cream of your crop,” I agreed. “I’m surprised he hasn’t made captain.”
“He thinks that’s the reason?”
I shrugged.
“It’s seniority! I’ve told him that a hundred times. I’ve fought the commission on that for years and Bernie knows it. Look, you tell him he can take all the time he wants on this murder. You tell him I don’t care how long it lasts.”
“Why don’t you tell him?”
“Because I’m embarrassed, damn it!”
“Okay,” I said soothingly. “I’ll handle it.”
When I rejoined Bernie in the hall, he asked, “Another lecture on police procedure? He read you the riot act again, didn’t he?”
“Nope. He thought you might have misconstrued his remark about Morgenstern. He asked me to set you straight on that. You are his favorite cop.”
“I’ll bet I am.”
“You are. He also told me we could take all the time we want on this case.”
“We—?”
“He said, ‘you,’ but we’re a team, aren’t we? Come on! Let’s hit the road. Let’s go find that crooked Irish bastard.”
It didn’t take long. We found him on the driveway of the first place we visited, his home. He was washing his pickup truck. He was a big man, well over two hundred pounds of beef, topped with flaming red hair.
He turned off the hose and grinned at us. “Bernie, baby! Did you make captain, finally?”
“Watch it, Dwight,” Vogel said harshly. “I’m here on official business.”
“I see. And who’s your friend?”
“I’m his muscle,” I said. “Want to go a couple of quick rounds with me, lard ass?”
Kelly studied me, head to toes. Bernie said, “Stay out of this, Brock.”
“Brock?” Kelly said. “Brock Callahan? Aren’t you the guy who was harassing Mrs. Lacrosse?”
I shook my head. “Not me. I was trying to make time with her. I didn’t know she was your woman.”
Bernie said, “I told you to stay out of this, Brock. I’m here, Dwight, to check out that incident at the cult last night. My information is that Mrs. Lacrosse was using your truck.”
“So? Her clunker was in the shop. She asked if she could borrow the truck. How was I to know she was going up there?”
“Is she here now?”
“No. Her cousin came to town. They found another place.”
“Do you have the address?”
Kelly shook his head. “But I’ll get it for you if she contacts me again. Bernie, that woman wasn’t threatening anybody up there. She told me she was pleading with the guard to let her see her boy.”
“I’ll buy that for now,” Bernie said. “What did Morgenstern want with you?”
Kelly frowned. “Morgenstern? That guy who was mugged on the beach? I never met him.”
“He phoned your house.”
“Well, he didn’t talk to me. Jesus, Bernie, I maybe shaded a corner or two when I was with you boys. But you can’t think I’m a mugger.” He paused. “And a murderer? You can’t hate me that much!”
“I’m trying not to. Mrs. Lacrosse isn’t going to use you to get her boy back?”
“That’s the way it’s shaping up. She told me he’s a bright kid. She thinks he’ll see through all that gobbledegook that Sarkissian feeds them. She doesn’t need to pay me, she figures. The kid will leave soon enough and she’ll be in town waiting for him. You could check her new address with the kid, if that purple foot will let you talk with him.”
“Purple foot?” Bernie asked.
“That’s what bigots call Armenians,” I explained.
Kelly smiled. Bernie said, “I guess that’s all. Be sure to keep your nose clean, Dwight.”
“Hell, yes.” He looked at me. “Nice meeting you, Callahan. I hope we’ll meet again.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I told him.
EIGHT
B ERNIE SAT IN THE CAR and stared moodily through the windshield. “So much for that. What a liar that son of a bitch is!”
I agreed. The guy was good at it, knowing what to admit and when to lie—when his lies couldn’t be checked out.
“Now where?” Bernie asked. “We can’t go
“He thinks that’s the reason?”
I shrugged.
“It’s seniority! I’ve told him that a hundred times. I’ve fought the commission on that for years and Bernie knows it. Look, you tell him he can take all the time he wants on this murder. You tell him I don’t care how long it lasts.”
“Why don’t you tell him?”
“Because I’m embarrassed, damn it!”
“Okay,” I said soothingly. “I’ll handle it.”
When I rejoined Bernie in the hall, he asked, “Another lecture on police procedure? He read you the riot act again, didn’t he?”
“Nope. He thought you might have misconstrued his remark about Morgenstern. He asked me to set you straight on that. You are his favorite cop.”
“I’ll bet I am.”
“You are. He also told me we could take all the time we want on this case.”
“We—?”
“He said, ‘you,’ but we’re a team, aren’t we? Come on! Let’s hit the road. Let’s go find that crooked Irish bastard.”
It didn’t take long. We found him on the driveway of the first place we visited, his home. He was washing his pickup truck. He was a big man, well over two hundred pounds of beef, topped with flaming red hair.
He turned off the hose and grinned at us. “Bernie, baby! Did you make captain, finally?”
“Watch it, Dwight,” Vogel said harshly. “I’m here on official business.”
“I see. And who’s your friend?”
“I’m his muscle,” I said. “Want to go a couple of quick rounds with me, lard ass?”
Kelly studied me, head to toes. Bernie said, “Stay out of this, Brock.”
“Brock?” Kelly said. “Brock Callahan? Aren’t you the guy who was harassing Mrs. Lacrosse?”
I shook my head. “Not me. I was trying to make time with her. I didn’t know she was your woman.”
Bernie said, “I told you to stay out of this, Brock. I’m here, Dwight, to check out that incident at the cult last night. My information is that Mrs. Lacrosse was using your truck.”
“So? Her clunker was in the shop. She asked if she could borrow the truck. How was I to know she was going up there?”
“Is she here now?”
“No. Her cousin came to town. They found another place.”
“Do you have the address?”
Kelly shook his head. “But I’ll get it for you if she contacts me again. Bernie, that woman wasn’t threatening anybody up there. She told me she was pleading with the guard to let her see her boy.”
“I’ll buy that for now,” Bernie said. “What did Morgenstern want with you?”
Kelly frowned. “Morgenstern? That guy who was mugged on the beach? I never met him.”
“He phoned your house.”
“Well, he didn’t talk to me. Jesus, Bernie, I maybe shaded a corner or two when I was with you boys. But you can’t think I’m a mugger.” He paused. “And a murderer? You can’t hate me that much!”
“I’m trying not to. Mrs. Lacrosse isn’t going to use you to get her boy back?”
“That’s the way it’s shaping up. She told me he’s a bright kid. She thinks he’ll see through all that gobbledegook that Sarkissian feeds them. She doesn’t need to pay me, she figures. The kid will leave soon enough and she’ll be in town waiting for him. You could check her new address with the kid, if that purple foot will let you talk with him.”
“Purple foot?” Bernie asked.
“That’s what bigots call Armenians,” I explained.
Kelly smiled. Bernie said, “I guess that’s all. Be sure to keep your nose clean, Dwight.”
“Hell, yes.” He looked at me. “Nice meeting you, Callahan. I hope we’ll meet again.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I told him.
EIGHT
B ERNIE SAT IN THE CAR and stared moodily through the windshield. “So much for that. What a liar that son of a bitch is!”
I agreed. The guy was good at it, knowing what to admit and when to lie—when his lies couldn’t be checked out.
“Now where?” Bernie asked. “We can’t go
Similar Books
