NYPD Red 6 - James Patterson Page 0,55
Do you think it was the kidnapper?”
“It turns out the kidnapper is a fan. Have you ever heard of a man named Bobby Dodd?”
“Dodd? He’s not a fan. He’s a stalker. Is he the one who took Erin?”
“We’re pretty convinced he is.”
“How long have you known it was him?”
“We’ve known for a while, but it’s not the kind of information we can share with the public.”
“I’m not the public. I’m her husband. Why couldn’t you have told me?”
“Jamie, you spoke to him on the phone. We couldn’t take a chance on you blurting out his name. He might have killed Erin on the spot.”
Jamie thought about it. The look on his face made me think our explanation actually made sense to him.
“Well, the next time I talk to Mr. Dodd, I’m going to let him know that he’s a total idiot. When my mother was alive, I might have had a chance to change her mind and convince her to give me the money, but now that she’s dead, her estate will be tied up for years before I ever see a dime.”
“Is there anything else you can think of that might help us?” I asked.
“Just that I never should have gone into cahoots with the network. They said they were going to help me, but all they did was vilify my mother on national TV. Dodd might have killed my mother, but Harris Brockway painted a target on her head. It’s his fault that she was murdered.”
I gave him an understanding nod, but I wondered if Kylie and I shared some of the blame. Would the security guards who were scanning the crowd at the Brooklyn Army Terminal have spotted Dodd if we had released his identity?
I shook the thought out of my head. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s never to second-guess your decisions. I wasn’t about to start now.
CHAPTER 49
HONEY, I’M HOME,” Bobby called out as he came through the front door. A wide smile crossed his face. She couldn’t hear him, of course. She was locked in a soundproof room. But one day, he thought, one day, this is the way it would be.
The travel websites had painted the picture of white sands, golden skies, and turquoise water. Bobby could picture the rest: Erin, wearing something sexy, greets him at the door when he comes home from an afternoon on his fishing boat. The baby, playing on the floor, reaches up to him, and she gurgles and giggles as he lifts her high in the air. A glass of chilled white wine. The heady smell of bread baking in the oven.
Soon, he thought. Soon.
He unlocked her door. “I have good news,” he said.
She sat up in bed.
“I just solved our problems,” he said, sitting down on the bed beside her. “Mama’s money is now Jamie’s money. All of it. Every penny.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Veronica is dead.”
She threw her legs off the side of the bed and stood. “How did she—oh God, no! You killed her. Did you? Did you kill her?”
Bobby stared at her, confused. “I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“You thought I wanted you to commit murder? Are you insane?”
“But she was evil. You hated her.”
“I hated how she treated me. I hated that she wouldn’t help Jamie pay the ransom. But who in their right mind kills someone just because you don’t like them?”
She buried her face in her hands and began to sob. “Why would you do this to Jamie? She was his mother. He never understood her, but he loved her.”
“I’m sorry,” Bobby said, kissing the top of her shoulders.
“Get away from me. You’re disgusting.” She pulled away hard and ran into the bathroom.
There was no door, and he watched as she tore off her clothes and flung them to the floor. She turned on the shower and stepped inside.
They all get crazy, his father had taught him. Your job is to do whatever it takes to make them happy again.
Bobby stood there watching the steam fill up the bathroom. The hot water would calm her down. Plus he knew how to make her feel good. Real good.
He peeled off his clothes and stepped into the shower. She didn’t say a word. He took the soap and washed her back. Then he lathered up his hands and ran them over her breasts. Her nipples responded, and she arched her back and moaned.
“Turn around,” she said. “Let me do you.”
He turned, and she ran her nails up and