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.'Still, maybe that's why forall his alleged brainpower he's still a sergeant.''Baker,' said Milo, punching his fist.'That son of a whore- so he knew Irit by sight.Knew she was deaf.'Daniel looked pained.'But to kill someone - a child -over that-''Think of it as a tracer bullet,' said Milo.'After the Ortiz boy's murderwent off perfectly, Baker and the other New Utopia assholes decided someoneelse was gonna die, it didn't really matter who, as long as it was someonethey judged to be a life not worth living.Alex told me before that, despiteall the eugenics bullshit, this boils down to killing for fun.What greaterfun for Baker than revenge? Mrs C.rejects him, Mr C.gets him disciplined,and their daughter just happens to be handicapped.It must have seemed likekarma to the bastard.When I knew him, he was into Eastern religions, talked alot about karma.'Daniel slumped, stared past us, into the kitchen.'What?' said Milo.'It's.disgusting.All of it's disgusting.''Each murder has a connection to someone in the group,' I said.'Ponsico andZena, Raymond and Tenney, Irit and Baker.Nolan Dahl helped with Irit - Bakertraining him in all sorts of things.And I'll bet Latvinia was one of Dahl'splaymates.Maybe Baker's, too.To them, a dark-skinned girl with handicaps wassomething to be used and thrown away.Baker could have killed her for fun, orbecause she knew about him and Nolan.Or both.Probably both.''And Melvin Myers?' said Daniel.'He got on the wrong side of someone in the group,' I said.'Someone downtown.Baker or Lehmann?'Looking into the backpack, Daniel removed a handful of papers and took out acolor brochure.I examined it with him.Page 269ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html'The Central city skills Center: For fifteen years, a citadel of hope.' Thephotos showed blind people walking with guidedogs and operating computers, smiling amputees trying on prosthetic limbs.The course list: sewing, crafts, mechanical assembly.A small-print list offunding sources was followed by a smaller-print professional advisory board.Doctors, lawyers, politicians.Alphabetized.Near the middle: Roone Lehmann, Ph.D., psychological consultant.'Working with the handicapped,' I said.'Must have given him a laugh.Butmaybe he got a bigger laugh playing financial games with the school.Takingcandy from blind babies.'Milo hurried over and read the roster.'Myers discovers Lehmann ripping offthe school and threatens to write an expose.Maybe he tells Lehmann, evenblackmails him, because one thing Myers doesn't lack is gall.Lehmann agreesto pay him off, calls a meet in that alley and someone - probably Baker -finishes Myers off.'He took the brochure from Daniel.'The murders,' said the Israeli, 'are their way of mixing business withpleasure.'"The only problem is,' Milo told him, 'all we've got is theory.Because theonly thing close to evidence - the Polaroids of Nolan Dahl's play-dates - weredestroyed.Even if we find Tenney's van in Zena's garage, I have nothing thatjustifies a warrant.''What would it take,' I said, 'to move on any of them?''A full confession would be peachy, but I'll settle for an incriminatingremark.Anything that lets us focus on one of them - a weak link.''That might be Zena.She spouts the eugenics line but it seems likerole-playing.I'm not saying she's harmless.But so far, she's been lessinterested in politics than in partying.I have a date with her tonight at ten.Maybe I can get her to open up moreabout NU.Maybe eventually she can be made to see it's in her best intereststo give up the others.' Milo frowned.'Don't know about the date.Tenney didmake eye contact with you a couple of times and even though you don't thinkBaker recognized you, you're not sure.''Tenney doesn't know me,' I said, 'so he's got no reason to suspect me ofanything.He's probably just an antisocial guy.What would he tell Baker?Zena's got a new boyfriend? And if I break the date wouldn't that make Zenawonder?' 'Old Andy's a heartbreaker.He changed his mind.' 'Then what?' Isaid.'Where do you go from there?' No answer.'Milo, the one good thing about these people being so arrogant is they have noidea they're under suspicion.On the contrary, they're probably gloating thateverything's gone off smashingly.Five murders, all unsolved.They're gettingcocky.That's why the pace has picked up.Think of what you said: half thecity and all of the Valley.Thousands of handicapped people who can't beprotected.'Page 270ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html'And your date tonight is gonna change all that?' he barked.'At least it's a connection to NU.Maybe Zena will tell me somethingimportant.At the very least, you can pull her in and lean on her a little.Irepeat: What else is there?'Longer silence.'All right,' he said.'One more time, but that's it.After tonight, you're outof it and we shift gears, go for full surveillance on Baker and Lehmann, keepDaniel's New York people stuck to Sanger and Cranepool, get a look at Zena'sgarage.If Tenney's van is in there and he splits like you think he's planningto, I'll use Baker's technique.Stop the bastard for a traffic violation andtake it from there.''Where does Baker live?' said Daniel.'A boat in the marina called Satori.' I described the location of the slip.'Satori,' he said.'Heavenly tranquility.''The bastard's a pro,' Milo told him.'Did Vice work and robbery undercover,meaning he understands surveillance.''So I need to be careful,' said Daniel.'Start with being careful tonight, friend.I want both of us covering Alexnonstop from the time he sets out to romance Little Ms Murder til he getshome.A post on her street and another on the hillside behind the house.''I can do the hillside,' said Daniel.'You're sure?''I've done climbing in Israel.Caves in the Judaean Desert.''Recently?'Daniel smiled and flopped the dead hand.'Recently.One accommodates.Contraryto what our NU friends believe, life goes on for all kinds of people.''Fine.Where you sleeping tonight, Alex?''Might as well go home,' I said.'I'll follow you.' He faced Daniel.'After that, you and I meet back here.'On Saturday, Daniel slept from 4:00 a.m.to 8:00, awoke, put on fresh jeans,loafers, a black T-shirt, and his best sportcoat, a black serge Hugo Bossjacket given to him by his mother-in-law last Chanukkah.After buying amorning paper, he drove to Marina del Rey, where he walked through the MarinaShores Hotel and out to the harbor.Shielding his face behind the paper, he looked for Baker's boat.Easy enough.Alex's description had been precise.Satori was long, sleek, white.On a police sergeant's salary? Or had DrLehmann played share-the-wealth in all kinds of ways?Page 271ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlHe could smell the ocean, hear the gulls.Impossible to tell from here ifBaker was on the boat.One way or another, he'd find out.He strolled up and down the breezeway, pretending to sightsee.Twenty minuteslater, Wesley Baker came out on deck with a cup of coffee, stretching andlooking up at the sky.Solid-looking in a white T-shirt and white shorts.Tan, muscular, gold-rimmedglasses.A real California guy, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.HannahArendt would have been pleased [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]