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.I drove west, taking the freeway this time, still thinking about Lehmann.Strange bird.And an old-world quality to his demeanor.Britishpronunciations.He'd said the right things but was unlike any therapist I'dever met.As if reciting for my benefit.Analyzing me?Some psychologists and psychiatrists - the bad ones - make a game of it.Believe me, she is much better off not knowing.Strange bird, strange location.Consultant.All those books on management and psychological testing, nothing on therapy.Page 71ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlPracticing beyond the boundaries of his competence?Was that why he was edgy?If so, how had he gotten LAPD's business?No big mystery, there.Politics as usual.Who you knew.The custom-made cashmere, the studied carelessness and old-money furnishings.A consultant with family connections? Downtown connections could mean bigbusiness: a stream of referrals from the police department and othergovernment agencies.A potential flood of referrals because though LAPD maintained a fewpsychologists on staff, most of their time was spent screening applicants andteaching hostage negotiation and they were chronically overworked.Something else: Milo had told me, once, that cops considered the in-houseshrinks tools of the brass, were cynical about assurances of confidentiality,often reluctant to seek them out for help.Except when filing for stress disability.Something LAPD officers had engagedin for years at a notorious rate, now even worse in the post-riot era.Meaning lots of money could be made contracting just to field complaints.Theunspoken directive from the department would be find them healthy.Which would explain Lehmann's self-description as a courier of okayness.And why he might have been reluctant to acknowledge warning signs in Nolan.Had the young cop come to him with a history of moodswings and alienation, complaining of crushing job pressures, only to receivetough love?One does one's job.That's the key to being professional.Now Lehmann wanted to quash any budding inquiry.Let the dead rest.His reputation, too.When I got home, I looked him up in my American Psychological Associationdirectory.No listing.None in any of the local guilds or health-care providerrosters, either, which was odd, if he was a contractor.But maybe LAPDreferrals alone gave him enough business and he didn't need to solicit othersources.Or maybe he really was old money, choosing psychology as a second career forpersonal fulfillment, rather than income.Respite after years in the heartlessworld of business.The big office and leather desk and books - the trappings of doctorhood.Simply props to help him fill the hours before he rode down for a rubdown atthe club?I phoned the state medical board and confirmed that Roone Mackey Lehmann wasindeed duly licensed to practice psychology in California and had been forfive years.His degree was from a place called New Dominion University andPage 72ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlhe'd done his clinical training at the Pathfinder Foundation, neither of whichI'd heard of.No complaints had ever been filed against him, nothing irregular about hiscertification.I thought about him some more, realized there was nothing I could - or should- do.Bottom line, he was right: If Nolan had been adamant about leaving thisworld, no one could have stopped him.Serious problems.My question about sexuality had evoked a meaningful silence, so maybe that hadbeen it.A bleak situation.The sister better off not knowing.Leading me to the main question: What would I tell Helena?I called her at the hospital but she wasn't in.Not at home, either, and Ileft a message and phoned Milo at the station.'New insights?' he said.'Sorry, no.Actually, I'm calling about Nolan Dahl.''What about him?''If you're busy-''Wish I was.Been on the phone all day and the closest case I've got to Iritis a retarded thirteen-year-old boy abducted a year ago in Newton Division.Body never found but his sneakers were, full of dried blood.Left in front ofthe Newton station.No lightbulb-over-the-head feeling but I'm driving overlater to look at the actual file.What about Dahl?''I just met with his therapist, fellow named Roone Lehmann.Ever hear of him?''No.Why?''He got the referral through the department and I got thefeeling he was on some LAPD list.''Could be.Is there some other reason you're asking about him?'I told him.'So you think maybe he botched Dahl's treatment and is covering his ass.''He implied that Nolan had serious problems that Helena doesn't want to knowabout.''Meaning if he missed the boat it was a big one.''Exactly.And he's an odd one, Milo.Works in a building with bankers andlawyers, labels himself a consultant but doesn't spell out what he does in thedirectory.But he's duly licensed, no checkered history, so maybe I'm beingparanoid.I would like to know why Nolan went to see him.Would the departmentkeep records?'Page 73ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html'If it was something to do with the job, they sure would, but good luckgetting hold of it.Especially now that he killed himself.If he put in for astress pension or some other compensation, there'd be a record of that, butonce again, things get lost when it suits the right people.''That's another thing,' I said.'If he was under stress, why'd he transferfrom West L.A.to Hollywood?''You got me - maybe he got tired of scumbag celebrities and their batteredwives.''My thought was he craved action.liked taking risks.' I told him about thebreak-in at Nolan's apartment, the cheap lock on the back door.'No big surprise,' he said.'Cops can be super-security freaks or they becomedanger freaks and get lax.If the public knew how many times we gotvictimized, the confidence level would sink even lower.If that's possible.''But if Nolan craved danger, why would he buckle?'He grunted.'Your field, not mine.Sounds like we're bothrunning the blind-alley marathon.I'd offer to ask around about his records,but it would be a waste of time.One person who might be able to tell yousomething would be his training officer.''Helena already spoke to him and he was baffled by the suicide.''Name?''A Sergeant Baker.''Wesley Baker?''Don't know the first name.Helena said he's at Parker Center, now.''That's Wes Baker.' His voice changed.Softer.Guarded.'You know him?' I said.'Oh, yeah.interesting.''What is?''Wes Baker training rookies again.I didn't know, but we don't have muchcontact with the boys in blue.Listen, Alex, this isn't the best time - orplace - to have this discussion.Lemme get over to Newton, check out theyear-old abduction file, and if nothing else comes up, I can drop by thisevening.If you'll be home.''No plans not to be,' I said, realizing I'd been home for nearly an hour andhadn't gone back to see Robin.'If I go out, I'll call you.''Fine.I'm heading over to the East Side now.Sayonara.'Robin was taking off her goggles when I walked in, and she reached for thevacuum cleaner.At the sight of the hose, Spike began barking furiously.Hedespises the industrial age.Canine Luddite.When he saw me he stopped, cockedhis head, started to trot forward, then changed his mind and returned toPage 74ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]