City of the Dead (Alex Delaware, #37)(28)

“Not really, no. She was already living away from home.” He hazarded another sip, pursed his lips. “Cordi had problems, who doesn’t? But at the core, she was a lovely girl. Bright, personable, lots of potential. I guess some things come down to luck.”

“Hers wasn’t good?”

“Did Renni tell you about her early days?”

“She did.”

“So you understand. Neither Renni nor I grew up with money but ultimately, we’ve been fortunate. By the time I got to know Cordi she was eighteen and had been through a lot. Another reason not to get involved.”

I said, “Because…”

“I figured she was pretty much formed. And it’s not like she was asking me for my advice.”

He drank more coffee. “This really is lousy…to be honest, what I’d like right now is some bourbon but you can’t be poking around ear canals with an unsteady hand.”

I said, “So you had no intention of molding her personality.”

“None whatsoever. It’s like the septum. That’s a wall of bone and cartilage that separates the nostrils. In most adults it’s deviated—bent out of shape. Some people are born that way, others get knocked in the nose. Generally it’s not a big deal but when problems arise—breathing issues, sleep apnea—patients come in for a straightening. We do our best but we’re up-front. The septum’s a stubborn bit of gristle that keeps wanting to return to the way it was. Sometimes we get lucky. Other times?”

Blanding shrugged.

I said, “When it came to Cordi, you chose your battles.”

“I choose not to battle at all,” he said. “What would be the point? Not just with Cordi, I apply that to my own son. He’s a good kid but he’s not perfect. Super-smart, has finally developed a few friends we like. But when the mood hits him, he mouths off. What kid doesn’t? What kid toes the line a hundred percent? When Aaron gets pissy I first try to reason with him, figure the more responsibility he takes the better. But if that doesn’t work, I back off. The way I see it, if he chooses not to study for a test and bombs, that’s on him. If he chooses not to go to Harvard, who the heck cares? But that’s just me.”

“Your wife has a different philosophy.”

Blanding rotated his coffee cup with strong dexterous fingers. “Renni’s highly invested in Aaron. And yes, in answer to your next question, as opposed to Cordi. Is that unfortunate? You bet. Did Renni actually get into details about those early days?”

Milo said, “Homeless, then in a shelter, waiting tables, trying to make ends meet.”

Greg Blanding grew silent.

“Doctor?”

“So she didn’t tell you about her illness.”

Milo said, “Your wife’s or Cordi’s?”

“Do we need to get into it?” said Blanding.

“You brought it up, Doctor.”

“So I did.” Long sigh. “You’re detectives, you could find out on your own—but please don’t mention this to my wife. She’s entitled to her privacy.”

“Sure,” said Milo.

“Renni has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for years. So far, it’s relatively well controlled. But when it acts up, life can be painful for her. I’m telling you this so you’ll understand my wife.”

“Understand what, Doctor?”

Greg Blanding’s soft brown eyes rose to the ceiling. His lower teeth gnawed at his mustache. “Animals in the wild try not to show they’re suffering. It makes them more vulnerable to attack. But when it comes to humans, whenever there’s pain, there are mood issues. Renni tends to get angry rather than depressed. Which I think is a good thing—direct it outward, not inward. When she called me to tell me about Cordi she sounded angry so I’m assuming that’s what you saw. I don’t want you to think she’s uncaring. Anything but. She raised Cordi all by herself and did a darn good job. She loved Cordi.”

“Got it,” said Milo.

“I hope so, Lieutenant. Renni was diagnosed with R.A. in her teens. Right after having Cordi. Like I said, it’s well controlled but there have been some bone and lung issues. Fortunately, it hasn’t affected her skin. That would be especially rough for her. When a woman gets used to hearing she’s beautiful, she becomes invested in her looks.”

I said, “Was that also true of Cordi?”

“From what Renni told me, Cordi had long banked on her appearance.”

“The time she spent modeling.”

“Modeling as well as hanging around the periphery of the movie business. When coke was big I repaired a lot of coke noses so I’m familiar with that world.”

“Did you ever hear of specific issues related to that?”

“Meaning?”

“Did Cordi ever have a drug problem.”

“Not to my knowledge,” said Blanding. “She certainly never exhibited symptoms. I’ve always thought her big issue was self-esteem. She underrated her own intelligence. That’s why I was glad to hear she’d switched gears to doing something with her brain rather than her looks. But then that went south. I know my wife told you about it.”

I said, “Pretending to be a psychologist.”

Heavy shoulders dropped. “How she could’ve imagined getting away with it is beyond me.”