Chapters (95)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by David Swinson
- Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Hachette Digital.
He looks up, clear snot slithering from his nostrils. “After we loaded everything up, some other guy comes out of nowhere. In the alley behind your house. I know him because he’s with Jasper sometimes. Big man. Big-ass white dude. He leaned in the cab and asked if we got a gun. I told him we did. He told the kid to take the gun we stole back in the house, that they don’t want no part of that. I should’ve known that something was wrong, because Jasper does buy guns. Kid walks in the back door. Big guy follows. Minute later I hear two shots, and he walks out slow, hands me the gun so I have to take it with my bare hand. Then he said, ‘This’ll come back to you if you get stupid.’ He walked away after that, like nothing ever happened. I heard the rest later. On the news.”
“But why?” Ready to jump out of my skin with all this.
“I don’t know why,” he tells me. Sobs only once this time. “I don’t.”
“Do you know the big guy’s name?”
“No.”
“Okay. Okay. Fuck. What about my records and CDs and the laptop and flat-screen?”
“Huh?” he comes back, like Why would you ask about that after what I just said?
“Where did that shit go?”
“Officer Jasper took it.”
“You didn’t take anything to the convenience store on Fourteenth, right near Thomas Circle?”
He gives me that look again, wondering how I know all this.
“Not that time. No.”
“Why would Officer Jasper want it?”
“I didn’t ask, but I assume he likes records.”
“Does he pay well for the goods?”
“Depends on what it is, but usually he does. You know, regular street value.”
“Where did you meet up with him to sell him my flat-screen, the gun, and the other stuff?”
“My uncle drove to an alley near the club he works at. It was at night, when Officer Jasper was on his way to work.”
“So he put that shit in his cruiser.”
“No. It looked like his personal car.”
“Where does he live?”
“I don’t know. No one knows where he lives.”
I grab the baggie so he won’t try to take any.
“What are you going to do?”
“Relax,” I tell him.
I walk to the nightstand, pick up his wallet and cell, then return.
I open his wallet again.
“These three pieces of paper with numbers.” I show him the first one. “Who is this?”
“That’s the cell for Repo, the one at Riggs Street.”
“One of the boys you get your drugs from?”
“Yes.”
“You said there’s two of them. Is he the younger one or the older?”
“Younger.”
I show him another number.
“That’s Officer Jasper’s cell.”
Thought it looked familiar.
And then I show him the last one.