second murder occurs. I think even you would want to talk to him.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Why?”
“How do I know the two crimes are even related? The cops don’t know that.”
“Of course they know that.”
“But they don’t credit it. They’re not buying the guy next door theory. There’s no reason for them to even notice.”
“Now you’re dreaming.”
“They don’t credit the guy next door because they think I did it. If the guy next door is connected, I’m no longer a suspect.”
“Dream on.”
“Come on, MacAullif, they can’t have it both ways.”
“Oh, no? Try this. You’re connected. The guy next door’s connected. You’re both connected. When you get picked up, you try to put the blame on him. He doesn’t take kindly to this, and the end result is you have to rub him out.”
“Jesus Christ. How’d you put that together so fast?”
“I’m a cop. It’s what I do.”
“Interpret extraneous facts to frame an innocent man?”
“Well, it’s more challenging. The guilty ones have the disadvantage of having actually done it.”
“It’s good to hear you say that.”
“Why?”
“It means you’re getting your sense of humor back.”
“Oh, you think so? Just wait until that dumb fucking motel manager IDs me as the guy who got the address. Then we’ll see how much sense of humor I have about this.”
“I’d kind of like to head that off.”
“Oh?”
“I was thinking if we could solve this thing—”
MacAullif exploded. “Jesus Christ! You never learn, do you? You bring me a steaming pile of shit and expect me to find a pony. Well, I ain’t playing.”
“You object to catching this killer?”
“I got no problem catching this killer. As far as the Jersey cops are concerned, I just caught him. I could drive you there now, collect the reward.”
“Except they’d want to know how I got the line on my victim.”
“You’re pushing your luck.”
“Come on, MacAullif. What you said before. About me and the guy next door working to set this guy up. That didn’t happen, but something similar did. You and I have the inside track in knowing that. Now, setting aside the great solution that I killed this guy, how does he wind up dead?”
“Which guy?”
“The second guy. The mafia guy. Vinnie what’s-his-face.”
“He winds up dead so he won’t talk.”
“What’s he gonna say?”
“He’s gonna say he rented the motel room for high-level wise guy whatever-the-hell-his-name-is. Who, as far as he knows, was shackin’ up with a broad. It would have come as a real shock to him to find out the guy in the motel room next to the one he rented wound up dead.”
“If that’s true, why is he dangerous?”
“He’s dangerous because he can name the guy who rented the room. He doesn’t know that makes him dangerous, but it does. Someone else knows it makes him dangerous.”
“Yeah, the guy who killed him.”
“No,” MacAullif said. “The guy who tipped off the guy who killed him. The way I see it, there’s only one person that could be.”
“The motel manager?”
“That’s how I figure.”
“You’re right. We gotta take him apart and see what makes him tick.”
“No, we don’t!”
“Why not?”
“We’d just give him reason to go to the cops.”
“Not if he’s the guy who tipped off the killer. If he’s in on this thing, he’s not running to the cops.”
“Assuming he tipped off the killer,” MacAullif said. “Which is still just an assumption.”
“Who else could have done it?”
“I don’t know. But my ass is hanging fairly far out on this one. And prodding the motel manager could fuck me good. Which is why you’re not going to do that.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? What do you mean, ‘oh’? Are you telling me you already did?”
“Of course not.”
“Good. Because talking to the motel manager would be just about the stupidest thing you could do right now. Short of talking to the dead guy’s wife.”
I
“I’m not so sure.”
“Why?”
“How do I know the two crimes are even related? The cops don’t know that.”
“Of course they know that.”
“But they don’t credit it. They’re not buying the guy next door theory. There’s no reason for them to even notice.”
“Now you’re dreaming.”
“They don’t credit the guy next door because they think I did it. If the guy next door is connected, I’m no longer a suspect.”
“Dream on.”
“Come on, MacAullif, they can’t have it both ways.”
“Oh, no? Try this. You’re connected. The guy next door’s connected. You’re both connected. When you get picked up, you try to put the blame on him. He doesn’t take kindly to this, and the end result is you have to rub him out.”
“Jesus Christ. How’d you put that together so fast?”
“I’m a cop. It’s what I do.”
“Interpret extraneous facts to frame an innocent man?”
“Well, it’s more challenging. The guilty ones have the disadvantage of having actually done it.”
“It’s good to hear you say that.”
“Why?”
“It means you’re getting your sense of humor back.”
“Oh, you think so? Just wait until that dumb fucking motel manager IDs me as the guy who got the address. Then we’ll see how much sense of humor I have about this.”
“I’d kind of like to head that off.”
“Oh?”
“I was thinking if we could solve this thing—”
MacAullif exploded. “Jesus Christ! You never learn, do you? You bring me a steaming pile of shit and expect me to find a pony. Well, I ain’t playing.”
“You object to catching this killer?”
“I got no problem catching this killer. As far as the Jersey cops are concerned, I just caught him. I could drive you there now, collect the reward.”
“Except they’d want to know how I got the line on my victim.”
“You’re pushing your luck.”
“Come on, MacAullif. What you said before. About me and the guy next door working to set this guy up. That didn’t happen, but something similar did. You and I have the inside track in knowing that. Now, setting aside the great solution that I killed this guy, how does he wind up dead?”
“Which guy?”
“The second guy. The mafia guy. Vinnie what’s-his-face.”
“He winds up dead so he won’t talk.”
“What’s he gonna say?”
“He’s gonna say he rented the motel room for high-level wise guy whatever-the-hell-his-name-is. Who, as far as he knows, was shackin’ up with a broad. It would have come as a real shock to him to find out the guy in the motel room next to the one he rented wound up dead.”
“If that’s true, why is he dangerous?”
“He’s dangerous because he can name the guy who rented the room. He doesn’t know that makes him dangerous, but it does. Someone else knows it makes him dangerous.”
“Yeah, the guy who killed him.”
“No,” MacAullif said. “The guy who tipped off the guy who killed him. The way I see it, there’s only one person that could be.”
“The motel manager?”
“That’s how I figure.”
“You’re right. We gotta take him apart and see what makes him tick.”
“No, we don’t!”
“Why not?”
“We’d just give him reason to go to the cops.”
“Not if he’s the guy who tipped off the killer. If he’s in on this thing, he’s not running to the cops.”
“Assuming he tipped off the killer,” MacAullif said. “Which is still just an assumption.”
“Who else could have done it?”
“I don’t know. But my ass is hanging fairly far out on this one. And prodding the motel manager could fuck me good. Which is why you’re not going to do that.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? What do you mean, ‘oh’? Are you telling me you already did?”
“Of course not.”
“Good. Because talking to the motel manager would be just about the stupidest thing you could do right now. Short of talking to the dead guy’s wife.”
I
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