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Authors: Boyd Morrison
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was he?” Kevin plucked the note from the printer and handed it to Barnett. “Some drug dealer?” The drug wave had hit Houston as hard as any city.
“Well,” Barnett said, “of course, you understand that I can’t reveal everything we know about the case, but I can tell you that he was a respectable attorney with a small practice in the Village.
And no, drugs don’t seem to be involved.”
“A lawyer, huh? Was Dr. Ward a client of his?”
“I don’t recall that name from his records,” Kaplan said.
MORRISON/THE ADAMAS BLUEPRINT
56
“I don’t either,” Barnett said. “We’ll check that out later. Have you seen a photo of Mr.
Stein?”
“No. I’ve been watching the news off and on, but I haven’t seen the story. I didn’t even know he was a real person until I talked to Detective Chambers.”
“Mr. Hamilton,” Barnett said, “I wonder if we could ask you to come down to the station and look at a picture of Mr. Stein.”
“Why?”
“If he and Dr. Ward had some clandestine meetings--say at the university?--a student such as yourself may have seen him. We also have some photos of other suspects. They may have been intermediaries between Mr. Stein and Dr. Ward, and we’d like you to take a look at them.”
Kevin nodded. “I thought you might want me to do something like this. Sure. I’ll do it.” He looked down at his slippers. “I have to put my shoes on.”
“That’s all right, Mr. Hamilton,” Barnett said. “Go right ahead. We’ll just wait out here.”
Kevin ducked into the bedroom. His eyes felt better, so he took his glasses off and put his contact lenses back in. Just then the phone rang. He picked it up and started putting on his tennis shoes.
“Hello.”
“It’s me,” Erica said.
“There you are. I tried calling you four or five times.”
“Somebody called right after you hung up, and I couldn’t get him off the phone.”
MORRISON/THE ADAMAS BLUEPRINT
57
“Never mind that. You are never going to believe what’s going on. There really is a Stein.
Herbert Stein. Actually, I should say there was. He was murdered two days ago.” Erica gasped.
“Now the cops are here, and they want me to go down to the station with them.”
“To look at a lineup?”
“No, just some pictures. It shouldn’t take too long.”
The sound of a gas motor steadily grew as a man on a lawnmower neared Kevin’s apartment.
He raised his voice.
“You still interested in lunch?”
There was a pause on the other end. “All right, but no McDonald’s.”
A click in the phone interrupted Erica’s voice. He could barely make out the tell-tale beeping of the call waiting signal over the din of the lawnmower. “That’s another call. Can you hang on?”
“Yes.”
Kevin depressed the switch.
“Hello?” He was practically yelling over the sound of the lawnmower.
“Mr. Hamilton, this is Detective Guy Robley of the HPD Homicide Division. Detective Chambers said you called about Herbert Stein.”
“Yes. Barnett and Kaplan are here. They explained about you not being able to get back to me.”
“Who?”
Kevin frowned. “Detectives Barnett and Kaplan. They said you asked them to stop by my apartment. I was just about to leave with them to come down to the station.”
MORRISON/THE ADAMAS BLUEPRINT
58
“What do you mean, Mr. Hamilton? I didn’t send anyone to your apartment.”
Kevin looked at the closed bedroom door. “There must be some misunderstanding. Their names are Detectives Barnett and Kaplan.”
“Look, Mr. Hamilton” Robley said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I don’t know anyone by the name of Barnett or Kaplan.”
* * *
Lobec leaned against the wall by the bedroom door. He had moved over there to hear the phone conversation, but the noise of the lawnmower was drowning out Kevin’s voice. No matter.
He had heard most of the conversation he had had with his girlfriend, and it didn’t sound as if he had told her anything of
“Well,” Barnett said, “of course, you understand that I can’t reveal everything we know about the case, but I can tell you that he was a respectable attorney with a small practice in the Village.
And no, drugs don’t seem to be involved.”
“A lawyer, huh? Was Dr. Ward a client of his?”
“I don’t recall that name from his records,” Kaplan said.
MORRISON/THE ADAMAS BLUEPRINT
56
“I don’t either,” Barnett said. “We’ll check that out later. Have you seen a photo of Mr.
Stein?”
“No. I’ve been watching the news off and on, but I haven’t seen the story. I didn’t even know he was a real person until I talked to Detective Chambers.”
“Mr. Hamilton,” Barnett said, “I wonder if we could ask you to come down to the station and look at a picture of Mr. Stein.”
“Why?”
“If he and Dr. Ward had some clandestine meetings--say at the university?--a student such as yourself may have seen him. We also have some photos of other suspects. They may have been intermediaries between Mr. Stein and Dr. Ward, and we’d like you to take a look at them.”
Kevin nodded. “I thought you might want me to do something like this. Sure. I’ll do it.” He looked down at his slippers. “I have to put my shoes on.”
“That’s all right, Mr. Hamilton,” Barnett said. “Go right ahead. We’ll just wait out here.”
Kevin ducked into the bedroom. His eyes felt better, so he took his glasses off and put his contact lenses back in. Just then the phone rang. He picked it up and started putting on his tennis shoes.
“Hello.”
“It’s me,” Erica said.
“There you are. I tried calling you four or five times.”
“Somebody called right after you hung up, and I couldn’t get him off the phone.”
MORRISON/THE ADAMAS BLUEPRINT
57
“Never mind that. You are never going to believe what’s going on. There really is a Stein.
Herbert Stein. Actually, I should say there was. He was murdered two days ago.” Erica gasped.
“Now the cops are here, and they want me to go down to the station with them.”
“To look at a lineup?”
“No, just some pictures. It shouldn’t take too long.”
The sound of a gas motor steadily grew as a man on a lawnmower neared Kevin’s apartment.
He raised his voice.
“You still interested in lunch?”
There was a pause on the other end. “All right, but no McDonald’s.”
A click in the phone interrupted Erica’s voice. He could barely make out the tell-tale beeping of the call waiting signal over the din of the lawnmower. “That’s another call. Can you hang on?”
“Yes.”
Kevin depressed the switch.
“Hello?” He was practically yelling over the sound of the lawnmower.
“Mr. Hamilton, this is Detective Guy Robley of the HPD Homicide Division. Detective Chambers said you called about Herbert Stein.”
“Yes. Barnett and Kaplan are here. They explained about you not being able to get back to me.”
“Who?”
Kevin frowned. “Detectives Barnett and Kaplan. They said you asked them to stop by my apartment. I was just about to leave with them to come down to the station.”
MORRISON/THE ADAMAS BLUEPRINT
58
“What do you mean, Mr. Hamilton? I didn’t send anyone to your apartment.”
Kevin looked at the closed bedroom door. “There must be some misunderstanding. Their names are Detectives Barnett and Kaplan.”
“Look, Mr. Hamilton” Robley said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I don’t know anyone by the name of Barnett or Kaplan.”
* * *
Lobec leaned against the wall by the bedroom door. He had moved over there to hear the phone conversation, but the noise of the lawnmower was drowning out Kevin’s voice. No matter.
He had heard most of the conversation he had had with his girlfriend, and it didn’t sound as if he had told her anything of
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