A Death In Beverly Hills by David Grace Page B

wanted me to act like I was the daddy. It made me feel like a patsy."
    "But you paid for the doctors and the artificial whatever it was they did to get her pregnant. That was a really nice thing. Didn't she appreciate that?"
    "Hell, no. She didn't give a damn about me. The handwriting was on the wall. As soon as the kid was born she was going to divorce me and move in with her lesbian lover. That was always her plan. But," Travis sighed, "I agreed to it." Furley and Katz both rolled their eyes. "I told her I'd cover for the pregnancy and she could have her girl friend, so long as I could be with someone I loved. I guess I can't complain since that's how I got you."
    Kaitlen's lips formed a little girl's smile.
    "Oh, Tommy!"
    "It's true, Sweetie. I can't wait to see you. The guy dropped off the ticket, right?"
    "Oh, yeah, I got it, but, well, there's a little problem."
    "Like what?"
    "I'm afraid we'll be seen together."
    "Don't worry, Sweetie, I'll protect you."
    "That's not what I mean, silly. I mean, I'm worried about you."
    "Me?"
    "Well, sure. I mean, what if one of those awful photographers gets a picture of us together or they bribe the maid or the bellhop or something? I mean, the world doesn't know about Marian being gay and it not being your baby. Here she is like, disappeared, and pregnant and everybody's looking for her, and if they catch us together, how will that look? If they find out my name they're going to talk to my friends, my boss, it will all come out. They'll say terrible things about us."
    "We'll be real careful. No one will see us."
    "Silly, somebody's always watching, and that was before Marian disappeared. We can't take the chance."
    "But, Katey, honey--"
    "What if they come to my job? What if they put my picture in those terrible papers? 'Tommy Travis's Cheating Whore' that's what the headline will say. No, I can't, we can't."
    "Sweetie, Katey, it--"
    "No, Tommy, not until this is over." A sob caught in Kaitlen's throat. "I have to go. I'll call you." She clicked off the phone. "Was that okay?" Kaitlen asked Simon nervously.
    "Okay?" Furley cut in. "It wasn't just 'okay.' It was perfect."
    Kaitlen beamed.

Chapter Eleven

    Steve got himself a beer and drank it slowly, enjoying every swallow. Around him the pile of boxes seemed to have multiplied. He was well into his second day of research and he felt as if he had barely scratched the surface. Behind the transcript of Kaitlen Berdue's first taped call with Travis was her background information. The next folder held a copy of the detectives' interview with Kaitlen's brother, Bobby Berdue.

    * * *

    They found Bobby Berdue in a little house in the north east corner of San Diego County. The road to Bobby's cottage was cracked asphalt that wound its way past brush-filled canyons and dust devil flats. Dotted along its path were broken-down gas stations, an evangelical church and a host of honky-tonk bars. Berdue lived in a sagging bungalow sheltered beneath two ancient black oaks. A Ford F150, headed out, sat at the back of the dirt drive. As he pulled close to the porch Furley caught the glint of a decaying Airstream trailer hidden behind the house.
    "Welcome to Meth Country," Furley said glancing at the deserted highway and manzanita choked hills. "What do you think we'd find if we kicked in the door to that trailer?"
    "I wouldn't want to be lightning any matches around it."
    As Furley and Katz stepped from the Crown Vic a swirling gust pelted them with dust and broken leaves. Furley squinted and hurried for the door. Katz's limp was worse and in spite of not wanting to give his wife the satisfaction of having told him so, he had finally called the doctor a week ago. He was supposed to see the Sports Medicine specialist on Friday. Shit !, Katz thought, Sports Medicine! It used to be the 'bone doctor', then it was the 'orthopedic surgeon', but people got frightened by the 'surgeon' part so now they called themselves 'Sports Medicine Specialists' . Katz