True Detectives by Jonathan Kellerman

Author:Jonathan Kellerman [Kellerman, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2009-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

25

Back at his desk, Moe distilled droplets of fact from his interview of Arnold Wohr.

Brother Ray’s scumbag image had filled out nicely. No violence on his sheet, but the guy was sexually twisted enough to peep a thirteen-year-old.

The “entertainment” connection Ramone W had bragged about was another nice nugget, tying in to Ax Dement and the Eagle Motel. Sex, dope, or both. Probably both.

Was Wohr’s Industry biz limited to a fringe hanger-on like Ax? Or had he actually networked with serious money types?

With unhealthy appetites.

If Wohr’s reach did stretch to A-list dope fiends like Mason Book, this could get really interesting.

Mountains of money to indulge the gimme gimme gimme.

Ramone’s boast of “representing” Adella might mean he really had pimped her. Or he was making himself more than he was.

She had accompanied him to Easter dinner.

With her baby.

Who Ramone showed no interest in.

The creepiest part was Ramone bragging about representing Adella long after her murder. No official violence in his sheet but he was callous enough to exploit her memory in order to cadge money out of his brother.

Arnold and his family had been confused about the relationship between his brother and the surprisingly polite “young lady.”

Because citizens like Arnold and his family had no clue.

Moe thought about the rev’s description of the interaction between Ramone and Adella. No affection, no conversation.

Scooping food off her plate when she went to feed the baby.

Why would Adella, a devoted mom, hang with him?

No reason but money.

The Easter visit had probably been Ramone’s idea of a joke. Bringing high-priced flesh to his devout brother’s house on a sacred day.

Callous and mean-spirited.

Toss in Ramone peeping his own niece during a visit to ask for yet more money, and you ended up with a really nasty picture.

Cold, uncaring, sexually impulsive.

Exactly the combo Delaware had listed during the marsh-murder investigation when describing the classic kink-wired, career-criminal psychopath.

Meaning Ramone was capable of anything.

Moe fetched himself coffee, drank amid the low buzz of the D-room, visualizing Technicolor flash-frames filled with mind-searing brutality.

Caitlin’s pretty young face, contorted in agony.

Adella Villareal thinking she was a pro but getting the worst kind of surprise.

Two good-looking young women, as different from each other as any two people could be, united in death.

The baby.

Moe had to get air or he’d start hitting something.

Making his way past half a dozen other detectives, he hurried out to the hallway that led to Sturgis’s closet-sized office. Race-walking past the Loo’s closed door, he repeated the circuit a couple of times. Got dry-mouthed and itchy-eyed and bought a Coke from the machine before returning to his chair.

Phones continued to ring, men and women with intent expressions talked on the phone, clicked computer keys. Del Hardy caught Moe’s eye and gave a little salute.

Moe half expected him to come over, ask how Aaron was doing.

Waving back, he returned to Adella’s murder book, not expecting to find anything, just wanting to look as preoccupied as he felt.

His eyes kept returning to the photo.

Pretty dead girl caught smiling. All that joy because of a tiny blue-swaddled form.

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