
“Did she sound worried?”
“Yes, she did. She told me that Terry would never leave Gabe without a good reason. I told her I’d keep her updated. As far as finding Donatti, I’ve called up all the numbers I have for him and left messages. That’s been a dead end. He owns some brothels in Nevada. I got hold of a receptionist who told me that Chris wasn’t due in until tomorrow afternoon.”
“That means nothing.”
“Of course. I’ve phoned Elko PD and have asked them to tell me when he comes into town.”
“Are they cooperating?”
“Hard to tell. The brothels make a slew of money, so it could be that the department wouldn’t be anxious to give up one of their own. I’m trying to retrace Donatti’s steps, starting with when he came into L.A. I’m checking commercial airlines, leasing companies, and jet card companies. And rental car companies. He has to be driving something, but I haven’t had any luck with that.”
“Have you done a search of the hotel?”
“Not yet. If it shakes out that way, I’ll call West L.A. It’s their district. Right now, I’d like to handle it myself…with a little help.”
“I’m on my way.”
“I came back to the hotel from dinner…turned around as soon as the kid called. I don’t have any of my kits or evidence bags with me.”
“Is something amiss?”
“No, it seems to be pretty much as I left it. There’s a drinking glass I’d like to bag.”
“I’ll bring the stuff down with me.”
“I can think of only two reasons why Terry would leave without notifying her kid. Something scared her off or she had a gun to her head. She took her purse, her keys, and her car, but she left behind a wad of money and her jewelry.”
“Oy, that doesn’t look too good. Didn’t you say that the meeting between them went well?”
“I thought it did. But Donatti is unpredictable.” He gave Marge the address. “It’ll take you about forty minutes without bad traffic.”
“Where’s the boy?”
“He’s with Rina. I’m keeping him at our house for the night.”
There was a pause. “Aren’t you getting a little overinvolved?”
“You should talk,” Decker snapped back. “If you hadn’t adopted Vega after that Father Jupiter debacle, she would have been declared a ward of the state and placed into the state foster care program. She would have probably become a delinquent, gotten pregnant ten times, been hooked on drugs, and turned into a prostitute. Instead, you got overinvolved and now Vega is almost done with her dissertation for a PhD in astrophysics. So you tell me if I’m wrong to get a little overinvolved.”
There was a long pause over the line. Then Marge said, “Hard day, Pete?”
“A little challenging.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
“Sooner is better than later.”
MARGE ARRIVED WITH the kits, the bags, and the gloves. She had put on a little weight in the last year but almost all of it was muscle. At five ten, she was a lean one-sixty and had added workouts in the gym as part of her daily routine. Her face had lines across her forehead and faint spiderwebs crisscrossing at the corners of her brown eyes. Her blond hair—formerly light brown—was tied back in a ponytail and she had pearl studs in each earlobe. She had dressed in gray slacks and a black sweater, rubber-soled shoes on her feet.
“Thanks for showing up,” Decker said.
“Someone has to take you home,” Marge told him.
It took the two of them over three hours to conduct a preliminary search of the hotel, first going to the bar and the restaurant, then room to room, and finally checking the spa, the storage areas , and the empty banquet hall. Another hour was spent searching Terry’s room. When they had finished bagging whatever paltry evidence there was to be taken, the clock had struck one and Marge saw that Decker was still agitated. The lieutenant was usually the consummate professional. He said, “What am I going to tell that kid?”
“He’s probably asleep.”
“Would you be able to sleep if you were him?”
“No.” A few moments passed. “If he’s up, this is what you’re going to tell him. You’re going to tell him that you’ve done everything you could do on a Sunday night. Tomorrow you’ll call the phone company to see if his mother’s cell has been used, you’ll call the credit card company and see if there has been any activity, and you’ll call her bank to see if there’s been any suspicious withdrawals.” Marge smiled. “More like you’ll assign someone to do it because you’re a busy guy and this isn’t even your jurisdiction. Have you called in to West L.A. yet?”
“I did indeed. I put in a need-to-locate on Terry’s car shortly before you arrived. It’s a 2009 Mercedes E550. Somebody has to come back and interview all the personnel. I’ve only talked to the desk clerk and she doesn’t know a thing.”
“It’s a skeleton crew right now. It’ll keep until the morning. ”
“The desk sergeant told me that someone from West L.A. Missing Persons will call me. Whoever catches the call has to know who they’re dealing with.”
“So everything’s under control. Let’s go.”
“I’m too worked up to face the kid right now.”
“You’ll be okay by the time we get back to the Valley. If not, I’ll buy you a cup of hot cocoa at one of the twenty-four/seven convenience stores.”
Decker smiled. “Hot cocoa?”
“Once a mother, always a mother. Vega may be brilliant, but I still look out for her.” Marge patted his shoulder. “We know better than anyone else on the planet that the smartest people can do dumbest things.”
Darmowy fragment się skończył.
