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.
“Yeah, good people, but it’s a high-profile case that the chief’s going to want a quick closure on. When the pressure’s hot, I’ve seen Homicide take down people on nothin’ but circumstantial evidence before, and that’s sure as hell not about to be me.”
“Tell me you had nothing to do with this, Frankie,” Leslie says with concern.
I look at her directly. She’s stunning, even with her face etched with worry.
“Are you kidding me? Leslie, of course not. I didn’t murder my cousin.”
“You got an alibi, right?” Luna asks after a sip of whiskey.
“Shut the fuck up, Luna. I don’t need an alibi, but I got one.”
It’s a pretty soft alibi, but I don’t want them to panic, especially Leslie.
“Well, you don’t talk to the police anymore without me being present,” she says.
“I don’t need a lawyer, Leslie. This is some weird shit here, but I had nothing to do with it. I called his mom earlier. Won’t have anything to do with me, like she thinks I was responsible for his death.”
Maybe I was.
“She’s family,” Luna says. “She’ll come around.”
“I don’t know if there’s any coming around this shit,” I say, more to myself than to her.
“You need to talk to her face-to-face,” Leslie tells me. “She’ll have to come to DC—you know…the body.”
I shake my head at the thought of her having to identify his body.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
Luna downs the double shot without any effort.
He stands, bends toward me, places the palm of his hand on my shoulder. Gives it a friendly squeeze. “Call me tomorrow, Frank. I got to go close shop. I’m acting sergeant this evening.”
“Chew some gum,” I tell him, because his breath smells of whiskey.
“Right. I’ll look into this shit on my end, see what I can find out. I’ll get your cousin’s info from my boy. Don’t worry. And you need anything, you call.”
“Thanks.” I stand up to let him out.
We walk to the door and do a brotherly shoulder half hug.
“Thanks, man. Sorry I didn’t get to you earlier.”
“No worries.”
I lock the door when he leaves.
Leslie’s sipping some of my whiskey.
“You want a glass?”
“I just wanted a sip.”
Before I can sit she says, “Let me take you to dinner, then maybe you should come stay with me.”
Sounds damn good except for the dinner part. I don’t want to be seen anywhere.
“How about we call for Chinese takeout when we get to your house?” I ask.
“Even better. I’ll drive. You want to get some things together?”
“Get out of these clothes is all, but I need to take care of something in the kitchen. You mind waiting here, sip my whiskey?”