Jonathan Kellerman - Obsession

“This is horrible.”

“Tanya, Lester Jordan was a heroin addict who led a high-risk lifestyle, it’s a miracle he’s survived this long. Unless your mother and he had some kind of relationship when he was alive, there’s no reason to believe she’s connected to his death.”

“Of course they had no relationship, why would she hang out with someone like that?”

“It didn’t need to be a social connection,” I said. “An addict could require medical care from time to time.”

“You’re saying she helped him with overdoses?”

“Or with kicking his habit.”

Or feeding it.

“I never saw or heard of anything like that,” she said. “But I was so young.”

“Even if your mother did help Jordan, it doesn’t mean that had anything to do with his death. This was a man with an extensive criminal record. He associated with bad people. Lieutenant Sturgis is looking into Jordan’s background. He needs to talk to Kyle’s parents but they’re both out of town. Kyle was the next best thing.”

Letting go of her hair, she played with the yogurt cup. “I really can’t see Mommy knowing someone like that. Her big thing was protecting me from bad influences.”

“What about those drunks who knocked on the door?” I said. “That could’ve been an addict going through withdrawal.”

“I guess. I never saw her open the door. That was the whole point, keeping that world outside.”

“Sketchy neighborhood,” I said. “But she lived there for six years.”

“What are you saying?”

“Maybe she stayed that long because she was earning extra income caring for Lester Jordan. When Colonel Bedard needed nursing, his family remembered how effective she’d been and asked her to live in.”

“She never told me anything like that.”

“There’d be no reason to tell a seven-year-old.”

A clapping sound drew our attention. Milo’s hand landing on Kyle Bedard’s shoulder. Kyle flinched, made eye contact with Tanya.

She stared past him and he turned back to Milo.

Milo spoke a bit longer, gave Kyle a half salute and a wolf-grin. Kyle chanced another glance at Tanya, headed for the physics building. Fooling with his glasses and hitching his pants, he stepped inside.

Tanya said, “He left his lunch.”

Milo said, “His appetite may have waned.”

A big padded hand shot out. “Milo Sturgis.”

“Tanya.”

He sat down next to her. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“Lieutenant, I’ve never heard of that man, Jordan.”

“Didn’t expect you would, Tanya.”

“Kyle’s uncle,” she said. “How’d Kyle take the news?”

“He’s a little shaken,” said Milo.

“Do you think this happened because of me?”

Milo eyed the murals. Promethean figures lofting test tubes, holding calipers, watching sparks fly. “That would be a quantum leap, Tanya. Jordan’s lifestyle was what we call high-risk.”

“Dr. Delaware told me all that, but how can you be sure it’s not related?”

“We can’t, that’s why we’re here. You told Dr. Delaware you thought your mother brought up the ‘terrible thing’ because she was trying to protect you.”

“It was more a feeling than a rational thought, Lieutenant. I sensed it.”

“Nothing she actually said led you to that?”

“No, just her intensity. As if it was really important for me to have the knowledge. She used to say ‘Knowledge is power.’ It just felt like this was another example-pointing me in a certain way. That’s why I contacted Dr. Delaware.” Looking down. “So he could direct me to you.”

Milo scratched his nose. A pigeon swooped into the fountain’s plume. Drank, showered, shook its feathers dry, and departed. “Are you pretty aware of personal safety issues?”

“Am I in danger, Lieutenant Sturgis?”

“I’m not ready to put you in the witness protection program but I would like you to be careful.”

“About?”

“The basics. Keep your doors and windows locked, turn on your alarm when you get home, look around before you get out of your car, don’t talk to strangers. Stuff you should be doing anyway.”

“I am,” she said. A trio of pigeons dive-bombed the fountain. “Is Kyle considered a stranger?”

“Not anymore, I guess-Tanya, I can’t give you a cookbook. There’s no problem hanging with him at a public place. In fact, that could be a positive if in the course of hanging you learn something useful.”

“You want me to spy on him?”

“Sometimes things come out in the course of conversation.”

“Like what?”

“Maybe Kyle will recall something about his uncle that will help close this murder.”

“Did Kyle say he was close to him?” said Tanya.

“He said the two of them haven’t had contact for years.” Milo smiled. “Tanya, my bet’s on Jordan’s addiction and criminal history being the main factors in his death. But Dr. Delaware tells me you’re mature and smart and you seem that way to me. So I’m being straight with you. At this point, nothing can be ruled out.”

She thought about that. “Makes sense…I can see Kyle not wanting to hang with someone like that. Beer’s the strongest thing he takes.”

I said, “How’d that come up?”

She blushed. “We were discussing…values. I guess that sounds geeky.”

Milo said, “Tanya, if more people paid attention to values, I’d have more leisure time.”

I said, “You were talking about values and drugs came up?”

“Actually, I brought it up. I mentioned I was thinking of becoming a psychiatrist and that the whole biological revolution interested me. Kyle said he had a cousin who was on medication for all sorts of behavior problems and from what he’d seen, he wasn’t sure that was the way to go. We ended up talking about where you draw the line between treatment and fostering chemical dependency. That’s what we were discussing when you showed up.”

Bouncing her knees. “Maybe Kyle has reservations about medication because of his uncle’s problems.”

“Could be,” I said.

“If he’s someone I shouldn’t be hanging with, just tell me.”

Milo said, “Keep your eyes open and trust your instincts.”

Her eyes shifted to the entrance of the physics building. “Is inside Bergson Hall considered a public place?”

“For the time being, yes.”

She stood, began collecting the food and depositing it in a bag.

He said, “Have you found your mother’s gun?”

She stopped moving. “Do I need to learn how to use it?”

“I’d like to have it for a few days to run some tests.”

“You think it was used to do something criminal?”

“I’m sure it wasn’t but let’s verify that. Do you know where it is?”

She nodded. “Should I bring it to your office?”

“How about I pick it up? When will you be home?”

“Today?”

“Sooner is better than later.”

“Let’s see…around five, five thirty. Six to be safe, if I end up doing some studying after work.” Checking her watch. “I’m due at the library right now.”

“Go ahead, see you at six,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” she said. “And thank you for taking the time to help me. I really appreciate it.”

This time she held out a hand. Pumped Milo’s mitt then gave me a quick hug. “I know I’ve made things complicated…I feel safe with you on my side. Say hello to Dr. Silverman, Lieutenant. Mommy adored him.”

When she was gone, Milo said, “You lie to her, too?”

“You bet.”

“Good man.”

“One thing was true,” said Milo as we drove away from campus. “Can’t protect her twenty-four seven, she needs to look both ways and be smart. Think she got the message?”