“What drug scam?” said Banks.
Milo explained the theory, the cars in the driveway that had bedeviled Marie
Sinclair. “What’s better than pharmaceutical grade? Dollard’s the inside man,
Crimmins works the street. That’s why Dollard got so antsy when we kept coming back.
Idiot was afraid his little side biz would be blown. He shows his anxiety to
Crimmins, tips Crimmins that he can’t be counted on to stay cool, and signs his own death warrant. Crimmins has a history of tying up loose ends, and Bollard’s starting to unravel.” “This,” said Banks, “is… colorful.” “Lacking facts, I embroider,” said Milo. “Whatever the details,” I said, “the best guess is that Crimmins managed to get Peake down in that elevator. I think he entered the hospital grounds tonight through that cut in the fence, made his way across the rear yard, maybe hid in one of the annexes. Easy enough, no one uses them. Coming in through the foothills wouldn’t be much of a problem. Crimmins used to race motocross. He could’ve brought a dirt bike or an off-roader.”
“Where does your vie come in?” said Banks. “The Argent woman?”
Milo said, “She could’ve come across the drug scam. Or found out something from
Peake she wasn’t supposed to.”
“Or, she was part of the drug scam.”
Silence.
“Why,” said De la Tone, “did Peake start prophesying?”
“Because he’s still psychotic,” I said. “Crimmins made the mistake of divulging what he was going to do, figuring Peake would keep his mouth shut. Don’t forget, Peake’s been mum for sixteen years about the Ardullo murders. But recently something-probably the attention Claire paid him-opened Peake up. He got more verbal. Started to see himself as a victim-a martyr. When I brought up the Ardullos, he assumed a crucifixion pose. That could make him a threat to Crimmins. Maybe the role Crimmins has hi mind for him is victim.”
“Not if he’s the one sliced that woman up on the I-Five.”
“Not necessarily,” I said. “In this case monster and victim aren’t mutually exclusive.”
Banks ran his hands down his lapels, looked up at the helicopters.
“One more thing,” said Milo. “That fence wasn’t cut tonight. There was some oxidation around the edges.”
“Well rehearsed,” I said. “Just like any other production.
That’s the way Crimmins sees life: one big show. He could’ve come anytime, set the stage.”
“What a joke,” said Banks. “Place like this and they take keys home.”
“Not that it matters,” said De la Torre. To Milo: “You ever seen a maximum-security prison that wasn’t full of dope and weapons? Other than my mother-in-law’s house.”
“Can’t stop inhuman nature,” said Banks. “So now Crimmins and Peake are heading back to the hometown? Why?”
“The only thing I can think of is more theater. A script element. What I don’t get is why Crimmins would leave that woman on the freeway. It’s almost as if he’s directing attention to Treadway. So maybe he’s deteriorating. Or I’m totally wrong-the escape’s a one-man operation and Peake’s fooled everyone. He’s a calculating monster who craves blood, is out to get it any way he can.”
Banks studied his notes. “You’re saying the Ardullo thing might’ve been financial revenge. Why kill the kids?”
“You ruin my family, I ruin yours. Primitive but twisted justice. Derrick might have planned it, but at twenty he lacked the will and the stomach to carry out the massacre himself. Then Peake entered the picture and everything clicked: the village lunatic, living right there on the Ardullo ranch. Derrick and Cliff started spending time with Peake, became his suppliers for porn, dope, booze, glue, paint.
Psychopaths lack insight about themselves, but they’re good at zeroing in on other people’s pathology, so maybe Derrick spotted the seeds of violence in Peake, put himself in a position to exploit it. And it was a no-risk situation: if Peake never acted, who’d ever know the brothers had prodded him? Even if he said something, who’d believe him? But he did follow through, and it paid off, big-time: Carson
Crimmins was able to sell his land; the family got rich and moved to Florida, where the boys got to be playboys for a while. That’s one big dose of positive reinforcement. That’s why I called Peake a major influence on Crimmins.”