Flesh and Blood

by Jonathan Kellerman

  Milo said, “By the bastards you mean the neighbors?”

  Teague grunted.

  “Neighbor troubles?” asked Milo.

  “Why do you think I came out carrying? If the assholes were human, they'd be neighbors. They're fucking animals. Couple of months ago they poisoned my Rottweiler. Tossed in meat laced with antifreeze, the damn dog got kidney failure and started shitting green. Since the summer we've had three drive-bys. All those shitty apartments crammed with low life. Fucking wetbacks, cholos, gangbangers— I'm not prejudiced, hired plenty of them in my day, for the most part they worked their asses off. But that scum, over there?” His lower jaw shot out and beard hairs bristled. “I'm living in a war zone— this used to be a decent neighborhood.”

  The shotgun was in reach. Milo got to it first, emptied the weapon, pocketed the shells.

  Teague laughed. “Don't worry, I'm not blowing anyone's head off. Yet.” He stared at me again, looked puzzled, turned away.

  “Yet,” said Milo. “That's not too comforting, sir.”

  “It's not my goddamn job to comfort you.” Teague stopped, placed his hands on his hips, spit into the dirt, resumed walking. The shorts rode lower, and strands of white pubic hair curled above his waistline. I remembered the way he'd dressed to showcase his body. “Your job is to find the low-life motherfucker who killed my daughter and bust his fuckin’ ass.”

  “Agreed,” said Milo. “Any suggestions in that regard?”

  Teague halted again. “What're you getting at?”

  “Any specific low-life motherfucker in mind?”

  “Nah,” said Teague. “I'm just talking logic. . . . How'd they— What did they do to her?”

  “She was shot, sir.”

  “Bastards. . . . Nah, I can't tell you a damn thing. Lauren never told me a damn thing.” Wolfish grin. “See, we didn't relate. She thought I was a piece of shit and told me so whenever she had the opportunity.”

  We reached the house. The door was still open. Reaching in, Teague switched on a light. A bare bulb hung from the raw fir ceiling of a twelve-by-twelve living room paneled in rough knotty pine. Red linoleum floors, faded hooked rug, brown-and-black-plaid sofa, coffee table hosting a Budweiser six-pack and five empties. A green tweed La-Z-Boy faced a big-screen TV. Illegal cable converter on top. Very little space to walk. Two openings along the rear wall, one leading to a cramped kitchen, the other exposing a chunky corridor with two doors to the right. The smell of must and lager and salted nuts, but no clutter. The carpet was old but clean, the linoleum rubbed dull. Different tax bracket.

  Teague said, “You can sit if you want, I'm staying on my feet.” Standing next to the recliner, he folded his arms across his chest. The scar tissue over his eye was the color of cheap margarine. A hairline scar ran from the corner of the socket down to his jaw. The right eye was filmy. Not inert, but lazier than its mate.

  Milo and I remained standing. Teague looked us over, tilting his head so his left eye caught a full view of my face. “Do I know you?”

  “Alex Delaware. Lauren was my patient—”

  “The shrink?” His jaw shoveled. “Oh, fuck— what are you doing here?”

  Milo said, “Dr. Delaware's a police consultant. In the case of your—”

  One of the hallway doors opened and a woman's voice called out, “Lyle, everything okay?”

  “Go back inside,” Teague barked. The door shut quietly. “Consultant? What the hell does that mean? You're saying you know something about Lauren? She's been seeing you again?”

  “No,” I said. “Lauren went missing and your ex-wife called me because she'd heard I had police contacts—”

  “Police contacts.” Teague grabbed the bottom of his beard, twisted, let go. To Milo: “What is this bullshit?”

  “Just what the doctor said. Now, I'd like to ask you—”

  “Missing?” said Teague. “For how long?”

  “Several days.”

  “From where?”

  “Her apartment.”

  “Where's that? She never told me where she was bunking down.”

  “Hauser Street, in L.A.”

  “She used to live all over,” said Teague. “The streets. After she ran away. She got wild— which any idiot could see coming.”

  “Where on the streets, sir?”

  “Hell if I know. Jane used to call me up to go looking for her, I could never find her. Hauser . . . That where it happened?”

  “She was found on the Westside,” said Milo. “Back of a furniture store on Sepulveda. Someone shot her and left her body in an alley.”

  Spitting out the details matter-of-fact, watching Teague's reaction.

  Teague said, “West L.A. We used to live there, over near Rancho Park.” He began to draw himself up. Gave up and slumped. “This is shit. My life can't be this fucked up.”

  The door opened again, and the hallway light went on. A woman stepped out wearing a long blue Dodgers T-shirt and nothing else. Seeing us, she threw a protective hand over her belly, ducked back inside, reappeared seconds later wearing acid-washed jeans under the same shirt.

  “Lyle? Something the matter?”

  “I said go inside.”

  The woman stared at us. “What's going on?” Bleary eyes, faint southern inflection. A good deal younger than Teague— maybe thirty, with long, limp, brown hair, grainy skin, wide hips, dimpled knees. Full face distorted by confusion. Well-proportioned but forgettable features. As a child she'd probably been adorable.

