20th Victim (Women's Murder Club #20) - James Patterson Page 0,66

the presence of a man so happy to be alive. He said, “So, Abe, Dr. Murray brought you back to life?”

“God, I love that man. I’m only sixty-three. I have a lot to live for.”

“Abe, Ray was a good friend when I was in school with Dave, and I feel awful that he died. Were you with him when he passed away?”

“I’m sure I was,” said Horowitz, “but I was knocked out, so I’d get sleep before my operation. I very dimly remember a nurse calling, ‘Mr. Channing. Mr. Channing.’ I opened my eyes and called out to Ray, but she had closed the curtain. There was some fussing going on, as if she wasn’t supposed to be there, and then the nurse and an orderly, I think, wheeled him out. I said, ‘So long, Ray.’”

Joe wanted to ask who else was in the operating room when Abe Horowitz came back to life, and what nurse and what orderly had wheeled Ray Channing’s body out of the room, but it felt wrong to do that. As if he were questioning Horowitz’s memory.

And then he did it anyway.

Horowitz said, “I heard voices but didn’t see any faces when they rolled Ray’s gurney out of the room. I do remember the sheet over his face. Now, when I was in the OR, I was just watching Dr. Murray. Everyone was wearing gowns and masks, but I know Alex. He’s been my doctor for ten years. Joe, why do you ask?”

“Favor to Dave. He’s grief stricken.”

The two men talked for another few minutes about Abe’s upcoming stay at rehab and how long Joe would remain in Napa. They were making small talk about their families when a nurse came into the room with Abe’s medication.

Joe made a mental note of the nurse’s name, and after she left, Joe put his card on Abe’s night stand and shook his hand good-bye.

He got into the elevator thinking of Horowitz saying, “God, I love that man,” and continued thinking about Abe Horowitz’s story about his life-and-death-and-life operation.

Dr. Murray, the nice white-haired doctor with the metal-framed glasses and bright-red tie, had opened Abe Horowitz’s chest, cut away the arteries that had led to his heart attack, and effectively, scientifically killed his patient. After that, he’d reconnected the arteries in a medically precise procedure and, using a heart-lung bypass machine in an almighty-God kind of way, palpated his patient’s heart and brought him back to life.

Joe had a new thought about Murray. If he was a killer, he was a very, very smart one.

CHAPTER 84

I’D BEEN PUZZLING all night about Brady’s call saying that the man who’d been shot in LA was a retired cop.

I didn’t understand this twist in the Moving Targets’ MO, and I sure didn’t like it. I put my Kevlar vest on under my Windbreaker and kissed Julie and Mrs. Rose good-bye.

I got to the Hall at eight, alarming the security guard in the lobby with my Halloween mask of a face.

I said, “I got a few licks in, too.”

The guard said, “I don’t doubt it for a second, Sergeant.”

I held my face as I laughed, knowing that there was going to be more of this kind of talk as my bruises spread.

Upstairs in the squad room, Conklin said, “You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”

The repetition made me think otherwise, but I let it pass.

“Who’s in with Brady?”

“Detective Noble from LA.”

“He flew in? Does Brady want us to join them or take Noble to the war room?”

Conklin said, “War room. I brought churros. Only ate one.”

He picked up the phone and tapped the keys. My long view from the front to rear of the squad room included the back of Noble’s head and Brady, behind his desk, picking up his landline. He and Conklin had a short exchange about logistics, then they hung up.

“I’ll set up the room,” said Conklin.

“Allow me,” I said.

Conklin said, “I got it,” and went to make coffee. I sighed and walked to Brady’s office, steeling myself against his comments when he saw my face. I introduced myself to Detective Noble, who winced when he stood up to shake my hand and got a good look at me. Brady didn’t even blink.

Noble and I walked through the empty bullpen to the war room, which was now wallpapered with photos of the sniper victims. Conklin played Inspector Mom, offering refreshments, including churros and just-brewed police department mud with a choice of flavored creamers. Then Detective Noble brought us up to speed