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

me. “I’m going to make some coffee,” she says. “No way I can go back to sleep.”

“I can’t either,” I say, although the truth is that I could easily fall asleep. I am feeling completely calm.

Later we’re sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee. I’ve given Simon a chewie as a reward for his work tonight. Considering the quality of that work, he is way underpaid.

“I’m sorry about this, Dani. You shouldn’t have to deal with crap like this.”

“Has anything like this ever happened to you before?”

“You mean has someone broken into my house and tried to kill me? Or have I ever sent a woman into a closet to call nine-one-one? No, both those things are a first for me.”

She studies my face. “You enjoyed it. On some level it invigorated you; it’s like you clicked into gear.”

I think about that for a few moments. “I’m afraid you’re right. In situations like that, some instinct kicks in. It’s who I was, and maybe it’s who I still am. Actually, you can remove the maybe from that sentence; it’s definitely who I still am.”

“It was strange to see you in that moment. You weren’t nervous at all; I was in a panic.”

“It’s all a question of what you’re used to. I’d freak out if the caterer forgot the pot stickers.”

She smiles. “I don’t think you would.”

“Me and Simon, we’re both trained for this; we react in the moment. It helped us survive a lot of close calls over the years. I just wish you didn’t have to go through it.”

“You’re a cop. You’ll always be a cop.” She doesn’t make it sound judgmental; it’s more just a statement of fact.

“I guess I am. Is that okay for you?”

“Everything about you is okay for me.”

THERE is more publicity about last night’s events than there was for the Kline killing.

I suspect Andy is behind that, and he gave an interview to the local paper, which is featured on the front page. Andy’s friend Vince Sanders is the editor, so I’m sure Andy must have called in a favor. I’m also sure that Vince was happy to land the exclusive.

Andy previewed what our defense is going to be. People are getting killed all over the place, and in light of that it’s ridiculous that I’m the one being charged. He said it more subtly than that, and he doesn’t mention Jana Mitchell, but he cryptically refers to related murders that he will prove beyond any doubt that I could not have committed.

But the overall thrust of the interview is that the break-in at my house demonstrates conclusively that I am a potential victim, not the perpetrator. They tried to eliminate me because they feared I was getting close to finding out the truth. That’s the Andy version, and it has the advantage of probably being the truth.

I have to put it behind me, and that’s what I’m doing today. I called Don Crystal and asked for another meeting. He jumped at the opportunity when I told him I wanted his help in possibly bringing down Ardmore Medical Systems. It’s not completely true, but close enough.

I asked if we could meet at a restaurant, and his response was “Are you buying? Because if you’re buying, I’m eating.”

“I’m buying. Anywhere you want that we can talk; if you pick a fancy place, you can wear your dress pajamas.”

He chooses an Italian restaurant a few blocks from his house. I get there first, and when he walks in, I notice that his hair is actually brushed into some semblance of order. He wears shorts, tall white socks with sneakers, and a Led Zeppelin T-shirt.

We talk a little bit, but he’s focused on the menu. It seems like he’s been on an all-Tang diet for a while and is ready to come off it. He orders a full portion of pasta Bolognese as an appetizer, and chicken parmigiana as a main course. I order a salad and chicken paillard.

“So tell me how we’re going to screw Ardmore,” he says.

“That’s not how I’d phrase it. I want you to tell me what could be going on there.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m going to be straight with you. Three people have been murdered. Gerald Kline, Lisa Yates, and Jana Mitchell.”

“Don’t know the last one. She worked at Ardmore too?”

“No. She worked at Midwest Medical in Cincinnati, and she was a friend of Lisa Yates.”

“Okay. Got it. Keep going.”

“I believe that it’s all connected to something happening at Ardmore, and maybe at Midwest. And for all I know, other companies that do the same thing as well.”

“But you don’t know what is happening.”

I nod. “I don’t know enough about the business to figure out what they could be doing. That’s where you come in.”

“How the hell would I know? I’ve spent the last year in my pajamas.”

“But you designed the systems.”

He frowns; I think he’s disappointed at the realization that we are not about to bring Ardmore down. “They could have done whatever they want to them since.”

“I think it’s possible this has been going on for a long time; maybe even including while you were there.”

“You think I did something crooked?”

“Did you?”

He laughs; if he’s offended, he’s hiding it well. “You think they left their systems open so the fired IT guy can walk right in and steal stuff? Or worse?”

“You ever see the movie WarGames? It was all about this computer that controlled whether we would go to war or not. Anyway, the guy who designed it had retired, but he still kept a backdoor password that let him back in after he was gone.”

“Of course I saw it. It was all horseshit.”

“Okay, so if you’re not the bad guy, maybe that’s why they got rid of you. Maybe they were afraid you’d figure it out.”

He nods his approval; that’s an explanation he can live with. “So what are they doing?”

“That’s what I need you to tell me. You know the business—where is the money, and how could they