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.
Don’t know when I’ll get another chance, so I look around me, squeeze the contents of two capsules on the back of my hand, and snort once, then again. It’s a good one. I usually don’t do it this early, but I felt the need. It takes a couple more sniffs to break the rest through, and there it is again. Damn. It’s great when you have good shit, before they get a chance to step on it a couple of times. Mine flaked off a nice cloudy-white rock. Slight bluish tint if you look closely. Mighty fine hit. Maybe because it’s early and the sun is behind me, rising just right.
Now it’s 8:00 a.m., and he’s backing out. He’s going to head in the other direction, where the street dead-ends, and he’ll have to make a right back onto 4th. I back out of the cut and onto 4th just before he comes into view. Slowly I follow. He turns left at the next street. Back to Northwest. My neighborhood.
Damn if he doesn’t make a right on 11th heading toward Florida Avenue, which is just around the corner from my house. The Florida Avenue Grill stands on the southwest corner, tucked beside a large all-glass structure like a tiny neglected monument. Across the street from it is the Howard University campus police building. I know a few of those guys. A lot of them retired MPD working as campus investigators now. Left on Florida to 12th, and another left is the street my house is on. He parks on 11th, ahead of a bus stop and on the same side as the Howard police building. I drive past him. He doesn’t take notice. Through my rearview mirror I can see that he’s walking north. I find an illegal parking space a short distance down from the Grill, near an entrance to Howard security. I still have a good view of the entrance to the Grill. I recline my seat all the way down and turn off the engine.
It’s a long block, but I notice him crossing to the west side of 11th, then going into the Grill.
Fucking son of a bitch. Right around the corner from my house. Is he going in there for coffee or to shoot the shit with some boys over breakfast before he rolls out to aid and abet?
This is what’s called playing it by ear. Could be good. Could be bad. Most of the time it’s worked out for me. I put my old police patch on the dash so the Howard boys or one of my own won’t give me a ticket.