Over the Edge by Jonathan Kellerman Read Free Book Online Page A

was the right thing to do didn't make it any easier.
    I talked my way through an army of underlings and finally reached Dwight Cadmus at his office in Beverly Hills. Introducing myself, I kept the betrayal to a minimum,     mentioning    nothing    about    homosexuality,
    addressing only my concerns for the boy's safety.
    He listened without interruption, answered in a voice that was dry and deliberate.
    'Hmm, I see. Yes, that is of concern.' A ruminative pause. 'Is there anything else, Doctor?'
    'Yes, if you have guns in the house, unload them, hide the ammunition, and put them away.'
    'I'll have that done immediately.'
    'Lock up your medicines. Try to keep him away from knives - '
    'Certainly.'
    ' -and ropes.'
    Strained silence.
    'If that's all, Doctor-'
    'I want to reemphasise how important it is to get him some professional help. If you need a referral, I'd be happy to provide you with a couple of names.'
    'Thank you. I'll discuss this with my wife and get back to you.'
    I gave him my number, and he thanked me again for my concern.
    I never heard from him.
    I PUT the file back and called Canyon Oaks again. Mainwaring hadn't returned to his office, but his secretary assured me he'd got the message.
    In the silence of the library my thoughts wandered. I knew if I sat around long enough, they'd return to roost in dark places. Rising, I searched for the cordless phone and found it in the living room. With the phone hooked to my belt, I stepped out onto the terrace and descended the stairs to the Japanese garden.
    The koi were swimming lazily, a concentric rainbow. The sound of my footsteps brought them to the rock-edged rim of the pond, gulping hungrily and churning the water in anticipation.
    I tossed a handful of pellets into the water. The fish thrashed and bumped against one another to get at the food. Their scales threw off sparks of scarlet, gold, platinum, and tangerine, the roiling bodies fiery amid the tranquil hues of the garden. Kneeling, I fed the more assertive carp by hand, enjoying the tickle of their barbels against my palm
    When they were sated, I put the food away and sat cross-legged on a cushion of moss, tuning my eyes to small sounds: the gurgle of the waterfall; the tiny kissing sounds made by the fish as they nipped at the algae coat on the smooth wet rocks that rimmed their pool, a warm breeze gently agitating the branches of a flowering wisteria. Evening approached and shrouded the garden in shadow. The jasmine began to emit its perfume. I watched colours give way to contours and worked at shrouding my mind.
    I'd grown meditatively calm when the phone on my belt whistled and beeped.
    'Dr. Delaware,' I answered.
    'Pretty formal Alex,' said a youthful voice speckled with static. 'Lou?'
    'None other.'
    'How are you? The formality's 'cause I was expecting someone else.'
    'I'm peachy. I trust you're not too disappointed.' I laughed. The static grew louder.
    'The connection's weak, Lou. Where are you railing from, ship or shore?'
    'Ship. Got a boatload of prospective investors heading for the Turks and Caicos, a hold full of bluefin and wahoo, and enough rum to render the inhibitions flaccid.'
    Lou Cestare held a long-term lease on a warm spot in my heart. Years ago, when I was earning more money than I knew what to do with, he'd shown me what to do with it, guiding me through a series of real estate and securities investments that would allow me to live comfortably without ever having to work again - if my life-style remained reasonable. He was young and aggressive, a clean-cut, fast-talking, blue-eyed, northern Italian. At the age of twenty-seven he'd been written up by the Wall Street Journal as a superstar stock picker. By thirty he was top dog in a large investment firm and heading higher. Then, abruptly, he made a change in his life-style, quitting the corporate world, selling a Brentwood spread, packing up a young wife and baby, and moving to northern Oregon to
    work for himself and a select