  “Lyle?”

  Teague swiveled fast and faced her. “They're the goddamn police. Lauren got herself murdered tonight.”

  The woman's hand slapped over her mouth. “Oh my God— Omigod!”

  “Go back to bed.”

  “Omigod—”

  Milo extended his hand. “Detective Sturgis, ma'am.”

  The woman blubbered, shivered, hugged herself. Took the hand. “Tish. Tish Teague—”

  “Patricia,” corrected her husband. “Keep it down. Don't wake up the kids.”

  “The kids,” said Tish Teague, dully. “You don't need them, do you?”

  “Oh, Jesus,” said Teague. “Why the hell would he need them? Get back in and go to sleep. It doesn't concern you. You and Lauren had nothing, you can't do any good.”

  The young woman's lips trembled. “I'll be here if you need me, Lyle.”

  “Yeah, yeah— go, git.”

  “Nice to meet you,” said Tish Teague.

  “Bye, ma'am,” said Milo.

  Biting her lip, she fled.

  “I left Lauren's mother for her,” said Teague, laughing. “Met her on a construction job. She was this nineteen-year-old piece of ass, drove one of the roach coaches. Now we got two kids.”

  “How old are your children?” said Milo.

  “Six and four.”

  “Girls, boys?”

  “Two girls. When you called and said something happened to my daughter, I was thinking one of them. That's what confused me.” He shook his head. “Lauren. Didn't see much of Lauren.”

  “When's the last time you did see her?”

  “Long time,” said Teague. “Real long time. She held it against me.”

  “Held what?”

  “Everything. The divorce, bad luck— life. Anything shitty was my fault. She told me so. Called me up a few years ago and told me I was a selfish motherfucker who didn't deserve to live.” Sick smile. “Because I didn't want to stick around with that cold thing called Jane.” He hitched up his shorts. “Our marriage was crap from day one.” To me: “That was the problem, that's what screwed Lauren up. Us. Jane and me. The whole thing— bringing Lauren to you— was a goddamn con. My wife's idea. 'Cause she doesn't like to face reality. Like Lauren was gonna straighten out, living in our shitty environment. She— Jane— wasn't gonna be honest with you, she was just conning you, pal. One big happy family. That's why I ended it. We were wasting your time and my money. Load of bullshit.”

  Hands on hips again. His good
eye bore into mine. My silence made his neck tendons fan.

  “Why's he have to be here?” he demanded of Milo.

  “I want to solve your daughter's murder. Dr. Delaware's been helpful to us on a lot of cases. If it's a big deal, I can have him wait in the car. But I'd think you'd be interested in helping us get down to brass tacks.”

  Teague's eyes brightened. “My daughter. Every time you say that I flash to Brittany and Shayla.” To me: “You haven't changed much, you know? Got that young face— smooth. I remember your hands, man— real smooth. Nice easy life, huh?” Back to Milo: “Brass tacks, huh? Well, I can't give you any kind of tack at all. After the divorce, I didn't see Lauren for . . . must be what? Four, five years. Then she drops in one night, tells me I'm a piece of shit, Merry Christmas.”

  “She visited on Christmas?”

  “Deck the goddamn halls— Yeah, it was four years ago, Shayla'd been born a few months before— October. Lauren musta found out somehow, though I don't know how. 'Cause she came by, said she wanted to see the baby, she'd never seen Brittany and she was already two, she had a right to see her sisters. A right. She brought gifts for the girls. I guess cussing me out was her Christmas present to me.”

  Phil Harnsberger's party had taken place four years ago in November. The next day Lauren had come to my office, talked about her father remarrying. No mention of her half sisters, but soon after she'd come to meet them.

  Moving around to the front of the La-Z-Boy, Teague sat down on the edge. The chair rocked, and he stilled the movement by bracing his feet. “Go ahead, sit, there's no fleas.”

  We settled on the plaid couch.

  “Four years ago,” said Milo. “Did she visit again?”

  “Not till a year ago,” said Teague. “Christmas again, same damn thing. She just showed up with presents. We were in the middle of putting up the tree. Presents for the kids, not me and Patricia. She made that clear. Patricia never did a thing to her, so I don't know what she had against her, but she wouldn't give her the time of day, just blanked her out like she didn't exist. She brought armloads of shit— toys, candy, you name it. Walked right past me and Patricia and headed for the girls. I could've kicked her out, but what the hell, it was Christmas. The girls didn't know who the hell she was, but they loved those toys and candy. Patricia offered her a piece of pie, she said no, thanks, I went to get a beer, and when I came back, she was gone.”

  “Any other visits?”

  “No— wait, yeah. Once more, a few months after . . . Easter. Same thing, toys, crapola for the kids. These huge chocolate bunnies and some kids’ dresses from an expensive place in Beverly Hills— some French shit.”

  “No contact since last Easter?”

