The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman

Author:Jonathan Kellerman [Kellerman, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2024-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

We both decided to call it a day. I was just out the door when Milo’s phone beeped the first four notes of Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1. To me, his ringtones are just as sinful as the assault on Liverpool but they don’t seem to bother him.

He looked at the number, motioned me to sit back down, switched to speaker, and said, “Sir.”

Douglass March said, “When can I have her jewelry?”

“It’s in safekeeping—”

“Where?”

“Our scientific division.”

“For what reason? Fingerprints? DNA?”

“Do you need it in a hurry, sir?”

“No, but I see no reason to delay. I’m going to have all her shit appraised at Christie’s or Sotheby’s then sell it. I’ve done some research and with inflation looming, prices are rising, and there’s one piece I’m fixing to make a serious profit on. Purple diamond necklace, one and a half carats, super-rare. I paid a hundred thou and since then colored stones have skyrocketed.”

Each sentence had lowered his volume and pitch, buffering the jagged contours of his words. Calming as he talked about making money.

Then he said, “I need to get something out of all this,” and the hard edge returned.

Milo said, “I’ll have everything inventoried and let you know.”

March said, “That’s not much of an answer.”

“It’s my answer,” said Milo. “If you have a complaint, my captain is—”

“Oh, don’t waste my time by shunting me to another bureaucrat. Everything she owned—is mine, so do what you need to do and get it back to me A-sap.”

Click.

Milo stared at the phone. “Gimme a diagnosis.”

I said, “F-minus people skills, angry and doesn’t care who knows it.”

“I was thinking malignant asshole.”

“That’s another way of putting it.”

“But not a psychopath? Not conscious, arrogant, throwing it in my face?”

“You know what I’m going to tell you—”

“Anything’s possible. But?”

“To me that came across as a tantrum. One thing he mentioned that was interesting: the purple diamond. I noticed it at the scene because it was small and simple compared with the other pieces. I assumed it was semi-precious, something she’d held on to for sentimental reasons. But now that I think about it, she wore it in the gala photo.”

“He’s right about it being big-time hoohah.”

“Let’s see.”

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