Edna Buchanan You Only Die Twice (pdf)

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

public? Exposing you?
Hey, a helluva lot more than that. She was furious,
hysterical, first time I saw her. The second time, she
was ice cold, which in her case was a helluva lot more
scary. Tell you the truth, I liked her better hysterical.
Scary in what way?
He lowered his voice and leaned forward. She fig�
ured that since we made her, the kid could do it. She
was afraid he was gonna be trouble, like his old man.
Woman actually asked whether we knew somebody
who could get rid of the kid, for good, if he gave her
any problems. She was afraid he d show up on her
doorstep in Seattle and give her a little splaining to do.
Me and Rothman, we couldn t believe what we were
hearing. We just looked at each other.
What did you tell her?
Hell, even I ve got scruples.
Could have fooled me, I said bitterly, wondering
whether to believe him.
YOU ONLY DIE TWICE 313
Hey! His lips curled defensively. Everybody
hates criminal defense lawyers until they need one.
This ain t the first time one of my own clients scared
the shit outa me. He pushed up from his chair so hard
it bounced off the wall. That broad, he said, pointing
his finger at me and pacing the room, had a history, a
track record of making bad things happen, and she had
a helluva lot to lose. He paused, arms folded. If she
could consider putting out a hit on her own kid, who s
to say what else she coulda done? Coulda decided to
whack us too. She d be home free.
I almost laughed. The man s cash cow had turned on
him, baring its teeth. Was he claiming self-defense?
How was she, I said pointedly, when you left her
that night?
Not bad. He sat on the edge of his desk. Good, in
fact. She d quit talking about the kid being a threat,
seemed better than I d seen her. Relaxed. Maybe it was
Prozac, or she got her PMS under control, or some�
thing. Seemed like she d adjusted. She was feeling bet�
ter, even smiling. So was I. She was upbeat when I
left.
You knew Rothman sold her out to R. J., told him
where she was?
He did that? Kagan s eyes narrowed in what ap�
peared to be genuine surprise. How much did the son-
of-a-bitch get?
Ask him, I said, shrugging. His indignation was
probably only because Rothman beat him to it.
You try to be a nice guy, he said bitterly, throw a
little business somebody s way, and he gets greedy and
blows things for you.
314 EDNA BUCHANAN
Yeah, life s a bitch, I said, and then you die. Who
killed her, Kagan?
He contemplated his expensive Italian leather shoes.
I d say R. J. had a helluva motive; maybe Rothman
wanted to shut her face. Who knows?
How much of what he said was true? I wondered, as I
drove back to the paper. Faced with the prospect of end�
less blackmail, Kaithlin may have threatened to expose
him. The statute of limitations had lapsed long ago on
any crime she might have committed. All she wanted
was to protect her marriage, her family.
Repairmen in the lobby were working on the stalled el�
evator. The other worked fine, though my stomach flip-
flopped as I stepped inside.
Fred waited in the newsroom. Just what exactly
happened in the elevator last night? He studied me
quizzically.
You don t want all the details, trust me, I said.
The fire department did thousands of dollars worth
of damage to the doors of the damn thing.
Put it on my expense account, I said.
Well, tell me one thing, he demanded. What were
you and this pregnant woman doing in the newsroom
after midnight?
I explained.
Are the mother and child in good health?
Fine. I dug out my photos. That damn elevator
never should have been the only one in use overnight.
Everybody s complained about it.
YOU ONLY DIE TWICE 315
He nodded solemnly as I showed off my favorite:
Rooney Jr., his face in a pout, tiny fists clenched.
We should send flowers, he said, studying the photo.
That would be nice, I said. Diapers would be
better.
Angel got flowers. I got a call from Zachary Marsh.
Guess who I saw out there today? he greeted me.
Me? I said, resigned.
You ve got it, he chortled. Is that a new
boyfriend, the dead woman s husband, or both?
Not funny, Zack. You saw the poor guy.
I m looking at him right now.
What?
I developed the pictures. The sequence with the
roses is very touching. You look a bit tired, though.
I was, and I am. Had a rough night.
Tell me about it. He sounded eager.
I will, I promised, and relaxed for a moment. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Tematy