12th of Never (Women's Murder Club 12)

Brady’s tone was casual, even friendly. He was saying to Alan Kohl, “I just want to understand why you kidnapped Lily Herman. I know you must have cared for her, but why did you take her?”

“We didn’t kidnap anyone,” said Alan Kohl. “And you can’t prove otherwise.”

“But you admit you kept Lily Herman in your house. There in the room at the end of the tunnel.”

“Okay, yes, she was a guest in our home.”

“Guest? So your guest room is a six-foot-square underground box? It was okay to keep a little girl in there?”

“She was happy, didn’t she tell you? She had everything she wanted.”

“I don’t think a jury is going to go for that, Alan.”

“I have copies of checks from Keith Herman. Three hundred dollars a week.”

“What does that prove?” Brady said.

“Are you trying to trick me, Lieutenant? Or are you playing stupid? Keith Herman was paying us to keep his kid safe. She’s safe, right?”

“I’m wondering if those were payments for keeping Lily safe or if you kidnapped Lily and were extorting her father. As long as he paid you and he didn’t call the police, Lily was safe. You understand, there’s a big difference between minding the child and kidnapping her. Kidnapping is a felony. Comes with a death penalty.”

Kohl smiled at Brady.

“Is this what you think, or are you still fishing around? I told you. Keith Herman paid us to keep his daughter safe.”

“Okay, Alan. I don’t believe you. You’re under arrest for kidnapping Lily Herman.”

“Wait. I’ve got copies of the checks from Keith Herman.”

Brady said, “You want to get anywhere with me, I need evidence that Keith Herman killed his wife.”

“Why didn’t you just say so?” said Alan Kohl. “Sit down. Keep the cameras rolling. I’ll tell you where you might find your so-called evidence, but Marcia and I had nothing to do with any murder. I swear to God.”

Kohl talked to Brady for about fifteen minutes, told him a lot of stuff, and when he was done, Brady said, “Stand up, Alan. Put your hands behind

your back.”

“What? Wait a minute. What the hell are you doing?”

Brady pulled Alan Kohl to his feet, spun him around, and snapped cuffs around his wrists.

“Alan Kohl, you’re under arrest for felony kidnapping and endangerment of a minor.”

“You said you only wanted evidence of what Herman did to his wife. That’s all I’ve got.”

“Get a lawyer, Alan. Go crazy and hire the best one you can afford.”

Chapter 88

YUKI AND BRADY were back in Bolinas, a thirty-mile drive that took more than an hour because the roads were so twisting and narrow and difficult to navigate in the dark.

Yuki had a search warrant in her briefcase, the second one of the day. Some kind of record, she thought, but Judge Nussbaum had signed it quickly, no questions asked. He was as eager to right the disaster of Keith Herman’s trial as she was.

Yuki said, “I’m afraid to get my hopes up—”

“Don’t jinx it, darlin’.”

Yuki had one hand on Brady’s thigh, the other hand on the dash as Brady wrenched the wheel and turned the squad car up the Kohls’ driveway. Branches and brush slapped at the headlights as the car climbed the overgrown, rutted path. They passed the ramshackle house and kept climbing another three or four hundred yards until they reached the end of the drive.