JONATHAN KELLERMAN. A COLD HEART

She’d told him about Sturgis’s proclivities. Probably wanting to make sure he didn’t let loose some homophobic remark.

Which was ridiculous because he never remarked about anything, even this early in their partnership she should’ve seen that.

He made her nervous; when they rode together, she was jumpier than a sand flea.

This case was working out well. Both of them, happy to be going their separate ways.

Connor wasn’t a bad sort. Career woman. No family ties.

Superficially tough, but new situations made her antsy.

He made her antsy.

He knew he did that to people.

He couldn’t have cared less.

He completed the search of Kevin Drummond’s apartment, finding no personal papers or trophies, nothing criminal or suggestive of criminality. Hoarding all that paper was consistent with the guess the shrink had worked up: Drummond was highly obsessive. Drummond’s choice of magazines said the obsession was personality, celebrity.

The break-in had accomplished two things: Stahl knew, now, that the lack of a warrant wasn’t hurting them. All this search would’ve added to the mix was verification of Drummond’s homosexuality, and he couldn’t see where that fit in . . . maybe the S & M stuff? Drummond being into his own S, other people’s M?

The other thing: spending time in Drummond’s digs, feeling the cold solitude, he was willing to bet Drummond had rabbited a while back, had no intention of returning. Even with all that computer equipment left behind.

Daddy’s dough, easy come, easy go.

No copies of GrooveRat left behind said Kevin had another storage space. Or he didn’t care about publishing anymore.

Moving on to a new hobby?

Flicking off the Maglite, he stood in Drummond’s pathetic little room, making sure no one had been alerted by his presence. Just in case, he pulled out the mask and slipped it over his face. Army-issue, black Lycra, two eyeholes. This way, if anyone accosted him during his departure, all they’d remember would be a central-casting, night-stalking burglar.

The mask would scare any rational person off and lessen the chance of confrontation.

Stahl would do anything to protect himself. But he preferred not to have to hurt anyone.

27

The call came in as Milo and I were having breakfast on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. A sky the color of lint promised rain, and few pedestrians passed our outdoor table. The weather didn’t dissuade a scrawny man playing bad guitar for spare change. Milo slipped him a ten, told him to find another spot. The man moved twenty feet down and resumed howling. Milo returned to his Denver omelette.

It was two days after my visit to Charter College, Kevin Drummond still hadn’t shown up at his apartment, and Eric Stahl’s feeling was that he wouldn’t be returning soon.

“Why not?” I said.

“Stahl’s gut feeling, according to Petra,” he said.

“Is that worth much?”

“Who knows? Meanwhile, the only new thing we’ve learned about Drummond is that he’s gay. Petra found out that he used his POB primarily to get gay porn.” He put his fork down. “Think that’s relevant?”

“We were talking about someone sexually confused—”

“So maybe he resolved his confusion. What about Szabo and Loh? Rich gay men living the good life. There’s a focus for jealousy.”

“Szabo and Loh weren’t targeted, and their house was the scene of only one murder. Whoever killed Levitch was after what Levitch had.”

“Talent.” He glanced at the howling guitarist. “There’s a guy in no danger.”

“Anything new on Kipper?” I said.

“He has a girlfriend. Much younger—late twenties, very good-looking, name of Stephanie. She works as a legal secretary for a firm in his building. For the last few days, Kipper’s been squiring her around in public. This one’s blond, too, so Kipper’s neighbors could’ve been mistaken about his visitor being Julie. If I didn’t have the SeldomScene articles linking Julie to the others and a tentative match between the ligatures used on her and Levitch, I’d be wondering about Kipper’s considering a second try at marriage. Ex-spouses can make things messy, financially as well as emotionally. And we know from Kipper’s neighbors that he can be vindictive.”

“Julie makes waves, he shuts her up.”

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