Obsession #21 by Jonathan Kellerman

Author:Jonathan Kellerman
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Mystery, Suspense, Adult, Thriller, Psychology
ISBN: 9780345452634
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 2007-03-26T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 27

We left Benezra worshipping his view and descended Oriole Drive.

Petra phoned Captain Stuart Bishop and filled him in, then clicked off. “He’ll make calls, but wants a meeting.”

“When?” said Milo.

“As soon as we get back to Hollywood.”

“We?”

“You and me, Stu’s big on interdivisional communication.” She turned to me: “Your attendance is optional but certainly welcome. He said to thank you for helping his nephew.”

Last year the preschool-aged son of Bishop’s younger sister had been frightened by the evening news. Well-adjusted boy; a few sessions had been enough.

Confidentiality meant all I could do was smile.

Petra smiled back. “I thought you might say that.”

The captain’s office at Hollywood Division was a spare, white corner space livened by school art created by the six towheaded Bishop kids and masses of family photos. A white BYU Cougars mug shared a credenza with a case of Trader Joe’s bottled water. A window cracked two inches blew in air and heat and street noise.

Stu was a slim, closely shaven man around forty with searching gold eyes and wavy blond hair gone gray at the temples. He wore braided leather suspenders over a tapered pink shirt, a turquoise silk tie, glen plaid suit pants, glossy wingtips. A matching suit jacket hung on a bentwood rack. He reached for a water, offered us our own bottles. Milo accepted.

The son of an affluent Flintridge Mormon family, Stu had left the department while still a D III, cutting short a fast-track career to care for a wife with cancer. Kathy Bishop recovered but Stu stayed with corporate security work and occasional film consulting until he was wooed back as a captain by the new chief.

The new chief was a new golf buddy of Stu’s ophthalmologist father but few people carped. The amoral misanthrope Stu replaced had been shot to death by a jealous wife in a parking garage; three cops had attended the funeral, all out of obligation. Combine that with Stu’s street experience, his rep for backing up his colleagues, and an ability to work the brass without wholesaling his soul, and the honeymoon seemed durable.

As Stu’s former junior partner, Petra was in good shape for a promotion into administration. So far, she was sticking with detective work.

He filled his mug with water, sipped, and leaned back in his chair. “Your timing couldn’t be better, in terms of leaning on Fortuno. He’s become a person of exceptional interest to the federal government and no one wants a trivial matter like murder to get in the way. We’re not talking public knowledge but I called San Luis Obispo where he’s officially incarcerated, found out he was picked up a month ago by FBI agents and a U.S. Attorney and transferred to the downtown detention center. When I called there, I got a bunch of silence then a referral to the Feebie office at the Federal Building. A special agent I know played coy but finally let on that Fortuno’s been spending the month in a hotel at taxpayer expense.”

Milo said, “Spilling big-time.

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