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.
I slip the wrapped cocaine under the seat so it’s secured between a couple of thick metal bars, but not so far under that it’s hard to see. I do the same with the gun. I lock and then close the door.
While I’m walking back to my car I notice a good spot on the side street to park.
I back my car into the parking space, keep it running, but turn off all my lights.
There are so many ways this can go bad—Jasper’s on midnights in 1D, but Friday and Saturday are his days off. I’m sure every cop working 1D midnights knows him. Whoever rolls onto the scene after I make the call might let it go and clear the scene as a prank call once they find out who he is. It’s a roll of the dice. But if it doesn’t play out here, I’ll follow him into Maryland. PG County doesn’t fuck around, especially on midnight shift.
I feel good about it.
I recline the seat back to a cozy position and take a nice swig of whiskey from the sport bottle. I crack the window, too, and light up a smoke.
Cicadas aren’t so annoying tonight. This part of town, I guess. Not many trees to make love on. The ones that are calling out sound a little lonely.
Eighty-Four
Eighty-Four
Oh-three-hundred hours rolls around.
Oh-four-hundred hours rolls around.
It’s that special time in the morning when I used to get up to go to work because we had a search warrant. Used to love that feeling. Feels like that now.
I see a few people walk around from the front. Can’t see the front door with the stairs that lead up to the club, but I see four people come around the corner. Two women first, then two men. One of them is Jasper. One of the women is the bartender who served me when I was at the club. The other guy sure as hell looks like the officer who drove by Leslie’s home when we were sitting on her stairs. He gave us that odd, uncomfortable look. They’re both wearing suits.
I get my burner phone, and I pray those two hotshot officers who checked me out last time I was doing surveillance here are on the job.
I call 911.
A woman answers with “Nine one one. What’s your emergency?”
I disguise my voice by talking fast and in a lower pitch. I give her the location of the rear of the club.
“I’m just getting off work as a bartender, and I’m sitting in my car. I saw a skinny homeless man walk up to a large man who’s sitting in a red old-model Cadillac DeVille.”
“What’s your emergency, sir?”