Alex Delaware - 24 - Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman

Author:Jonathan Kellerman
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Thriller
ISBN: 0345522168
Published: 2009-10-06T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

23

Milo closed the motel door on a fetal Ricki Flatt. “Sweet dreams? Unlikely.”

Back in the car, he said, “Those parents had to know their boy was involved in torching that house.”

I said, “Firefighter dad, too much to handle.”

“Backer does God-knows-what for ten years then decides to be an architect? What the hell’s that, I destroy, I build, the whole God thing?”

“Or a stab at atonement.”

“Fifty grand says he felt no guilt. Wonder if anything in San Luis got the vegan Jell-O treatment while Backer attended Cal Poly.”

“It’s Robin’s hometown, I’ll ask her.”

I instructed the voice-recognition system to “phone cutie.”

She said, “I’ve never heard of anything but I’ll ask Mom.”

Robin’s relationship with her mother is, to be kind, complicated. I said, “Selfless public service.”

She laughed. “If we keep it at serious crime, we’ll be fine.”

Milo said, “I’m in debt to you, kid.”

“Bring wine the next time I cook for you.”

“What did I give you the last time?”

“Orchid plant. Also lovely but don’t you want something you can share?”

“Find me a mansion arson in San Luis two to six years ago and I’ll bring you a case of the best Pinot I can find.”

“Back to you on that, Big Guy.”

She called back three minutes later: “Mom’s never heard of anything like that and neither has my friend Rosa, who’s lived there her entire life and knows everything. If you’d like, I can do a newspaper search.”

“I’d have to put you on regular payroll, kiddo.”

“Like you keep threatening to do with Alex?”

“Point taken,” he said. “Anyway, not necessary, I can push keys.”

“When’s my blue-eyed boy coming home?”

“Right now, if you want him.”

“I always want him, but don’t let me hinder your investigation.”

“If only there was one.”

“That bad?”

“Hey,” he said, “we’re walking, talking, breathing, I’m grateful.” Robin said, “I don’t like that kind of talk from you.”

“I shouldn’t get philosophical?”

“Not on my watch.”

Milo lapsed into that same morose silence. Back at his office, he flung his jacket atop a file cabinet and began the search for mansion arsons throughout the state. Any eco torch-jobs.

Long list. “Quite a few big houses went up during that time frame—here’s an entire luxury housing project in Colorado … animal research lab—that one was high school kids who got stopped early.” Wheeling away from the screen. “It’s all over the country, Alex, but if there’s a pattern, I’m not seeing it. And if Backer was a pro, you’d think something remotely incendiary would show up in his apartment. But the bomb dogs found zilch. Meaning (a) Backer was an architect, nothing more; (b) He did like playing with fire but put off buying his equipment until shortly before the gig; or (c) He kept a storage locker full of combustible goodies. And please don’t remind me about none of the above.”

Sean Binchy rang in from Lancaster. “Hey, Loot, those two thieving brothers are alibied clean for Borodi. Though, if you ask me, they’re still up to no good, there was a truck without tags in their driveway, they definitely didn’t want me looking at it closely.

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