A Breed Apart by Pierre Davis

Author:Pierre Davis [Davis, Pierre]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-440-33853-6
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2009-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

He hit upon a plan over coffee the next morning. He could rent a taxi for a reasonable rate for a couple of hours to scout the town in search of the truth behind the Oakner incident, if indeed there was a truth. He stood at the curb as a taxi, a dented Econoline van of deep blue, pulled up. The door slid open and he met the driver, Jesus. The man was small and dark, with quick eyes. His English was limited, but he swiftly grasped the concept behind the mission. Elliot showed him a copy of the picture on the wall at Christie's depicting the Oakners' home down here. It had turned up on a popular photo-sharing site known to Bobby Seifert, who did a little maneuvering that got him into the private section housing Oakner's posted pictures.

“Do you know where we might find this house?”

“Pelegras,” Jesús responded.

“Pelegras? What's that?”

“Private. Only residents.”

“You mean like a gated community?”

“Sí. A gated community. Big houses. American houses.”

“Can you get us in?”

Jesús deliberated for a moment. “Maybe. I will try.” Elliot got the impression that the challenge of it was more important to him than the money.

They drove through the central town by the marina, where the hot stink of exhaust lingered in the windless air. They continued on and climbed modestly in elevation until they turned down an empty street under an arch announcing their arrival at Pelegras. A security checkpoint stood at the far end, with a guardhouse and a wooden barrier arm painted with red and white stripes. Jesús rolled down his window to the guard, who held a clipboard, the universal icon separating supervisors from laborers. A brief conversation ensued in Spanish. Then the barrier rose and they drove on through.

“Well done,” Elliot said. “What did you tell him?”

“I cannot say,” Jesús replied.

Of course not, Elliot thought. I shouldn't have asked.

They climbed up a winding cobblestone street whose bumpy surface discouraged speeding and sent a crude little hum through the van. They came around a sharp curve and the true measure of the place suddenly played out before them. House after house of massive proportion clung to the contours of the parched hillside. Most adhered to traditional stucco-and-tile exteriors, but this basic theme diverged into a stunning array of individual designs. The homes seemed to increase in size along with their elevation. The ones atop the ridges were truly palatial in dimension. Elliot pointed to one of the topmost.

“How much do you think that cost?”

“Fifty million dollars,” Jesús replied without hesitation, as if its value was common knowledge.

Elliot pointed to the Oakner photo. “So how high up will this one be?”

“About halfway,” Jesús said.

He was right. After several forks and turns, the house suddenly appeared before them, three stories of white stucco. Gracefully rounded decks on each floor, adorned with spiky desert shrubbery. Dark green against brilliant white. Elliot instantly realized that the doctor's house up north was simply a cheap cover for this, the real thing. A

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