  “Nope.” Teague scowled. “Both times she turned the kids hyper, it took days to settle them down.” Looking to me for confirmation.

  I said, “Overstimulation.”

  His good eye winked. “Hey, that's a good one.”

  Milo said, “During those three visits, did she talk to you at all, tell you what she was up to?”

  “Nah, just a fuck-you look, where are the kids, walk right past me, dump the gifts, good-bye.”

  “Nothing about her life? Not a single detail?”

  “She bragged, some,” said Teague.

  “About what?”

  “College plans. Having money. She was dressed expensive, especially the last time— Easter. Fancy suit, fancy shoes. I had my theories about where she was getting money, but I kept my mouth shut. Why start up?”

  “What kind of theories, sir?”

  “You know.”

  Milo shrugged, gave an innocent look.

  Teague eyed him skeptically. “You've gotta know— the wild life.”

  “Illegal activities?”

  “Whoring,” said Teague. “She got in trouble for that a few years back. You don't know about it, huh?”

  “The investigation has just begun.”

  “Well, start by checking your own goddamn records. Lauren got busted for hooking when she was nineteen. Reno, Nevada. Got her ass thrown in jail with no money on her, called me to make her bail— no hide or hair of her for years, and she calls me. Then nothing for a couple of years till that Christmas, and all of a sudden she's a big shot and I'm shit.”

  Making no mention of the arrest as one of Gretchen Stengel's girls. The Westside Madam's name had hit the news big-time, but none of her call girls had been exposed. Nor had the clients.

  Milo scrawled in his pad. “So there was another contact before the Christmas visit.”

  “I wasn't counting phone calls,” said Teague.

  “Any other calls?”

  “Nope.”

  “Did you send her bail money?”

  “No way. I said forget it, you made your own bed, now sleep in it. She cussed me out and hung up.”

  Teague snorted. “She tried to bullshit me, told me the whole thing had been a mistake, she'd been working at one of the casinos, escorting rich guys, nothing illegal, the cops had ‘overreacted.’ She said she just got caught with no cash on her, all she needed to do was get home to her credit cards, she'd fix it if I'd float her the dough. Credit cards— letting me know she was living the high life and here I was stuck, recuperating.”

  “You were sick?” said Milo.

  Teague touched the scar clump. “I used to have my own electrical business, was doing a job out in Calabasas. Someone fucked up, I ended up duking it out with a mass of rebar. I was in a coma for a week, had double vision for months. I still get headaches.” Glancing at the beer cans. “I sued, tied myself up for years, the lawyers took most of it. Then she tells me she's pregnant.” Cocking his head toward the bedroom. “I was on painkillers, halfway groggy most of the time, and Lauren calling out of nowhere, whining about the police overreacting.”

  Defiance spiked his voice. Even in death Lauren pushed his buttons.

  “How'd she make her bail?” said Milo.

  “How should I know?” Teague shook his head, picked something out of his beard. “I could've thrown her out the first Christmas, but I wanted to be decent. She might not've considered herself my daughter. But I was too mature to let that get to me.”

  “She said she didn't consider herself your daughter?”

  Teague laughed. “That's just one of the things she unloaded on me. Big truckload of shit, and I just sat there, being cool. That's the way I always was with her— when she was a kid. She'd open up a big mouth and I'd just shine her on.”

  Long silence.

  Teague said, “Lauren and I, we never— She was always a handful. From day one she always tried to make me feel . . . like an idiot. Everything I said and did was insensitive. And stupid.” He placed his palm over his heart. “Lauren was— Sometimes there're people you just can't get along with, no matter what the hell you do. I was hoping maybe one day she'd grow up, understand, maybe she'd start being . . . polite.”

  He shook his head. Moisture in his eyes, for the first time. “Least I got two others. . . . They love me, those two. No shit outta their mouths— You really have no idea who did it?”

  “Not yet,” said Milo. “Why?”

  “No why. I was just thinking it couldn't be any big mystery. Look for a low life, pal. 'Cause Lauren chose a low-life lifestyle. Fancy clothes and all. Last time she was here, bragging about enrolling in college, I had my doubts.”

  “About what?”

  “About her being a student. I figured it was another one of her cons.” To me: “She lied since she got out of diapers— whether you saw it or not, that's the truth. When she was four, five years old she'd point to red, tell you it was blue, just about convince you. To me, she didn't look like a student, never seen a student dress like that, flash all that jewelry.”

  “Expensive stuff,” said Milo.

  “To my eye, but what the hell do I know— I don't shop on Rodeo. Her mother liked all that crap too, used to lean hard on my checkbook. I had a good business back then, but who wants to blo
w it on that crap?” He pitched forward. Smiled. “She married an old guy. My ex. Senile old bag of shit. She's soaking him for his dough, waiting for him to croak— Did you tell her about Lauren yet?”

  “Just came from her place, sir.”

  Teague's smile died. Suspicion slitted his eyes. “She probably told you I was an asshole.”

  “We didn't discuss you,” said Milo. “Only Lauren. And by the way, Lauren was enrolled at the U.”