Oliver said, “I haven’t heard them yet. You have Jeanine soliciting Carey to shoot up Estelle’s?”
“No such luck. But Carey’s tapes have them talking about the shootings. Lots of details. We’ll go over them at great length in the morning.”
Another drawn silence. This time Decker broke it.
“Carey told me that Jeanine had been thinking about popping her parents for a long time. When they met, she was working on Harlan, trying to get him irate enough to go in and blast the place. Of course, she was failing miserably. Harlan was a fuck-up, but no killer. It was Carey’s idea to use Harlan as a dupe. Jeanine got him mad enough to charge into Estelle’s and confront the management…specifically the manager who fired him months earlier. Mal followed on Harlan’s heels, went inside and just sprayed the place, leaving a dead Manz to take the blame.”
A pause. Marge squeezed her empty coffee cup. “Jeanine and Mal. What a pair.”
Decker said, “Two really…evil people who found each other. It’s true that Estelle’s was Jeanine’s idea. But Carey jumped at the opportunity. I think he liked shooting people. You’ll note that even though he wanted Jeanine, he demanded payment for the job. Carey wanted to be a hit man…talked about how being a ninja was a time-honored, noble profession. Incredible how far we’ve fallen as a society.”
“But shooting up Estelle’s was Jeanine’s idea,” Marge said.
“Yes. I guess it just took her a while to find an acceptable cast of characters. The woman was right about one thing. She was one hell of an organizer.”
Marge asked, “Did Jeanine ever state why she wanted to kill her parents?”
“Money, Dunn! Why else?” Oliver cleared his throat. “Carey probably did it for money too. What’d you say she gave him? Something like thirty grand in bearer bonds.”
“Thirty-five.” Decker cleared his throat. “Carey liked the money. Matter of fact, I think popping David Garrison was also Malcolm’s call and he did it for money. Of course, he really liked Jeanine and wanted to impress her. The one thing Carey never factored into the equation was Jeanine’s genuine affection for Wade Anthony. Since Anthony was a paraplegic, Carey didn’t view him as a romantic threat. But later, Carey began to suspect things. Especially since Sean kept complaining about the two of them. Even so, Carey couldn’t seriously believe that Jeanine would marry a guy stuck in a wheelchair.”
Oliver said, “At some point, Mal must have felt Anthony’s threat. We did find all those pictures of Wade and his daily schedule at the bust. Looks like he was planning a hit to me.”
“I can believe it. Kid was stricken with bloodlust.”
“And he’d probably try to pin it on Sean,” Marge added. “Just like he did with David Garrison.”
“Makes sense.”
Decker felt himself clutching the wheel and relaxed his fingers.
“I guess Jeanine figured she could string Mal along until he lost interest in her. But when Wade came into the picture, she accelerated her plans. She knew Mal would drop a dime if she bailed out on him so soon. So she got rid of him. Making the call to Narc to get him busted.”
Oliver shook his head. “Carey’s a dumbshit. By going state’s witness on Estelle’s, he ain’t going to lessen his own jail time.”
“Not by a minute.”
“It’ll probably screw up his parole, make him serve an even longer sentence.”
“No doubt.”
Marge said, “At least this way he can’t be prosecuted for Estelle’s.”
“Dunn, without Carey turning state’s witness and his tapes, the state has no case. All he did was create a mess for himself.”
“Teenagers are impulsive,” Marge said. “They don’t think things through.”
“C’mon. Had to be more to it.”
Decker said, “You never craved revenge?”
“Not if it screwed me blue.”
“A sane man,” Marge said.
Decker said, “Lucky for us that Carey wasn’t so sane. And like Marge said, lucky that he was impulsive. Because at that point, more than anything, Carey craved revenge. And you know what, Scott? When he spoke about the big get-even with her, I can tell you that old Mal and I were of one mind.”
The condo was set atop undulating hillside that peered out into city lights, and looked down into deep sweeps of lush canyons. The air was wet and sweet-scented; a gentle breeze rustled through the brush. A lovely setting to plan a mass murder.
