Read Online Earth Angel by Laramie Dunaway - Free Book Online Page B

you think?”
    I shrugged. “How should I know?”
    “I don’t know. You’re walking around with fifty grand in cash, I figure you must know something about finance.”
    “The money is legally mine, I told the other officers all that.”
    “Yup, and it all checks out, too.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small notebook. He flipped it open and
     studied his notes. “You’re Dr. Season Gottlieb, from Irvine, California. You inherited a bunch of money recently. Your boyfriend
     shot some people and was killed by the police. All checks out.”
    “You haven’t heard of me? You haven’t heard of the shootings at the clinic?”
    He drank more of the purple water and shook his head. “Believe it or not, Ms. Gottlieb, we’ve got our own crimes here in Chicago.
     I don’t go looking for cases in other states.”
    Again, I was relieved. I’d just assumed my face had been memorized by every law enforcement official in the country. I figured
     the cops probably suspected me of something, maybe being an accomplice. During the investigation the police had been extremely
     kind to me, but I thought that was just a cover, trying to get me to admit to something.
    “If everything checks out,” I said, “then why are you holding me?”
    “We’re not holding you. We’re questioning you.”
    “What right do you have to question me if I haven’t broken any laws?”
    He looked me in the eye, his face suddenly stern. “I don’t think that’s an area you want to pursue, Dr. Gottlieb. My advice
     is we keep this on a friendly basis, you being here to show cooperation.” He lowered his voice and leaned toward me. “Because
     if you want to be charged with a crime I‘ll find one and I‘ll fucking make it stick, too. You understand me?”
    I tried to keep my face as hard as his but I didn’t feel that confident. “Why am I here?” I asked.
    He leaned back against his chair and frowned. “The little girl said you tried to give her money. We check with her mother,
     seems you tried to do the same with her. Hard to know how to interpret this. The mother’s worried there’s some kind of insurance
     scam involved, or even a child molestation thing. I mean, you did lie to the mother about who you are, right?”
    “Did you tell them who I really am?”
    “Not yet.”
    “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.”
    He picked up the glass and swirled the purple water around, watching the small whirlpool inside. “Why would they care who
     you are?”
    “Don’t you guys read the local papers? My fiancé shot and killed her cousin in that shooting spree.”
    He set the glass down and looked at me with surprise. “So you wanted to give them fifty grand because your boyfriend killed
     their cousin?”
    I nodded. It sounded dumb coming from him.
    He started laughing. “You must’ve been shocked as hell when the mom didn’t take the money. Heh, heh. Christ in a bottle. Then
     you try to give it to the kid and she calls the cops on you. Man, your luck couldn’t generate the light on a lightning bug’s
     ass.”
    I stood up. “Can I go now?”
    He pointed to my chair and gestured for me to sit.
    “I haven’t committed a crime, Detective. No one’s at risk, the community is safe from my largess. There’s no reason for me
     to be here.”
    He gestured again at my chair. “Please,” he said softly.
    I sat.
    “Here’s the deal, Dr. Gottlieb. I can see what you were trying to do, trying to help out that family. That’s nice. But you
     were deceitful in your methods and ended up scaring both the mother and the daughter. Right now that woman is sitting home
     afraid some strange kidnapper or molester is after her daughter.”
    “Do you think she would have taken the money if I’d told her who I really am?”
    He shook his head. “Probably not. But that’s not the point. You meant to help, but you just made things worse. For them and
     for yourself.”
    “Well, I promise not to approach them again.