Flesh and Blood by Jonathan Kellerman Read Free Book Online

Lauren."
    "Hardly. Lauren is tres natural. Unaffected." The washcloth was wadded once more. "I'm sure she's fine. She has to be fine." He sighed, massaged the tattoo some more.
    I said, "So the time you met Mrs. Abbot, she and Lauren went out to lunch."
    "Long lunch—must've been three hours. Lo came back alone, and she didn't look as if she'd had fun."
    "Upset?"
    "Upset and distracted—as if she'd been hit on the head. I suspected something emotional had gone on, so I fixed her a gimlet the way she likes it and asked if she wanted to talk about it. She kissed me here"—he touched a rosy cheek—"said it wasn't important. But then she drank every drop of that gimlet and I just sat there emitting that I'm-ready-to-listen vibe—it's what I do, after all—and she—" He stopped. "Should I be telling you this?"
    "I'm beyond discreet," I said. "Because of what I do."
    "I suppose. And Lauren did say she liked you. ... All right, it's nothing sordid, anyway. She simply told me she'd spent her childhood fighting not to be controlled, had made her own way in the world, and now her mother was trying to do the same old thing, again."
    "Control her."
    He nodded.
    "Did she say how?"
    "No— I'm sorry, Doctor, I'm just not comfortable flapping my trap. There's nothing more to say, anyway. That's the entire kit and caboodle."
    I smiled at him. Didn't budge.
    He said, "Really, I've told you everything—and only because I know Lo liked you. She came across your name in the paper, some kind of police case, said, 'Hey, Andrew, I knew this guy. He tried to straighten meout.' I made some remark—how it obviously hadn't taken. She thought that was runny, said maybe it was patients like her who'd driven you to quit doing therapy and work with the cops. I"— his cheeks flamed—"I made some crack about shrinks being more screwed up than their patients, asked if you were . . . like that. She said no, you seemed pretty . . . I think conventional was the word she used. I said, how boring, and she said no, sometimes conventional was exactly what you needed. That she'd screwed up, not making good use of her therapy, but looking back it had all been a setup anyway."
    "What do you mean?" I said.
    "She realized that her parents had set her up to rebel. Tried to use you as a weapon against her, but you hadn't gotten sucked into their game, you had integrity— You're sure I can't get you a drink?"
    My throat had gone dry. "A Coke would be fine."
    He laughed. "The soft stuff? Recovering juice fiend?"
    "No, it's just a bit early for me."
    "Trust me, it's never too early. But all right, one cola-bean juice, coming up pronto. Lemon or lime?"
    "Lime."
    He hurried into the kitchen, returned with a tall drink on ice and a glass of white wine for himself. Settling back down, he rested one elbow on a knee, placed his chin in a cupped palm, stared into my eyes.
    I said, "So Lauren felt her mother was trying to control her but she didn't say how."
    "And the next day she was going about her business with nary a mention of mama. Truth is, I don't think Mrs. A looms large in her life. She's been on her own for years. And that's absolutely all I can tell you about her family dynamics, so drink up." He drew out the pocket watch.
    "Your friend," I said.
    He flinched. "Yes."
    "Does Lauren have any friends I could talk to?"
    "No."
    "No one at all?"
    "Not a one. She doesn't date, nor does she chum around with the girls. We're both social isolates, Doctor. Yet another tie that binds."
    "The night owl and the morning lark," I said.
    "Makes for a cozy little aviary—this is absolutely the best living ar-rangement I've ever had. Lauren's a living doll and I simply insist that she be okay. Now, if you'd like, I can pour that drink into styrofoam and you can take it to go—"
    As charming a dismissal as I'd encountered. Placing the drink on a side table, I stood. "Just a few more questions. Mrs. A said Lauren didn't pack a suitcase."
    "I told her that," he said. "I know every