Deal Breaker полностью

I guess there's no reason not to tell you.' He coughed into a shaking fist. The golden retriever opened an eye but didn't move. 'Adam found photographs of Kathy in his attic. He brought them to me in the strictest confidence. On the back of one was the name of a photography studio called Forbidden Fruit. I couldn't find them anywhere. So Adam and I visited Nickler. Nickler told us that Forbidden Fruit was now called Global Globes. He gave me the address.'

Then you went and bought all the pictures and negatives of Kathy?' A throwaway question. Lucy had already identified Paul Duncan from a Photograph.

Yes. We wanted to protect Kathy's name. But we also wanted the name of the animal that'd brought Kathy to the studio.'

Gary Grady.'

'You know about that?'

'I am,' Myron said, 'well informed.'

'Well, I checked Grady out completely. He was shady, no question about it. A high school teacher with all those sex lines. He advertised in at least fifty pornographic magazines. I tailed him for a couple of weeks, did a lot of it on my own time. I also had his phone tapped for a while. But in the end we came up with nothing.'

'How did Adam react to that?'

'Not well. Adam was always coming to me with some new angle on Kathy's case, mostly out of pure desperation. I don't blame him. She was his youngest daughter. The one child he had a decent relationship with. Adam was willing to do anything to find her. He even wanted to kidnap Grady and torture him until he talked. I told him I'd do anything to help, but that we had to keep within the limits of the law. He didn't like hearing that.'

'Tell me about the night Adam died.'

Paul took a deep breath. 'He set us up beautifully.'

I know all about that. What happened after he caught you and Carol in| bed?'

Paul Duncan rubbed his eyes with his palms. 'He went berserk. He started calling Carol names. Awful names. We tried to talk to him, but what could we say? After a while he told her he wanted a divorce and ran out.'

'What did you do then?'

'I went home.'

'Did you stop on the way?'

'No.'

'Anybody who can confirm you were home?'

'I live alone.'

'Anybody who can confirm you were home?' Myron repeated.

'No, dammit. That's why Carol and I didn't tell anyone. We know how it would look.'

'Not good,' Myron agreed.

'I didn't kill him. I wronged him. I was a terrible friend. But I didn'tkill him.'

Myron gave a small shoulder shrug. 'You seem like a pretty good candidate, Paul. You lied about the night of his murder. You were having a long-term affair with his wife, a wife who could marry you only if her husband died. He confronted you two in his bed on the night of the murder. His missing daughter was the only person who knew aboutthe the secret liaison. Her photograph appears in a magazine published by your source. No, Paul, I'd say it looks pretty goddamn shitty.'

'I had nothing to do with any of that.'

'What did you do with Kathy's pictures?'

'I gave them to Adam, of course.'

'Did you keep any for yourself? Maybe as a little souvenir?'

'Of course not!'

'And you never saw any of the pictures again?'

'Never.'

'Yet somehow Kathy's picture ended up in a porno mag.'

Paul nodded slowly.

'A porno mag published by your buddy Fred Nickler.'

Another nod.

'So now comes the big question, Paul: How did Kathy's picture end up in Nickler's magazine?'

Using both arms for leverage Paul Duncan stood. He moved to the television and flicked it off. The junior dancers faded away. The dog did not move. Paul studied the blank screen for a while and then said, 'It's going to sound crazy.'

I'm listening.'

'Adam arranged it. He put Kathy's picture in that magazine.'

Myron waited. His spine began to tingle.

'I don't understand it, either,' Paul continued. 'Nickler called me yesterday. He was all upset, said you were nosing around and realizing something was up. I had no idea what he was talking about. Then he explained it to me. Adam had told Nickler to put that picture in his magazine. You see, Adam had met Nickler when we were trying to find the photographer's studio. So Adam went back to him, pretended he was still working on a case with me. He told Nickler to put Kathy's picture in Gary Grady's ad. He also told him not to say anything if anybody asked about it except to give out Gary's alias and address.'

'Enough clues,' Myron said, 'so someone would find Grady.'

'It seems so, yes.'

'Did Nickler tell you why he placed the picture only in Nips?'

'No. I can call and ask him, if you'd like.'

Myron shook his head. 'Not necessary.'

'That's all I know. I can't for the life of me figure out what Adam was doing. Maybe he wanted to set up Grady. Or maybe he just snapped. But the truth is, I have no idea why Adam would put his own daughter's picture in that magazine.'

Myron rose. He had a very good idea why.

Win gazed into the mirror. Despite the fact that the hour was closing in on midnight, his evening was just beginning. He patted his hair, smiled at his reflection, and said, 'God, I am handsome.'

Myron grunted.