by Justice
Decker kept his expression flat, but inside, his stomach dropped. He waited for her to speak, but she didn’t. So he said, “Did you tell your parents?”
“First thing,” Terry said. “That’s me. Responsible to the last drop.”
“And?”
“Well, I have a few options. I can give it up in a private adoption—my parents’ first choice. They’re Catholic and still consider abortion a major sin. And if I go private, they can get the prospective adoptive parents to pay for all my medical care.”
She looked down, then up.
“I can abort it with my own money of course. But I’m too Catholic for that. And if Chris found out, I do believe he’d literally kill me. Last option is I can keep it and raise it. But then full-time school would be out. Because I’d have to work. My parents flatly stated that this is my problem, I’d better learn to deal with it.”
No one spoke.
She finally said, “Of course, they’d give me a discount on room and board if I stayed with them.”
“How far along, Terry?”
“Around twelve weeks.” She stared at him, dry-eyed. “In the meantime, being the creative person I am, I’ve come up with my own solution. I’m moving to Chicago at the end of the quarter…right before Christmas. I have my maternal grandparents there. We’ve been talking quite a bit this past year. They’re wonderful people…retired but not all that old…in their late fifties.”
She wiped her eyes.
“I told them the situation. They insisted I come live with them. Told me they’d help me out if I wanted to keep it…baby-sit while I went to school part-time, while I worked. They said it would be their pleasure. I hope they mean what they’re saying.”
She smacked her lips together.
“So I’m going to keep it. I guess I came here to say good-bye.”
Decker was silent.
Terry laughed softly. “Ironic. It was Chris who got me in contact with my grandparents in the first place. Never know what life has in store for you. I’ll be okay. I’m smart, a hard worker, and I wear adversity well. And even though Chris is damaged, he’s got some impressive raw talent. Mixed in with all that psychopathology are some good genes. I’m going to have a wonderful baby.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“At least I won’t be distracted by social things. I think boys are out of the picture for a long time.”
Again, the room was quiet. Decker said, “Are you going to tell him, Terry?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I thought about it, but it’s out of the question. Our parting wasn’t amicable. I’m scared of him…what he’d do to me…to the baby. Some things are better kept to oneself.”
“He sent you the article, Terry. You’re still on his mind.”
“That was for spite, telling me he doesn’t need me. A knife in the back. Chris can totally drop things when he wants them to be totally dropped. I remember how he completely tuned me out in high school. Not so much as a nod when we passed each other in the hallway.”
“You think so?”
“I was there, Ser—It’s Lieutenant now, right?”
“Right.”
“Anyway, I don’t think Chris cares a fig about me.”
“I’m not so sure, Terry. He told me he was obsessed with you. Spying on you in high school when you weren’t looking.”
She said nothing.
“Terry, he’s going to find out. Might be better if it came from you directly.”
She looked up at the ceiling. “He won’t find out.”
Decker didn’t answer.
She shrugged. “And if he does, que será, será. I can’t exactly protect myself against a professional hit man.”
Decker felt her anguish. As if the girl sensed it, she smiled.
“I’ll be okay. Somehow, I’ll get through this mess—raise my baby…get an education. I’m smart. And I’m tenacious.”
“I’ll second that,” Decker said.
She laughed with wet eyes. “Thank you for seeing me. I learned from you, you know.”
“From me?”
“From you. I learned you can make mistakes…big mistakes, even…and still go on to do what’s right. Even though you knew what Chris was, you freed him anyway. Because you believed in something higher.”
“That’s giving me an awful lot of credit,” Decker said. “But I’ll take the compliment anyway.”
She stood up. “I’d better get going.”
“Do you need anything, Terry?” Decker asked. “I can set you up with Social Services.”
“No, thanks. I’ll slug it out my own way. Can I write to you from time to time?”
“Absolutely.”
“Congratulations on your promotion.”
“Thanks.”
She gave Decker a tiny wave, then left, trying to close the door behind her.
“Just leave it,” Decker said. “It’s warped.”
Terry gave him a dazzling smile. “Aren’t we all.”
Decker laughed, his eyes following the sway of her dress as she left the squad room. Decker sighed. A strong girl, not unlike Rina, not unlike Cindy. Given some breaks, she’d do just fine.
If Whitman didn’t kill her first.
About the Author
Faye Kellerman is the author of eight previous Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mysteries as well as the historical thriller The Quality of Mercy. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, novelist Jonathan Kellerman, and their four children.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Praise
FAYE KELLERMAN
“DOES FOR THE AMERICAN COP STORY WHAT P.D. JAMES HAS DONE FOR THE BRITISH MYSTERY, LIFTING IT BEYOND GENRE.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch
JUSTICE
“A page-turner teeming with murders, drugs, kinky sex and insightful hunches”
Cleveland Plain Dealer
“A cast of realistic and well-drawn characters…a few detestable villains and a plot so tightly woven that its threads don’t unravel until the end make this an entertaining novel that’s hard to put down.”
Austin American-Statesman
“Surprising twists and engaging subplots…A satisfying conclusion…The eighth appearance of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus will likely increase Kellerman’s constituency”
Publishers Weekly
JUSTICE
“A GRIPPING READ”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“As the family and the couple’s relationship has matured, so has Ms. Kellerman’s grasp, not only of the subject of crime in a megalopolis, but how it affects every family from the city dwellers to the suburbanites.”
Dallas Morning News
“Gritty…Absorbing…An American dream gone nightmarish”
Mostly Murder
“Kellerman’s easy style, deft plotting and solid characters make JUSTICE yet another success in her series.”
Associated Press
“Hands down, the most refreshing mystery couple around”
People
JUSTICE
“A SKILLFUL, SPICY TALE OF TEENAGE SEX, DRUGS AND MURDER…The most provocative novel in Faye Kellerman’s series”
Atlanta Journal and Constitution
“Chilling…Intriguing and satisfying…The pace is quick and we are instantly caught up in the story…Kellerman’s clever approaches, some very subtle, propel us along and cause us to examine what influences us to reach the conclusions we do at the end of the book.”
Orange County Register
“Highly recommended…Another stellar performance…Full of taut action and sparkling dialogue…A sure winner”
The Reader’s Review
“Mystery writers have much to be happy about…Faye Kellerman does not let us down”
Omaha World Herald
Books by
Faye Kellerman
FALSE PROPHET
THE RITUAL BATH
DAY OF ATONEMENT
MILK AND HONEY
THE FORGOTTEN
THE QUALITY OF MERCY
STALKER
JUPITER’S BONES
SACRED AND PROFANE
MOON MUSIC
SERPENT’S TOOTH
PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD
JUSTICE
SANCTUARY
Copyright
JUSTICE. Copyright © 1995 by Faye Kellerman. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition July 2007 ISBN 9780061746109
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com