Lucy blushed. “Saint Lucretia.”
“The kind of good she’s created has to come from a beautiful soul, Dr. Delaware.”
“I know.”
“Please,” said Lucy, placing a packet of cookies into the box.
“Wonderful,” said Best. “Can I steal the good doctor from you for a second, Lucy?”
“Only if you bring him back.”
He took me into a cubbyhole office and closed a particle-board door that didn’t cut out much of the noise. On the wall were some of the same type of biblical pictures he’d had in his kitchen.
“I just wanted to thank you for all you’ve done,” he said.
“It was my pleas—”
“It was exceptional, the way you stuck by her. She’s blessed to have met you and so am I.” He gave me a troubled look.
“What is it, Reverend?”
“You know, for a time I thought if I ever found what happened I’d take the law into my own hands. The Bible exhorts against revenge, but it also permits the Blood Redeemer his due. There were times I thought I’d do something terrible. My faith was lacking.”
Tears filled his eyes.
“I could have been a better father. I could have given her money so she didn’t need to—”
“Stop,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m no Solomon, but I know the difference between a good father and a bad one.”
He cried some more, softly, then snapped out of it. Drying his eyes, he took my hand in both of his. “How selfish of me—so much work to be done. Always hunger.”
I returned to the packing line.
Lucy’s hands moved like a weaver’s at a loom. She was trying to smile but her mouth wouldn’t cooperate.
“Thanks for coming,” she said. “Guess I’ll be seeing you at the beach tomorrow.”
“Here, too,” I said. “I think I’ll stick around for a while.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JONATHAN KELLERMAN, America’s foremost author of psychological thrillers, turned from a distinguished career in child psychology to writing full-time. His works include fourteen Alex Delaware books—When the Bough Breaks, Blood Test, Over the Edge, Silent Partner, Time Bomb, Private Eyes, Devil’s Waltz, Bad Love, Self-Defense, The Web, Survival of the Fittest, Monster, The Clinic, and Dr. Death—as well as the thrillers The Butcher’s Theater and Billy Straight, three volumes of psychology, and two children’s books. He and his wife, the novelist Faye Kellerman, have four children.
BOOKS BY JONATHAN KELLERMAN
FICTION:
Billy Straight (1998)
Survival of the Fittest (1997)
The Clinic (1997)
The Web (1996)
Self-Defense (1995)
Bad Love (1994)
Devil’s Waltz (1993)
Private Eyes (1992)
Time Bomb (1990)
Silent Partner (1989)
The Butcher’s Theater (1988)
Over the Edge (1987)
Blood Test (1986)
When the Bough Breaks (1985)
NONFICTION:
Helping the Fearful Child (1981)
Psychological Aspects of Childhood Cancer (1980)
FOR CHILDREN, WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED:
Jonathan Kellerman’s ABC of Weird Creatures (1995)
Daddy, Daddy, Can You Touch the Sky? (1994)
THE HIGHEST PRAISE FOR
JONATHAN KELLERMAN’S
SELF-DEFENSE
“Crackling dialog and sharp characterizations . . . [Kellerman] whisks us through the labyrinthine plot with a brisk, driving style.”
—Chicago Tribune
“With its nicely orchestrated twists, Kellerman’s plot will keep readers guessing.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Author Jonathan Kellerman came up big winners with his last two novels. . . . Self-Defense makes it a three-peat.”
—Detroit Free Press
“Often, mystery writers can either plot like devils or create believable characters. Kellerman stands out because he can do both. Masterfully.”
—USA Today
“Kellerman’s in his usual fine form, and his latest Alex Delaware adventure is sure to be every bit as popular as its predecessors.”
—Booklist
Please turn the page to read more about
the novels of Jonathan Kellerman. . . .
WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS
In this, the first of the bestselling Alex Delaware novels, the child psychologist explores a seven-year-old girl’s subconscious, seeking clues to a brutal homicide that only she witnessed.
“An exceptionally exciting thriller!”
—The New York Times
“[A] knockout of an entertainment.”
—New York Newsday
BLOOD TEST
A dangerously ill five-year-old boy is missing—kidnapped by his own parents. Alex and his friend LAPD detective Milo Sturgis have no choice but to follow them into the L.A. underworld where fantasies are fulfilled at any price—even at the cost of a young boy’s life.