Peter Decker 3-Book Thriller Collection: False Prophet, Grievous Sin, Sanctuary

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Faye Kellerman

Год написания книги

2019

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“But you thought of me? Christ, you’re an idiot.”

“Yeah, it was stupid. ’Cause immediately I saw that the detective didn’t give a rat’s ass about what I wanted. But she didn’t press it. Then I thought … well, okay, I can’t take back what I said. But suppose I was with you, too. Then you could cover for me and the detective wouldn’t have to bother the woman.”

“Exactly what do you want me to say, Jeffs?”

Jeffers took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Thanks—”

“Hey, I didn’t say I’d do it.”

“I know, I know. Can you just … if the cop starts getting real nosy, can you just say I was with you from ten till two in the morning?”

“Too long.”

“Okay, okay. Midnight till two?”

“I’ll give you an hour. Midnight to one. And I didn’t say anything to the detective because you were …” Ness sniffed several times.

“No, no, please don’t mention that. I’m supposed to be clean. Lilah thinks I’m clean.”

“You had a relapse. You and the woman were doping and that’s why you didn’t want to say her name—hey, that’s why you came to me! You were so upset about your relapse, you had to talk to someone. And I didn’t want to get you involved unless I had to. Hey, I’m a nice guy. I felt bad for you.” Ness smiled. “After all, Jeffs, you’re one sick dude and that ain’t lyin’. You’re an addict.” He held up his fingers and began to tick them off. “A drug addict, an exercise addict, a sex addict—”

“Mike—”

“You’ve just got an addictive mentality.”

Jeffers lowered his head. “Don’t do this to me.”

“Sob, sob, Jeffs. Betham is suing my butt, not yours. If you hadn’t porked her in the first place, she wouldn’t have gotten mad at me when I said no.”

“I know, Nessy. Please don’t rub it in.”

“I told you she was a head case.”

“You were right.”

“Who’d you ball last night?”

“Patsy.”

Ness smiled. “Little Patsy Levington. What is she? Five feet even?”

“They all look the same lying down.”

There was a pause. Both men burst into hard laughter. They laughed until tears rolled down their eyes. Ness wiped his cheeks.

“So Patsy paid you two hundred, huh?”

“They all love to fuck a nigger, Nessy.”

“You ain’t much of a nigger, Jeffs.”

“That’s why I’m so perfect. Close enough to the real thing to be dangerous, but not so black so’s I’m …”

“Menacing.”

“That’s it, man. Whitey don’t like a menacing nigger.”

“God, I can’t believe she paid you two hundred.”

“You’re missing gold here. I keep telling you that.”

“And I keep telling you that if you don’t stop, you’re gonna be out on your butt.”

“I’m gonna stop—”

“Jeffs …”

“I am! I swear I am.” Jeffers laid the racket in his lap. “I’m gonna find a rich white girl—”

“Yeah, right!”

“Hold on … I’m gonna find a rich white girl who hates her father.”

“That’s a possibility.”

Jeffers smiled. “Get her to think of herself as real baaaad, ’cause she’s fuckin’ a black man.”

“Go on.”

“Maybe even knock her up …”

“There’s a thing out there called abortion.”

“Yeah, but I’m gonna pretend I want the baby.” Jeffers smiled. “The product of our luv.”

Ness laughed.

“Then …” Jeffers pointed his finger in the air. “Then I hit the old man up for cash. Bye-bye spa, bye-bye tennis. I’m outta here.”

Ness grinned and patted the tennis instructor’s shoulder. “Keep dreaming, Jeffs. It’s good for the soul.”

Jeffers gripped his racket and stood. “So we’re all squared away?”

“Almost.” Ness slowly rose off the bed, smiled, and unbuckled Jeffers’s belt. “You owe me, you know.”

“I know.”

“You haven’t even repaid me for Betham yet.”