Booby Trap Read Online Free Page B

lap.
    “The Blond Bomber? Are you kidding me?”
    “Afraid not. But it’s all supposition. She doesn’t have any real proof except for coincidences and a gut feeling.” I paused. “Anyway, she doesn’t want to go to the police, but she told me who she suspects it is.”
    Steele sat back down and fussed with the coffee spots on his shirt. It was the second time in just a few days that the mention of the Blond Bomber had caused spillage. Fortunately, Steele kept extra shirts in his office.
    “My question is, Steele, do I have any legal obligation to say anything to the police?”
    “Why don’t you ask your pal Dev Frye that question?”
    “You know darn well why. If I say anything to Dev, even in a hypothetical way, he’ll end up snooping around. And if this man is innocent, just a suspicion could ruin him.”
    “He’s a prominent guy?”
    “Very. But does that matter? A suspicion of this type would ruin anyone.”
    Steele closed his eyes and swiveled in his chair. Squeak … squeak.
    “Have you met this guy?” He asked the question without stopping the swivel or opening his eyes.
    “No, I haven’t. Does that make a difference?”
    “No, it doesn’t. But what you have here, Grey, is a sticky problem, not a legal one.”
    He stopped swiveling and looked at me. “Legally, you have no responsibility to report what you’ve been told. Under the law, there is no legal responsibility for any private citizen to report knowledge of a crime to the police. A private citizen needs to take affirmative action to assist in the crime either before or during the crime, or be an accessory after the fact, such as concealing evidence or harboring a known fugitive, to share in the responsibility for the crime.”
    “But morally?” I squirmed a bit in my chair.
    “That’s where it gets sticky. If you don’t do anything and this guy is the killer and kills again, could you live with that?”
    It was the same question I’d asked of Lil.

“Okay, Lil, I’ll help you. I’ll try to find out if your son is the Blond Bomber or not.”
    Lillian Ramsey got up from her chair and threw her slender arms around my neck. “Thank you, Odelia. Thank you so much.”
    When the hug was over, I asked her to sit back down. It was the following weekend, and we were at Lil’s condo in Leisure World, seated at her cheerful dining table set in front of a large picture window that overlooked the golf course.
    “But first I need you to understand something.” I took both of her delicate hands in mine. She looked at me expectantly. “If I discover that Brian is the Blond Bomber, I will go directly to the police with the information. I will not ask your permission or even stop long enough to tell you first.” Lil stared at me and blinked her blue eyes a couple of times. I didn’t know if she was in shock or scared or both.
    “You won’t even tell me?”
    “Not until after I’ve told the police. If I find out that Brian is the killer, I will do whatever is in my power to make sure he doesn’t kill again, and I can’t risk you interfering. You’re his mother. No matter what he’s done, you would try to protect him. It would be only natural.”
    More blinking and staring. Lil removed her hands from mine and sat back in her chair. Her shoulders sagged as she turned her head to look out the window.
    “You are right, of course.” Her voice was hardly a whisper when she spoke. “If he is the killer, he must be stopped.” She turned her head again to look at me. “And if he’s not the killer?” This time there was hope in her voice.
    “If I find concrete proof that Brian Eddy is not the Blond Bomber, I will immediately tell you that very second. On that, you have my word.”
    Lil gave me a small smile and refreshed both of our teacups from a floral china pot. “Thank you, Odelia.”
    I pulled a yellow legal pad and pen from my tote bag and put it on the table beside me. “Why don’t we get started? The sooner the better, don’t