Nothing to Lose (J.P. Beaumont #25)(94)

Nitz nodded. “There’s a foldout visitor’s chair in my dad’s room.”

“Why don’t you leave Jimmy with me, then?” I asked. “I have it on good authority that there’s a pullout sofa in my room at the Driftwood Inn. That’s bound to be more comfortable than sleeping on a love seat in a hospital waiting room. He can stay with me and sleep in a real bed. And I’ll be sure to feed him breakfast before I bring him back to you tomorrow morning.”

“You’re sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” I told her. “As far as I’m concerned, nothing’s too good for Sue Danielson’s grandson.”

I don’t think Jimmy was even aware of being walked out of the hospital and loaded into his mother’s SUV. On the way to the hotel, with Jimmy sacked out in the backseat, Nitz asked a difficult question.

“What about a funeral?” she asked.

“It can’t happen until Professor Raines releases the remains,” I answered.

“What should I do about that? I mean, I’m not really his next of kin.”

“I think I should put you and Chris’s brother Jared in touch so you can work it out,” I said. “Why don’t I give him your number so the two of you can discuss it?”

“Okay,” she said. A moment later she added, “Should I see him?”

“See Jared?” I asked.

“No, Chris. Should I ask to see his body?”

When I had told the story, I’d stuck to the words “human remains” for a reason. I imagined that she envisioned a human skeleton neatly laid out in an understandable fashion. I’m sure Nitz had no idea that all that existed of the first love of her life was a glued-together partial skull. I wanted to shout to the heavens, For God’s sake no, don’t do that! In this case I went for understated elegance.

“I would strongly advise against it,” I said. “You’re better off remembering Chris as he was rather than the way he is now.”

“All right,” she said.

I hoped she meant it rather than simply saying the words she knew would shut me up.

“And about that funeral,” I added. “Once you and Jared decide on a mortuary, put me in touch with them. I’ll be happy to handle the funeral expenses.”

Nitz thought about that for a moment. “You really liked his mother, didn’t you?”

“I did more than just like her,” I said. “Sue was my partner. When you’re a cop, that’s a sacred bond. She saved my life more than once, and I’ll always regret not saving hers.”

“I don’t believe that what happened to Chris’s mother was any of your fault.”

That was easy enough for Nitz to say, but it wasn’t something that was easy for me to believe. I had many years’ worth of bad dreams and sleepless nights to prove it wasn’t true.





Chapter 36




When Nitz dropped Jimmy and me off at the hotel, I stopped by the desk to talk to Fred about the car-rental situation before going up to the room. I believe I’ve mentioned before that Homer is a small town. As it happened, the Driftwood’s night clerk was good friends with the guy who ran the Hertz operation at the airport. They were able to work out an arrangement to have a vehicle dropped off at the hotel overnight.

Once in the room, I pulled out the sofa bed, while Jimmy went to the bathroom to undress. I didn’t blame him for not wanting to shed his clothing in front of me. Fortunately Nitz had had the foresight to bring along a backpack with some of his clothing in it. Once dressed in pj’s, Jimmy fell into bed and was out like a light. Obviously his day of being a runaway had been a tough one for him.

Next up I called Marvin Price’s number. I expected he’d be wide awake, and he was.

“Any news about Roger?” he asked at once.

I passed along everything Nitz had told me.

“Anything else?” he wondered.

“As a matter of fact there is,” I said. “I had a brainstorm tonight. What if Shelley didn’t drive Chris’s body to Eklutna Lake?” I asked. “What if she used her plane? Maybe someone should check that for blood evidence, too.”

“Lordy, Lordy!” Marvin breathed. “Why the hell didn’t I think of that? Thanks, Beau. I’ll get someone right on it!”

By the time that call ended, it was almost eleven in Homer—an hour later in Seattle. I knew I needed to talk to Jared, but calling someone who was a guest in a monastery at midnight didn’t seem like a good idea. Besides, Chris had been dead for a dozen years. Jared could wait a few more hours to hear the bad news. As a consequence I followed Jimmy’s example and went to bed.

By six the next morning and with Jimmy still sawing logs, I was awake and fully dressed. I left a note for Jimmy and then went down to the lobby to dial Jared Danielson’s cell phone.

“Is it Chris?” he asked as soon as he answered.

“Yes,” I answered. “I’m so sorry.”

I heard Jared sigh. It was the news he’d been both expecting and dreading. “I’ll call Gram and let her know,” he said. “It’ll break her heart, of course. Do you have any idea who’s responsible?”

Actually, I did have some idea, and over the next many minutes I told him everything I knew. As a homicide cop, I’d always been unable to share much if any information on the progress of a case with grieving relatives in order to maintain the integrity of the investigation. As a private investigator, I was under no such obligation, so I told Jared what I knew with a clear conscience. Besides, at that point in the investigation I was as much in the dark about what was really going on with Lieutenant Marvin Price and the AST as anyone else.