Animal Instinct by Rosenfelt, David (novels for students TXT) 📕

Simon and I are happy to do just that.

I told Laurie that I want to take a day to think things through.

That’s one of the advantages of working on a case without a client: there’s nobody we have to answer to, and no timetable we need to adhere to. Among the negatives is that we’re not getting paid.

Dani is getting home today and I’m going to surprise her by picking her up at the airport. Then we’re going to do whatever she wants for the rest of the day. My hope is that she’ll just want to go home and hang out. I’m a wild and crazy guy.

Dani looks genuinely happy to see me waiting for her at baggage claim, and I am rewarded with a much more than adequate hug and kiss. Once we’re in the car, I say, “We can do whatever you’d like; the day is yours.”

“Let’s go home and hang out with Simon.”

It’s going to be tough to find a reason to end this relationship; I’m going to have to work long and hard at it.

But not today. Today we’re going to hang out with Simon.

I never talk about work to Dani. I think it might be to protect her from an unpleasant world, but maybe it’s because I don’t think she will be interested. This time, though, when she brings up the subject, I open up and tell her everything.

“I’m sorry to lay this on you.”

“Don’t be; it’s awful, but it’s fascinating. The most interesting thing to happen to me in Miami was the caterer forgetting to bring the pot stickers to the farewell party.” Then, “What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got two choices. I can drop the whole thing; my reason for getting involved in the first place no longer exists. I was going to nail Kline, but somebody else seems to have done that effectively.

“The other option is to continue investigating; if my goal was to find Lisa’s killer, whoever it was, then there is certainly the real possibility that the same person killed Kline. I’m just not sure I have a role to play anymore; this seems like something the police can handle.”

She nods and thinks about it for a moment. “Are you just bullshitting me, or yourself as well?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, I know nothing about your business; it’s a world I don’t understand and, on one level, don’t want to understand. I’m way more comfortable dealing with pot stickers.”

“I sense a but coming.”

She smiles. “Here it comes. But … I know you; I know you really well. And I know that you may think you have to make a decision, but you’ve already made it.”

I’m interested in what she has to say and, at the same time, amused by it. “So what’s my decision?”

“You’re going to keep investigating.”

“And my reason?”

“Because you’re a part of it. When Kline called you to come over, he made you a part of it. You pulled on a thread and now you have to watch the whole ball of yarn unravel.”

“I like the ball of yarn metaphor.”

She smiles. “I just made that up. Now, do you want to hear about the missing pot stickers?”

“No.”

“Good. Take Simon for his walk and let’s go to bed.”

“Bed? It’s only seven o’clock.”

“I didn’t say sleep, I said bed.”

LAURIE, Marcus, Simon, and I convene at nine o’clock the next morning at Laurie’s house.

Dani was right; after witnessing what I saw at Kline’s house, there is no way that I can just let this go. Kline was reaching out to me, and he got killed before he could show me what he had. I don’t owe it to him to follow through; but I do owe it to Lisa Yates, and to myself.

Laurie makes an entire boatload of pancakes and we plow through them. Andy and their son, Ricky, are there to help out, but as soon as Ricky finishes, he goes off to play video games.

I’m holding off talking about Kline until we finish eating, but I think Laurie and Marcus know what I’m going to say. I’m sure that in the same situation each of them would continue investigating, so they would expect nothing else from me.

The doorbell rings, setting off barking from Simon, Tara, and Sebastian. Andy goes to answer it, and a few minutes later he comes back into the kitchen. “Corey, you’ve got some visitors in the other room. Police visitors.”

I go into the other room, expecting there to be more questions about last night. I am surprised they knew that I was here; maybe they reached Dani at my house and she told them.

The moment I walk in and see the cops, I know exactly what is happening. Robbie Lillard is there with three other cops, none of whom are smiling. If Robbie was just going to ask me some questions, he would not need this level of reinforcement.

I am going to be arrested.

“I’m sorry, Corey, but I am placing you under arrest for the murder of Gerald Kline.” Robbie reads me my rights, a recitation I am not unfamiliar with. I notice that Laurie and Marcus have come in from the kitchen, and I feel a wave of embarrassment at them seeing me in this position.

“Corey, from this moment on, do not say one word. Not to anyone but me,” Andy says.

“Who are you?” Robbie asks.

“His lawyer. I’m the one who is going to make you look ridiculous for making this arrest.”

Within seconds I am being frisked and handcuffed. “Sorry about this, Corey,” Robbie says again, and I believe him.

I’m taken to the county jail, where I’m processed and a mug shot is taken. The entire time I’m trying to not focus on the mechanics and the humiliation of this process, but rather why it is happening.

I was at the scene of a murder, and if Robbie did any investigating at all, he would have found out that I had a