Read Online Murder 101 by Faye Kellerman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Faye Kellerman
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conquer before the park. Rina sat down on the floor, opened the lid, and dumped out the box. “How about if I make a tower and you can knock it down.”
The little girl responded with something approximating “knock it down.” Decker made a cup of coffee for Rina and one for himself. Then he took a minichocolate Danish and popped it in his mouth. He turned to Rachel. “How’s the residency coming along?”
“One more year.” She paused. “I love my profession but sometimes it’s hard seeing sick children, especially now that I have Lily.” Her eyes watered and she quickly blinked. “How’s your new job?”
“It’s slower paced, but it’s better than retirement.”
“Do you miss the LAPD?”
“Not when I’m only three hours away from all the people I love. Moving was a great decision.” He hoped he had sounded convincing. The truth? It was hard to regroup. “Today I’m actually here for work. Nothing crucial so we decided to mix it with a little pleasure.”
“That’s great. We’re always so happy to see you. What kind of work are you doing here?”
“Mostly talking to some people. Actually, I’ve got to be in Manhattan at ten. How long do you think it would take me to get to Columbus Circle?”
“Around a half hour more or less,” Rachel said. “What are you looking into if I can ask?”
“An art theft.”
“Sounds very intriguing.”
“Most intriguing thing I’ve done in six months.” He looked at Lily and Rina.
Rachel said, “I don’t know which one is having more fun.”
“My vote’s with Rina.”
“It’s so nice having both of you on the East Coast. Sammy is so happy.” Again, Rachel teared up. “So we’re all going out for dinner tonight?”
“That’s the plan.”
“It’s ten of us, right?”
“Gabe is out of town and his girlfriend’s working, so it’s only eight.”
“That’s right. You’re staying at Gabe’s apartment.”
“We are.”
“Can we come, too?” Rachel smiled. “I’m kidding . . . sort of. Sometimes this place is very small. I’ll make the rez for dinner. How long are two you staying in the city?”
“Just overnight. Then we’re off to Philadelphia.”
“Give my love to Cindy and Koby. Wow, the twins must be, like, four?”
“Almost four and finally out of diapers, which is good. They’re so tall and big that Cindy was running out of disposable options.”
“Maybe the next time we can all get together.”
Decker said, “That would be great although I’m not sure I could handle all that energy in one room.”
Rina spoke up from the floor. “This comment is from a man who has handled hundreds of homicides?”
“My cases involved a different type of energy. Besides, not one homicide victim has ever given me lip.” He fished out his car keys. “I’ll pick you up in about two, three hours?”
“That should be perfect. Lily will be napping by then anyway.” Rina looked at Rachel for confirmation.
The young woman shrugged. “In a perfect world, that would be a yes.”
IT TOOK A half hour to reach the apartment building and then another fifteen minutes to find a parking space. When Decker finally nabbed a spot, it was eight blocks away from the Sobels’ address and required him to back the car into a snowdrift that exploded onto his rear bumper. His blood must have thickened. It was cold but not nearly as cold as up north. He didn’t even bother with gloves. Decker had gotten used to the fresh snow crunching under his boots, slow going but pristine. The Manhattan sidewalks were awash in a thin, salty sludge that was often slippery. The current skies were dove gray and while not gloomy, there wasn’t a hint of sunshine anywhere.
Melanie and Rick Sobel resided in a complex between Broadway and Amsterdam. The lobby was small and spare with a black, granite floor and mahogany-paneled walls. A doorman let him in. Another uniformed man who sat behind a desk rang up the Sobel unit. Once given permission to enter,
The little girl responded with something approximating “knock it down.” Decker made a cup of coffee for Rina and one for himself. Then he took a minichocolate Danish and popped it in his mouth. He turned to Rachel. “How’s the residency coming along?”
“One more year.” She paused. “I love my profession but sometimes it’s hard seeing sick children, especially now that I have Lily.” Her eyes watered and she quickly blinked. “How’s your new job?”
“It’s slower paced, but it’s better than retirement.”
“Do you miss the LAPD?”
“Not when I’m only three hours away from all the people I love. Moving was a great decision.” He hoped he had sounded convincing. The truth? It was hard to regroup. “Today I’m actually here for work. Nothing crucial so we decided to mix it with a little pleasure.”
“That’s great. We’re always so happy to see you. What kind of work are you doing here?”
“Mostly talking to some people. Actually, I’ve got to be in Manhattan at ten. How long do you think it would take me to get to Columbus Circle?”
“Around a half hour more or less,” Rachel said. “What are you looking into if I can ask?”
“An art theft.”
“Sounds very intriguing.”
“Most intriguing thing I’ve done in six months.” He looked at Lily and Rina.
Rachel said, “I don’t know which one is having more fun.”
“My vote’s with Rina.”
“It’s so nice having both of you on the East Coast. Sammy is so happy.” Again, Rachel teared up. “So we’re all going out for dinner tonight?”
“That’s the plan.”
“It’s ten of us, right?”
“Gabe is out of town and his girlfriend’s working, so it’s only eight.”
“That’s right. You’re staying at Gabe’s apartment.”
“We are.”
“Can we come, too?” Rachel smiled. “I’m kidding . . . sort of. Sometimes this place is very small. I’ll make the rez for dinner. How long are two you staying in the city?”
“Just overnight. Then we’re off to Philadelphia.”
“Give my love to Cindy and Koby. Wow, the twins must be, like, four?”
“Almost four and finally out of diapers, which is good. They’re so tall and big that Cindy was running out of disposable options.”
“Maybe the next time we can all get together.”
Decker said, “That would be great although I’m not sure I could handle all that energy in one room.”
Rina spoke up from the floor. “This comment is from a man who has handled hundreds of homicides?”
“My cases involved a different type of energy. Besides, not one homicide victim has ever given me lip.” He fished out his car keys. “I’ll pick you up in about two, three hours?”
“That should be perfect. Lily will be napping by then anyway.” Rina looked at Rachel for confirmation.
The young woman shrugged. “In a perfect world, that would be a yes.”
IT TOOK A half hour to reach the apartment building and then another fifteen minutes to find a parking space. When Decker finally nabbed a spot, it was eight blocks away from the Sobels’ address and required him to back the car into a snowdrift that exploded onto his rear bumper. His blood must have thickened. It was cold but not nearly as cold as up north. He didn’t even bother with gloves. Decker had gotten used to the fresh snow crunching under his boots, slow going but pristine. The Manhattan sidewalks were awash in a thin, salty sludge that was often slippery. The current skies were dove gray and while not gloomy, there wasn’t a hint of sunshine anywhere.
Melanie and Rick Sobel resided in a complex between Broadway and Amsterdam. The lobby was small and spare with a black, granite floor and mahogany-paneled walls. A doorman let him in. Another uniformed man who sat behind a desk rang up the Sobel unit. Once given permission to enter,
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