The Children's Corner

Chapter 44

The headshot of Brock Zeman that Sully affixed to his file doesn't tell the whole story. Kate wouldn't be surprised if he has muscles on his muscles. The physique he sports would be attractive to someone of any gender who is into that sort of thing. His appearance could make a relationship between him and Myron either more or less likely, depending on Myron's tastes. Unfortunately for Kate, she has no idea what those tastes might be.

She decides to put Brock in the box rather than the lounge. If he is involved with Myron's disappearance, she can use all the intimidation power she can get. And if not, it won't matter. Plopping her ever-present black folder in front of her, she begins the preliminaries. "Mr. Zeman, I'm Detective Kate Beckett. I'm aware that Detective Sully already interviewed you, but I have a few more questions. You are employed as Lazarus's bodyguard, is that correct?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Zeman replies in a much less resonant voice than Kate would have expected. And there's something about his speech pattern. It reminds her of bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno, who sounds that way because of a hearing problem. That's something to file away. Zeman might have depended too heavily on alarms rather than his own senses to guard Myron's safety – even if they slept together.

"How long have you worked for Lazarus?" Kate inquires.

"As a bodyguard, a few months," Zeman replies."He decided he needed one when he started getting threatening letters."

"So I understand. But did you work for him before that, in another position?"

Apprehension flickers in Zeman's eyes at the word "position." "For two years. I guess you could have called me a roadie. I moved equipment around, set things up, whatever Lazarus needed to do his gig."

"Two years is enough time to get to know someone. How well did you know Lazarus?"

Anger replaces apprehension as Zeman replies. "Detective, if you want to know if Lazarus and I were personally involved, you might as well come out and ask."

"Then I'm asking," Kate responds.

"We were! I was with him that night. And it tears me up to know that he was taken, and I didn't stop it. I should have felt something."

"Brock, it wasn't your fault," Kate soothes. "The spray used to keep Lazarus out would have put you out too. But I need to know if there's anyone Lazarus was specifically afraid would come after him?"

"Lazarus said something about a brother, Michael. He thought he might have written the letters. That's why he didn't report them to the authorities. I guess blood is thicker than water."

"Maybe not in this case. But I thank you for coming clean with me." Kate pulls one of her cards out of her folder. "Here. If you think of anything else that might help us find Lazarus, give me a call, day or night."

"Thank you, Detective. I will. I want him back."

As soon as he departs, Kate attaches a new, full-length photo of Brock Zeman to her board and makes notes under it. As far as she can tell, Zeman had no motive to harm Myron and every reason not to. But until she knows for sure otherwise, a lover is always a suspect. Still, what Zeman told her builds an even stronger case against Michael Fink. So somehow, she has to find the errant brother."

"Why not just kill me?" Myron demands as Michael brings him one of Malka's fall-back dairy menu items, cottage cheese. Myron knows that Michael is fully aware that Myron's always hated the lumpy white curds. But he ate them to stay on his mother's good side.

Michael smirks. "Why would I do that when I can watch you suffer like I did after you turned Eema and Abba against me. And you're going to sit there in your own piss and take it until I decide to stop. So, I'll untape one hand for a minute or two so you can eat – or not. Watching you starve will just add to the fun."

Myron struggles between fear and disgust. "I'll eat the damn cheese."

Michael pats him on the head. "That's our eema's good boy."

"No luck finding Michael?" Rick asks when Kate drags herself in the door of the loft.

"None," she admits. "No credit card or ATM transactions popped up. And I can't find any property in his name."

"How about his parents' name?" Rick inquires. "Or maybe there's something that used to be in his parents' name. Supposedly Myron sold everything his parents left him. If I were writing the story, it would be sweet revenge for Michael to buy one of his parents' former holdings and use it to torture Myron. Could they have had a summer place somewhere? Given what you've told me about the family so far, I'd check out the Catskills."

"That's an idea," Kate acknowledges. "Tomorrow, I'll look into what happened to the property Myron sold. Maybe I'll get lucky. But how about you? You said you had a meeting with Muriel Lissette. How did it go?"

"Honestly, better than I'd expected. At least she'll give my new work a look. Even if she hates it, painful as it may be to receive, her critique could be helpful."

"The most painful critiques usually are. That's why they hurt." Kate rubs her lower back. "Damn! I forgot how hard the chairs in Interrogation are."

"You could use a pillow – or maybe not. Kate Beckett can't look weak in front of a possible perp."

"Anyone would look weak in front of the one I questioned today. If someone wants to reboot the TV version of the Hulk, Lazarus's bodyguard would be perfect for it. But I don't think he had anything to do with Myron's disappearance."

"Mother was the love interest in the original pilot. I doubt she'd be pleased to see a reboot. But Craig could probably manage a Martha Rodgers hulk-out. However, it sounds like you've narrowed your suspect list to one. So if you strike gold tomorrow, Lazarus may indeed rise."

"Not if he's actually already dead. But if he is, how fast I find him won't matter. And I need to step far enough away to go at it fresh. So any news besides your visit to Ms. Lissette?"

"As a matter of fact, there is, and I'm hoping it's a happy development. Alexis called. She and Dana are approved to go on the list to adopt an older child. And with the restoration of their apartment finished, she thinks they're ready."

"And do you think they're ready?"

"I doubt anyone is really ready to be a parent. Twenty-four hours a day is a lot different than babysitting. Even for nannies, the true responsibility still rests with the parents. And with an older child or not, parenthood can be overwhelming. Just watching your kid tip over learning to ride a bike can give you nightmares for weeks. At least it gave them to me."

"But Alexis turned out fine – better than fine. She's brilliant and compassionate. But most of all, she understands love. She received it from you in spades, and she's ready to pass it on."

Wrapping his arms around Kate, Rick draws her tightly against his chest. "What would I do without you?"

"Probably get a lot more sleep."

"But there are so many more enjoyable things to do in the bridal bower."

Kate stretches up for a kiss. "And perhaps when our three bundles of responsibility are in their own beds, you can elaborate."