The Beast Read Online Free PDF Page B

then several measures of rest followed by an earsplitting pop as the dart goes into the body and this shimmering but electrifying strings as it loses consciousness . . . and deep bass as it’s dragged out . . .” Gabe stared at nothing in particular. “I can hear it like . . . perfectly.”
    All Rina heard was noise from the refrigerator. “Kind of like
Peter and the Wolf
on crack.”
    Gabe laughed. “Exactly.” He put down his coffee and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “And this extraction took up the entire night?”
    “No,” Rina said. “Once animal control got the tiger out, they found a dead body inside the apartment.”
    “So the tiger killed the guy inside?”
    “From what Peter told me, the body was the result of a homicide. The tiger was incidental and had nothing to do with the man’s death.”
    “That’s really weird.”
    “As a lieutenant, Peter only works on the weird cases. Because he was up all night, he may not show up to the trial until much later.”
    “That’s okay. Life goes on.” He looked at Rina. “But you’ll be there, right?”
    “Of course I’ll be there.” She put down her coffee cup and kissed his nearly naked head. “Don’t worry. It should all be over soon—”
    The phone rang. It was a quarter to seven in the morning. Usually when that happened, it was one of the kids calling from back east. They never paid attention to the three-hour difference.
    Rina said, “Excuse me. It’s probably Hannah either wishing you luck or she’s in crisis.”
    “Either way, tell her hi for me.”
    Rina lifted the receiver. “Hello?”
    “Hi, it’s me,” Decker said.
    “Are you all right?”
    “Just tired, but that’s not why I’m calling. Last night while I was dealing with wild animals, Dylan Lashay had a stroke. He’s in the hospital in critical condition. Nurit Luke talked to his lawyers. Everyone agreed to postpone the trial indefinitely.”
    “Oh my!” A pause. “How does Wendy Hesse feel about that?”
    At the mention of Wendy Hesse’s name, Gabe picked up his head. “What’s going on?”
    Rina held up her hand to Gabe. “Could you repeat that? I couldn’t hear.”
    “I said that Wendy’s not happy, of course. Her son is dead and she wants justice, but with these new circumstances, even she isn’t in favor of dragging it out any longer. The entire case should be pledout in a couple of hours, and that, my dear, is the end. Tell Gabe, it’s over.”
    “I’m sure he’ll appreciate getting the monkey off his back.”
    “What monkey off my back?” Gabe asked.
    Decker said, “I’ll be home in an hour or so. Maybe we’ll all go out for breakfast before I drop off to sleep.”
    Rina smiled. “That would be great. Love you.”
    “Love you, too.” Decker disconnected the line.
    “What monkey are you talking about?” Gabe was exasperated.
    “Dylan Lashay suffered a stroke. He’s in critical condition. The trial is indefinitely postponed and will probably be pled out. To quote the Loo, ‘Tell Gabe it’s over.’”
    “Wow! That’s great!” Gabe sat back. “That’s really
good
news. I won’t have to go to court anymore. And Yasmine won’t have to testify, either. That’s great, great news!”
    “A big relief to you and to her, no doubt.” Rina paused. “When was the last time you spoke to her?”
    Gabe looked up. It was always better to tell the truth.
    But maybe not the whole truth.
    “Rina, I haven’t called her in over a year. I haven’t e-mailed her or texted her or talked to her on Skype or anything. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be happy for her.”
    “Of course you can be happy for her. And I suppose your personal life isn’t any of my business.”
    “It’s okay. I know you mean well.”
    “I do. Should I change your flight to leave tomorrow?”
    “Actually, I already changed it. I decided to stay through the weekend, if that’s okay with you guys.”
    “Of course, it’s okay.” A pause. “Can I ask you