Alone (Detective D.D. Warren, #1)(92)

“It's not you,” Bobby said.

She turned to him, still confused. “But who?”

“The Gagnons. The judge and his wife. It's why they left Georgia. It's why she doesn't exist—because, of course, they had to give her a new name. And probably why there is no marriage license—they never would've passed the blood test.”

He turned to Dr. Iorfino. “Can genetic defects skip a generation?”

“Absolutely.”

“And can two interrelated parties still have a healthy child? Or would the children have to have the defect?”

“No, there could be healthy offspring. Think of the royal families of Europe in centuries past. Many of them married first cousins, and still had relatively healthy offspring. But inbreeding weakens the gene pool. Sooner or later . . .”

“So James and Maryanne get together. Say they're first cousins.” Bobby frowned, glanced at Catherine. “Harris said Maryanne's family died before the wedding. What about James's family? Have you ever heard talk of other relatives? Grandparents, aunts, uncles, anyone?”

“No, Jimmy said his parents came from small families. There was no one left alive.”

“So James and Maryanne meet. God knows her family couldn't have been wild about the idea, but then they died. Problem solved. James and Maryanne move up here, start fresh with a new name for Maryanne, new past for both of them. Have a son.”

“Jimmy's older brother,” Catherine whispered. “The one who died young.”

“Maybe Nathan isn't the first Gagnon male to show signs of Fanconi-Bickel. Harris said James Junior was a sickly baby.”

“Fanconi-Bickel varies in its severity,” Dr. Iorfino provided. “In a very severe case—”

“But Jimmy didn't have signs of any . . . disorders,” Catherine protested.

“Again, inbreeding doesn't guarantee genetic disaster, Mrs. Gagnon, it just makes it more probable.”

“A ticking time bomb,” Bobby said quietly.

“Oh my God, poor Nathan . . .” And then, Bobby could tell she had reached the same conclusion he had, because her eyes suddenly widened with a fresh look of horror. She turned toward him. “But if Nathan has this syndrome . . . if others find out that Nathan has this syndrome, then . . .”

He nodded grimly. “Yeah. This is why the judge is so determined to get custody. Whoever has Nathan has the key to unlocking the Gagnons' deepest, darkest secret. And that's something worth killing for.”





A S HE WALKED out of Dr. Iorfino's office to the lobby, Bobby's cell rang. He grimaced, but Catherine merely pushed him toward one corner of the lobby.

“I need to call my father, anyway,” she said. “I'll tell him we're ready for him to bring Nathan.”

Bobby nodded, giving Catherine some space as he flipped open his phone. It was D.D. She sounded strange.

“Where are you? I've been trying to reach you all morning.”

“I had things to do. What's up?”

“Are you with her?” D.D. asked.

Bobby didn't have to ask who D.D. meant. It was implicit in her tone.

“D.D., what do you want?”

“Where are you?”

“You answer my question, then I'll answer yours.”

There was silence. Bobby frowned, trying hard to interpret that silence. He didn't get very far.

“Got ballistics back on Jimmy Gagnon's gun,” D.D. said. “The nine-millimeter was fully loaded. Not a single cartridge missing from the clip. No GSR on the barrel, handle, anything. It was never fired.”

“But I thought . . .” Bobby paused, struggling to get his bearings. He could feel the danger, but he still couldn't see it coming.

“But what about the reports of shots fired?” D.D. filled in.

“Yeah.”

“Fascinating development. Last night, when we were at the Gagnon residence cutting down the nanny's body, one of the crime-scene techs bumped the bureau. Guess what had been taped to the underside of the top, inside a drawer? Guess what then fell down?”

He got it now. He closed his eyes. He turned away from Catherine completely, because he couldn't look at her and hear this news. “A second gun.”

“Also nine-millimeter. Recently fired. Two bullets missing from the clip.”

“Prints?”

“Her prints, Bobby. Her gun, registered in her name, loaded with the bullets purchased by her, according to the gun dealer. Jimmy Gagnon never fired a shot Thursday night. She did.”

Bobby tried to make the words sink in. Then tried to tell himself it didn't matter. Jimmy abused her, she had cause. Or maybe, Jimmy abused her, and she was just looking out for her son. He didn't know. He tried on the thought as many ways as he knew how. He was still left cold and empty.

“Did you tell her how to do it, Bobby?” D.D. asked now. “Is that how it played out? You met her at the cocktail party. Decided to trade in your current blonde for a more exotic model. Catherine's a big step up, I gotta give you credit for that. Did she promise you money, or was it all for love?”

“It didn't happen like that.”

“No? So it was just sex? She used your body, and you shot your mouth off in the postcoital glow?”