Collared: An Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt

Author:David Rosenfelt [Rosenfelt, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Traditional, Animals
ISBN: 9781427285874
Google: BcnEDQAAQBAJ
Amazon: 1250055350
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: 2017-07-18T08:52:22.030000+00:00

ames Ware’s office is in Spring Valley, about fifteen minutes from Pomona. I didn’t call ahead, because I didn’t really want to reveal anything over the phone. I was just hoping that this would be a slow day for plumbing in Rockland County. The fact that there is a van in front of the store that says WARE PLUMBING AND HEATING on it tells me I may have caught a break.

I enter, and there’s a man sitting behind the counter punching some keys on an old-fashioned calculator. He looks up as if surprised to have a visitor; I guess most people call plumbers rather than just show up. It’s fairly difficult to drop your plumbing off at the store, like you would your shirts.

He smiles. “Hey, can I help you?”

“You can if you’re James Ware.”

“That’s me. What can I do for you?”

“My name is Andy Carpenter; I’m an attorney.”

“Oh, shit. Is this about the Anderson job? Those people are crazy. The leak had nothing to do with the work I did. I told them that. It came from an entirely different area of the pipe. I’ve got pictures of the whole thing.”

“I don’t represent the Andersons.”

“Oh, then who do you represent?”

“Actually, I’m not at liberty to say. What I can tell you is that your name came up in connection with an adoption case I am working on.”

He looks surprised and confused. “You mean like a child adoption?”

“Yes.”

“How did my name come up?”

“DNA test results show that you are the child’s father,” I say.

“Excuse me?”

I know he heard what I said the first time, but I repeat it anyway.

“No chance,” he says. “Total bullshit. Are you trying to shake me down?”

“One thing I can promise you is that no one is after your money. We are simply trying to get to the truth. But the test results don’t lie.”

“Well, in this case they do, because I’ve never had a child with anybody. Absolutely no chance. Who is the mother?”

“I was hoping you could tell me that.”

“Well, I can’t, and this is a little too weird for me.”

I nod. “Not exactly another day at the office for me either. Let’s back into this, okay?” I give him the month and year that Dylan would have been conceived, which is almost four years ago, and I ask him if he had a girlfriend around that time. “Is it possible you impregnated a woman and she never told you about it?” I ask.

“No, it’s not possible.”

“Did you have a specific girlfriend back then?”

“I was engaged. I’m getting a little tired of these questions.” Ware is getting angry, which is not good. There aren’t many plumbers I can beat up. There aren’t even many librarians I can beat up.

“But you didn’t marry her?”

“No,” he says.

“So maybe your fiancée had a child and didn’t tell you?”

“Which part of ‘no chance’ don’t you understand?”

“I’m sorry to pry like this, but it really is important.”

“It ain’t important to me, pal. Your test results are bullshit, or you’re making them up.

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