in the car, simply driving off. Instead, he decided to stand his ground.
“I heard you’d retired, Phillips.”
Phillips stopped directly beside Karl, eyeballing him.
“Retire like my old pals Bulldog and Cairns? You wish, Kane.”
There was a strong stench of whiskey escaping from Phillips’s mouth, and Karl immediately regretted not getting in the car and leaving. He had heard the rumours of Phillips’s dismissal from the force two months ago, accused of shaking down drug dealers and pimps in the north of the city. He wondered what the hell Phillips was doing at headquarters?
“Well, I’d love to reminisce with you, Phillips, but have to go,” said Karl, easing into the car.
“Can’t you take a joke, Kane? What happened to your sense of humour?”
“Have to check my drawers when I get home. Could’ve left it there.”
“Ha! That’s more like the Kane I remember,” said Phillips, removing a half bottle of Bushmills whiskey, taking one long slug before offering it to Karl.
“No thanks. That Irish puts hairs on a man’s chest. I just had a Brazilian done on mine.”
The joke was lost on Phillips, who asked, “How’s that sour-faced brother-in-law of yours doing?”
“Oh, you know him. That sour face never sweetens. Must be all that power he has, being the famous detective inspector.”
“You can say that again, that I know him,” replied Phillips, tapping the side of his nose twice before winking at Karl. “In fact, I’m going in right now to see old Sour Puss, to remind him that I
know him.
If that bastard thinks he can kick me out of the force without my retirement pension, he’s got another think coming. Too many secrets stored up here in the old noggin.” Phillips tapped the side of his head, and winked again.
“Secrets? What kind of secrets?” asked Karl, suddenly interested.
“Don’t be smart, Kane. They wouldn’t be secrets any more if I told you, would they now?”
“No. I guess you’re right,” replied Karl, grinning. “And there’s me trying to be smart again. Never seems to work when dealing with cops.”
“Cops are different from the rest of you mere mortals, Kane. Most of us believe that we are in a life and death struggle against everyone else, and we’re all in it together.” Phillips swayed drunkenly before continuing. “Being a cop requires us to be members of a union, a union forged of blood, governed by laws that go beyond the laws that govern the rest of you. It’s hard to go against that union. It’s also dangerous.”
“Look, I really do have to go, Phillips,” said Karl, no longer willing to listen to Phillips’s incoherent blabbering.
“Ever hear of the King David Syndrome?”
“Can’t say I have. Why?”
“Tell you what. I’ll do a deal with you. I don’t get my pension, you get my secrets concerning our very own King fucking David. How’s that? And I’ll even make sure my solicitor posts them to you, should anunfortunate
accident
happen to me.”
“What are you talking about, unfortunate accident? What kind of unfortunate accident?”
“Accidents always seem to happen when you don’t have insurance. But both you and I have insurance. Don’t we, Kane? The trick is, make sure that your insurance policy is up-to-date.” Another mysterious wink. “I always liked you, Kane, despite what the others thought of you. You’re not the fool you pretend to be.”
“I appreciate your encouraging words, Phillips,” said Karl, closing the car door, rolling down the window. “Those are the kind of compliments that make my day.”
“See you about, Kane,” waved Phillips, staggering towards the entrance before disappearing.
“What I would give to be a fly on Wilson’s wall,” whispered Karl, starting the car and driving away.
C HAPTER E IGHT
“… the companions of our childhood always possess a certain power over our minds which hardly any later friend can obtain.”
Mary Shelley,
Frankenstein
“I t looks like it’s going
“I heard you’d retired, Phillips.”
Phillips stopped directly beside Karl, eyeballing him.
“Retire like my old pals Bulldog and Cairns? You wish, Kane.”
There was a strong stench of whiskey escaping from Phillips’s mouth, and Karl immediately regretted not getting in the car and leaving. He had heard the rumours of Phillips’s dismissal from the force two months ago, accused of shaking down drug dealers and pimps in the north of the city. He wondered what the hell Phillips was doing at headquarters?
“Well, I’d love to reminisce with you, Phillips, but have to go,” said Karl, easing into the car.
“Can’t you take a joke, Kane? What happened to your sense of humour?”
“Have to check my drawers when I get home. Could’ve left it there.”
“Ha! That’s more like the Kane I remember,” said Phillips, removing a half bottle of Bushmills whiskey, taking one long slug before offering it to Karl.
“No thanks. That Irish puts hairs on a man’s chest. I just had a Brazilian done on mine.”
The joke was lost on Phillips, who asked, “How’s that sour-faced brother-in-law of yours doing?”
“Oh, you know him. That sour face never sweetens. Must be all that power he has, being the famous detective inspector.”
“You can say that again, that I know him,” replied Phillips, tapping the side of his nose twice before winking at Karl. “In fact, I’m going in right now to see old Sour Puss, to remind him that I
know him.
If that bastard thinks he can kick me out of the force without my retirement pension, he’s got another think coming. Too many secrets stored up here in the old noggin.” Phillips tapped the side of his head, and winked again.
“Secrets? What kind of secrets?” asked Karl, suddenly interested.
“Don’t be smart, Kane. They wouldn’t be secrets any more if I told you, would they now?”
“No. I guess you’re right,” replied Karl, grinning. “And there’s me trying to be smart again. Never seems to work when dealing with cops.”
“Cops are different from the rest of you mere mortals, Kane. Most of us believe that we are in a life and death struggle against everyone else, and we’re all in it together.” Phillips swayed drunkenly before continuing. “Being a cop requires us to be members of a union, a union forged of blood, governed by laws that go beyond the laws that govern the rest of you. It’s hard to go against that union. It’s also dangerous.”
“Look, I really do have to go, Phillips,” said Karl, no longer willing to listen to Phillips’s incoherent blabbering.
“Ever hear of the King David Syndrome?”
“Can’t say I have. Why?”
“Tell you what. I’ll do a deal with you. I don’t get my pension, you get my secrets concerning our very own King fucking David. How’s that? And I’ll even make sure my solicitor posts them to you, should anunfortunate
accident
happen to me.”
“What are you talking about, unfortunate accident? What kind of unfortunate accident?”
“Accidents always seem to happen when you don’t have insurance. But both you and I have insurance. Don’t we, Kane? The trick is, make sure that your insurance policy is up-to-date.” Another mysterious wink. “I always liked you, Kane, despite what the others thought of you. You’re not the fool you pretend to be.”
“I appreciate your encouraging words, Phillips,” said Karl, closing the car door, rolling down the window. “Those are the kind of compliments that make my day.”
“See you about, Kane,” waved Phillips, staggering towards the entrance before disappearing.
“What I would give to be a fly on Wilson’s wall,” whispered Karl, starting the car and driving away.
C HAPTER E IGHT
“… the companions of our childhood always possess a certain power over our minds which hardly any later friend can obtain.”
Mary Shelley,
Frankenstein
“I t looks like it’s going
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