any more green cards with the ends snipped off?”
The palms of my hands got wet all of a sudden. “No.”
“Are you interested in them at all?”
“Cut the comedy, Pat. What’re you driving at? It’s too damn late for riddles.”
“Get over here, Mike,” his voice was terse. “My apartment, and make it as fast as you can.”
I came awake all at once, shaking the fatigue from my brain. “Okay, Pat,” I said, “give me fifteen minutes.” I hung up and slipped into my coat.
It was easier to grab a cab than wheel my car out of the garage. I shook the cabbie’s shoulder and gave him Pat’s address, then settled back against the cushions while we tore across town. We made it with about ten seconds to spare and I gave the cabbie a fin for his trouble.
I looked up at the sky before I went in. The clouds had broken up and let the stars come through. Maybe tomorrow will be nice, I thought. Maybe it will be a nice normal day without all the filth being raked to the top. Maybe. I pushed Pat’s bell and the door buzzed almost immediately.
He was waiting outside his apartment when I got off the elevator. “You made it fast, Mike.”
“You said to, didn’t you?”
“Come on in.”
Pat had drinks in a shaker and three glasses on the coffee table. Only one had been used so far. “Expecting company?” I asked him.
“Big company, Mike. Sit down and pour yourself a drink.”
I shucked my coat and hat and stuck a Lucky in my mouth. Pat wasn’t acting right. You don’t go around entertaining anybody at this hour, not even your best friends. Something had etched lines into his face and put a smudge of darkness under each eye. He looked tight as a drumhead. I sat there with a drink in my hand watching Pat trying to figure out what to say.
It came halfway through my drink. “You were right the first time,” he said.
I put the glass down and stared at him. “Do it over. I don’t get it.”
“Twins.”
“What?”
“Twins,” Pat repeated. “Lee Deamer had a twin brother.” He stood there swirling the mixture around in his glass.
“Why tell me? I’m not in the picture.”
Pat had his back to me, staring at nothing. I could barely hear his voice. ‘Don’t ask me that, Mike. I don’t know why I’m telling you when it’s official business, but I am. In one way we’re both alike. We’re cops. Sometimes I find myself waiting to know what you’d do in a situation before I do it myself. Screwy, isn’t it?”
“Pretty screwy.”
“I told you once before that you have a feeling for things that I haven’t got. You don’t have a hundred bosses and a lot of sidelines to mess you up once you get started on a case. You’re a ruthless bastard and sometimes it helps.”
“So?”
“So now I find myself in one of those situations. I’m a practical cop with a lot of training and experience, but I’m in something that has a personal meaning to me too and I’m afraid of tackling it alone.”
“You don’t want advice from me, chum. I’m mud, and whatever I touch gets smeared with it. I don’t mind dirtying myself, but I don’t want any of it to rub off onto you.”
“It won’t, don’t worry. That’s why you’re here now. You think I was taken in by that vacation line? Hell. You have another bug up your behind. It has to do with those green cards and don’t try to talk your way out of it.”
He spun around, his fact taut. “Where’d you get them, Mike?”
I ignored the question. “Tell me, Pat. Tell me the story.” He threw the drink down and filled the glass again. “Lee Deamer ... how much do you know about him?”
“Only that he’s the up-and-coming champ. I don’t know him personally.”
“I do, Mike. I know the guy and I like him. Goddamn it, Mike, if he gets squeezed out this state, this country will lose one of its greatest assets! We can’t afford to have Deamer go under!”
“I’ve heard that story before, Pat,” I said, “a political reporter gave it to me
The palms of my hands got wet all of a sudden. “No.”
“Are you interested in them at all?”
“Cut the comedy, Pat. What’re you driving at? It’s too damn late for riddles.”
“Get over here, Mike,” his voice was terse. “My apartment, and make it as fast as you can.”
I came awake all at once, shaking the fatigue from my brain. “Okay, Pat,” I said, “give me fifteen minutes.” I hung up and slipped into my coat.
It was easier to grab a cab than wheel my car out of the garage. I shook the cabbie’s shoulder and gave him Pat’s address, then settled back against the cushions while we tore across town. We made it with about ten seconds to spare and I gave the cabbie a fin for his trouble.
I looked up at the sky before I went in. The clouds had broken up and let the stars come through. Maybe tomorrow will be nice, I thought. Maybe it will be a nice normal day without all the filth being raked to the top. Maybe. I pushed Pat’s bell and the door buzzed almost immediately.
He was waiting outside his apartment when I got off the elevator. “You made it fast, Mike.”
“You said to, didn’t you?”
“Come on in.”
Pat had drinks in a shaker and three glasses on the coffee table. Only one had been used so far. “Expecting company?” I asked him.
“Big company, Mike. Sit down and pour yourself a drink.”
I shucked my coat and hat and stuck a Lucky in my mouth. Pat wasn’t acting right. You don’t go around entertaining anybody at this hour, not even your best friends. Something had etched lines into his face and put a smudge of darkness under each eye. He looked tight as a drumhead. I sat there with a drink in my hand watching Pat trying to figure out what to say.
It came halfway through my drink. “You were right the first time,” he said.
I put the glass down and stared at him. “Do it over. I don’t get it.”
“Twins.”
“What?”
“Twins,” Pat repeated. “Lee Deamer had a twin brother.” He stood there swirling the mixture around in his glass.
“Why tell me? I’m not in the picture.”
Pat had his back to me, staring at nothing. I could barely hear his voice. ‘Don’t ask me that, Mike. I don’t know why I’m telling you when it’s official business, but I am. In one way we’re both alike. We’re cops. Sometimes I find myself waiting to know what you’d do in a situation before I do it myself. Screwy, isn’t it?”
“Pretty screwy.”
“I told you once before that you have a feeling for things that I haven’t got. You don’t have a hundred bosses and a lot of sidelines to mess you up once you get started on a case. You’re a ruthless bastard and sometimes it helps.”
“So?”
“So now I find myself in one of those situations. I’m a practical cop with a lot of training and experience, but I’m in something that has a personal meaning to me too and I’m afraid of tackling it alone.”
“You don’t want advice from me, chum. I’m mud, and whatever I touch gets smeared with it. I don’t mind dirtying myself, but I don’t want any of it to rub off onto you.”
“It won’t, don’t worry. That’s why you’re here now. You think I was taken in by that vacation line? Hell. You have another bug up your behind. It has to do with those green cards and don’t try to talk your way out of it.”
He spun around, his fact taut. “Where’d you get them, Mike?”
I ignored the question. “Tell me, Pat. Tell me the story.” He threw the drink down and filled the glass again. “Lee Deamer ... how much do you know about him?”
“Only that he’s the up-and-coming champ. I don’t know him personally.”
“I do, Mike. I know the guy and I like him. Goddamn it, Mike, if he gets squeezed out this state, this country will lose one of its greatest assets! We can’t afford to have Deamer go under!”
“I’ve heard that story before, Pat,” I said, “a political reporter gave it to me
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