Instinctively, Decker felt for his gun. Never could tell what was on the other side of the door. But he didn’t anticipate trouble. He nodded to the others; they walked up to the building. A twenty-four-hour doorman sat at a desk behind locked glass doors. He was heavyset and moved with effort. His face was moon-shaped and registered surprise when confronted by the badges of the midnight posse. Slowly, he unlocked the doors, let them cross the threshold. He was wary but cooperative.
“Should I ring Ms. Garrison?”
“No,” Decker said. “But I want you to come up with us.”
“All right.”
“Unlock her door if necessary.”
Pink permeated the doorman’s face. “I don’t know if I can do that.”
Oliver said, “Surely you don’t want us to break it down.”
“All the noise,” Marge added. “Plus it’s not an easy thing to do.”
The doorman looked over his shoulder as if trying to spot a hidden ally. “Well, all right. I guess…” He nodded.
Decker said, “Can you tell me if Ms. Garrison has any visitors at the moment?”
“Just Mr. Anthony.”
Decker pushed the elevator button. “Let’s go.”
The ride up to the penthouse was stone silent. The elevator stopped. They got out. Decker took a deep breath, balled his hands into fists. The rap on Jeanine’s door was rapid and loud.
Waiting.
Nothing.
Decker tried again. Firmer. Louder.
Shuffling noises. Stomping noises. Seconds later, Garrison’s voice asking who it was. She spoke in an angry tone.
Decker said, “Police, Ms. Garrison! Open up now!”
“Of all the nerve!” The door swung open. Jeanine dressed in black sweats, a rosy face damp with perspiration. Beads of moisture were resting above her upper lip, tendrils of blond hair cascading across her cheeks and down her shoulders.
Obvious what she had been doing.
A male voice emanated from the other room, asked what was going on. Her livid face glaring upward. “Just who the hell do you think you are?”
Decker said, “Jeanine Holly Garrison, you are under arrest for the murder of—”
Immediately the door flew at Decker’s face. He blocked it with his shoulder, shoved it back open. She was waiting for him, her arm raised high above her shoulder, a furious open palm arcing downward to smack his face. He caught her wrist in midair and set it firmly behind her back. Brought the other wrist down and around and cuffed her hands together.
Once restrained, Jeanine melted. She burst into unrestrained sobs, water exploding from her eyes.
At last! Decker thought. Genuine tears! Camus would have been proud.
Jeanine wailed out, “But you have no right!”
Decker said, “Ms. Garrison, this is America. Everyone has rights. Now let me tell you some of yours.”
About the Author
FAYE KELLERMAN introduced L.A. cop Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus, to the mystery world eleven years ago. Since that time she has written nine Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novels as well as a historical novel, The Quality of Mercy. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, author Jonathan Kellerman. There are close to three million copies of her books in print.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Praise
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
FAYE KELLERMAN
“A master of mystery.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Richmond Times-Dispatch
SERPENT’S TOOTH
“A shocker…The phenomenally popular Kellerman has produced another sure winner…a bang-up whodunit with gentle humor, a clever and convincing plot, well-drawn characters, and a warm portrait of family life.”
Booklist
“Solid police work…Kellerman has an appealing hero in Decker and an adept way of drawing large inferences from microscopic domestic situations…It works.”
The New York Times Book Review
“Nail-biting.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Layering crisis upon crisis, Kellerman builds a page-turner…based on a complex, carefully established network of relationships…Lots of action, an intricate plot, and credible, multi-dimensional characters make this another standout entry in an evolving series.”
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Books by Faye Kellerman
THE RITUAL BATH
SACRED AND PROFANE
THE QUALITY OF MERCY
MILK AND HONEY
DAY OF ATONEMENT
FALSE PROPHET
GRIEVOUS SIN
SANCTUARY
JUSTICE
PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD
SERPENT’S TOOTH
MOON MUSIC
JUPITER’S BONES
STALKER
THE FORGOTTEN
Copyright
SERPENT'S TOOTH. Copyright © 1997 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: 9780061844027
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
Faye Kellerman_Decker & Lazarus 10 Page 41