Exotic animals surround the death of a rich eccentric

I selected “The Beast” by Faye Kellerman from the list of library e-books. It was one of her many Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novels, but it stands alone well. Because I read this out of order, I missed some of the back story from a previous book.

The Deckers’ foster son, Gabe, has just testified in a case where he and his girlfriend were nearly killed. Gabe is 17, making a name for himself at Julliard and deeply in love with 16-year-old Yasmine. It is a bit a Romeo and Juliet story, with the teens determined to be together.

After years in homicide, Peter wants his home to be a sanctuary — especially when he and detectives Marge Dunn and Scott Oliver are called to investigate a grisly murder.

Hobart Penny has lived in a modest apartment complex for about 25 years. At 89, the reclusive millionaire is a mystery to his neighbors. When complaints about “roaring” sounds and a terrible stench get no response from the building manager, the police are called in. Animal Control finds a full-grown Bengal tiger inside the apartment.

When it is removed, investigators find piles of tiger feces and the very badly decomposed body of Hobart Penny. At first, they assume he was killed by the tiger, but closer examination shows only superficial scratches to the body. The real cause of death was a combination of blunt force trauma to the face and a .22 bullet in the back.

Strangely, none of Penny’s neighbors knew he had a tiger, though a few had made complaints about odd noises. It is obvious that the building manager is hiding something. With a bit of pressure, Decker learns that Penny rented a total of four adjoining apartments with one filled with tanks of venomous snakes, spiders and other creepy crawlies.

Someone had to care for the critters, which points them to the manager of an animal rescue. She explains that Penny often gave money to the rescue and had hired her to care for the exotic creatures. She claims that he was very generous, never made advances and treated her well.

That’s not the story they get from Penny’s second former wife. She describes him as a man who became more and more obsessed with controlling others. She said during their marriage, he went from odd to frightening. He was rich enough to hire others to help him indulge in barbaric and humiliating sex acts.

After 10 years they divorced, but the memories still haunt her. When they dig through the supply of frozen meat, Marge discovers a bag of frozen fingers. Experience tells them that these are the trophies of a serial killer. Penny was nearly 90. Was he the killer, or was someone else involved?

Penny frequently used a call-out massage service, but the owner and two women he used have disappeared. Decker is sure that they are key to learning what happened on the day Penny died. Tracking them down means that he must make a call to Gabe’s scumbag father, Chris Donatti, in Las Vegas. Grating as it is, the call nets important results and the real horror story begins to unfold.

Hobart Penny was a very bad man whose crimes went unpunished. He won’t be mourned, and at least some 30-year-old cold cases can now be closed. The whole sordid mess further convinces Decker that it is time to move east where he can still work and spoil his grandchildren.

Finding a healthy balance between work and play can be a challenge, but with the help of your public library, we can take a break with a good book. Decide where you want to go then just check it out.

AT A GLANCE

BOOK: “The Beast”

AUTHOR: Faye Kellerman

PUBLISHER: William Morrow

PUBLISHED: Aug. 6, 2013

PAGES: 449

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