Dead Red by Tim O'Mara Page A

working on. A missing kid thing.”
    My uncle looked at the picture. “This girl’s gone AWOL?”
    “You gotta talk to him about that. He didn’t go into much detail.”
    “So what the hell was Jack Knight doing here this morning?”
    “Same thing you are, I guess. Just in a less official capacity. He got a call about Ricky and me, went to the hospital, and followed Rachel and me back here. He wanted to know why I was hanging with Ricky at two in the morning over on the Southside. I told him what I told you. He didn’t like it and went home.”
    “And that’s all?”
    “That’s all I can tell you, Uncle Ray.”
    “That’s not exactly what I asked, Raymond.”
    I nodded. “Have someone talk to Jack.” I reached into my pocket and handed Jack’s card to my uncle. “You know Jack. He’s not gonna tell me shit. But if you send a detective over…”
    “That’s what I need right now. Someone telling me how to do the job.”
    “Not what I meant.”
    “I know,” he said and rubbed his eyes. He leaned his large frame back into my futon. “It’s just been a long twenty-four hours, kiddo.”
    “For both of us.”
    “Right. Anyway, one thing I was able to find out was that your boy, Ricky Torres, put in his papers for reinstatement a few days ago.”
    That seemed to go with Ricky asking Jack for more hours.
    “Any idea why he waited as long as he did, Uncle Ray?”
    “Nope. But I’ve got someone down in Human Resources making sure that paperwork goes through last week.”
    “Why? What good will—?” Then I got it. “The benefits. You don’t think they’d deny his family the benefits, do you?”
    “We both work for the city, Ray. You have to ask that question? I’m not taking any chances with that kid’s bennies going back into the city’s coffers. I checked. His mom’s still around, and I’ll be damned if some four-eyed city bureaucrat is gonna tell her that her son—who did two fucking tours over there—died without benefits.”
    “And you can make this happen?”
    “I can and I did. My girl over in HR knows what buttons to push to make sure the paperwork is dated last week and that it was approved yesterday.”
    “Which just happens to be the day Ricky was killed?”
    “Actually, he was killed today, remember? Life’s full of ironies, isn’t it? At least this one’s gonna help out the kid’s mom and his brother.”
    I’d forgotten Ricky had a brother. Must be in college by now.
    “That’s good, Uncle Ray. I hope this doesn’t blow back into your face.”
    He laughed. “That would mean some civilian Poindexter in front of a computer actually gave a damn, Raymond. Anybody wants to give me shit, I’ll sic your girlfriend on them, and they can explain to the people of this city who still read newspapers how the family of Ricky Torres—a true goddamned American hero—should be denied his well-deserved taxpayer-funded benefits.”
    “Allison’s not a cop. She’s not going to bark just because you say so.”
    He smiled as if to say, “Yes, she will,” but had the decency not to. “She hit you up for a story yet?”
    “No. And I don’t expect she will. She can’t write about me objectively, we’re dating.”
    “Then you can expect a call from one of her cohorts. Soon.”
    “And now that I’ve given my official statement, I won’t have a problem with that.” I found myself almost believing my own spin. “It’s a big story. I was there and can help put a human face on it.”
    “Damn, boy,” Uncle Ray said. “You’re starting to talk like a member of the press. Best be careful before she puts a leash around your neck.”
    I shook my head very slowly got up from my chair. “You kill me, Uncle Ray. You got everybody figured out. Everybody fits into your little boxes.” I gave him a mock-serious look. “How’d you ever get so cynical?”
    “Years and miles, Nephew. When you got enough of both behind you, you’ll see how wise a man your old uncle was.”
    “I see