Wicked Craving. G. A. McKevett
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Название: Wicked Craving
Автор: G. A. McKevett
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Ужасы и Мистика
Серия: A Savannah Reid Mystery
isbn: 9780758268259
isbn:
Wellman smiled … an unpleasant little smirk. “Ah, so you do know who I am.”
Savannah returned the smile with an equal amount of unpleasantness. “Was he a patient or a customer?”
“I treated him in my office.”
“Did he lose a hundred pounds instantly after the first visit?”
“I was treating him for a gambling problem. Addiction comes in all forms, you know.”
“That’s so true. Some people are genuinely addicted to all sorts of stuff. And they suffer because of it. I feel for them something awful.” She stopped smiling. “Then there are some others who call their bad habits ‘addictions’ so that people won’t expect them to get rid of them.”
“And which are you?” the doctor asked, his jaw clenching. “Are you addicted to food, or is overeating simply one of your bad habits?”
“Neither. I just like food. And, apparently, it likes me, too, or it wouldn’t stick around like it does.” She tossed her head, stuck out her right hip in a Mae West pose, and gave it a pat.
“So, Doctor,” Dirk said, a little too eagerly, “tell me more about this Somers. What’s he got against you?”
“Well, I’m really not supposed to tell you … doctor-patient confidentiality and all that …”
“Ah, spill it,” Savannah said. “It’s not like the people watching your infomercials are gonna lose faith in your integrity and stop buying your CDs or whatever.”
Wellman’s eyes flashed with anger, but he turned to Dirk and said, “Terry Somers is a degenerate gambler who’s in debt to some really bad guys. He came to see me for treatment, but had a slip a week later and lost a fortune in a high-stakes poker game. He didn’t pay, they broke his leg, and he’s blaming me for it!”
Savannah gave a little half-gasp. “How dare him!”
“Yeah, well, you may think it’s funny, but when somebody’s telling you that he’s going to kill you because you ruined his life, it’s pretty scary stuff.”
“And did Somers actually threaten to kill you?” Dirk asked. “Did he use those words?”
“No, he was a little more graphic. Told me he’d blow my brains out of my head and stomp on them. That paints quite a picture … made a bit of an impression on me.”
Dirk scribbled away. “When did he say that?”
“Last Wednesday.”
“Where?”
“In my office … in front of my receptionist and three other patients who were sitting in my waiting room.”
“And your receptionist’s name is … ?”
“Um … her name is Roxanne Rosen.”
“And the names of those other three patients?”
“I can’t tell you. You know, doctor-patient—”
“Yeah, yeah.” Dirk closed his book and tucked it back into his pocket. “Just so you know … the Crime Scene Unit is processing your wife’s body, the beach, your yard, and they may even want to do some work here inside the house.”
“Inside my house? But why? She died out there and—”
“I’m asking you to be as cooperative as possible, Dr. Wellman,” Dirk replied.
Savannah could tell he was trying not to sound irked. But Dirk would never win an Oscar … unless it was for playing the role of a curmudgeon.
She said, “All we want is to find out what happened to your wife and who’s responsible. I’m sure that’s what you want, too.”
“Yeah, well, you check out Terry Somers … find out where he was last night … and then you’ll have her killer.”
Wellman sounded so sure that Savannah nearly believed him. Nearly, but not completely.
As she and Dirk ended the interview, said goodbye to Wellman, and left the house, she decided that—degenerate, broken-legged gambler or not—the doctor was still her number one suspect. At least for the moment.
As they walked to their cars, she glanced down at her watch. “I have to go get Granny from the airport,” she told him. “Her plane was late, but even at that, I have to allow for Santa Monica traffic.”
“Yeah, sure. Get going. You can’t keep my favorite lady waiting,” he said with a sweet smile that warmed her heart.
Dirk truly loved her grandmother, and Savannah considered that one of his greatest virtues. On a bad day, it was his only virtue.
“I thought I was your favorite lady,” she said.
“Nope.” He gave her a slap on the back as he opened her car door and pushed her inside. “But you’re a solid runner-up.”
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