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.
“Play this? I don’t know what the hell you talking about. I got fares I got to pick up. I’m a working man. And what the hell you doin’ standing next to my car, anyway? You been here waiting for me?”
“I’ll be straight with you. I followed you from your home on Fourth Street.”
“What?”
His old hands start shaking, and he panics and struggles to put the key in the lock to open the door, but his hand is trembling too much. I almost worry he’s gonna have a heart attack.
“Slow down there, Mr. Diamond. Give me your keys. I’ll open the door for you.”
“Hell, no. You got some kinda warrant? I want to know what this here is about.”
“I’ll open the door for you. We can sit and talk in your car.”
He pauses like he’s considering it, but then he faces me, keys dangling in his trembling right hand.
“What kinda line of questioning is this? You want to talk to me in my car? What kinda police do that?”
“The kind who can help you if you help them. And I’d like to keep this private, but if you want I’ll call a marked unit, and we can talk at the Third District.”
If he calls my bluff, I’ll have to call a unit. Millhoff will come in, and I’ll have to give up everything I know. Piss him off, and this old man’ll probably lawyer up. I know that’s how it’ll play out, so don’t call it, old man.
“I’m a hardworking man. I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
He’s just playing the game now. Okay.
I snatch the keys out of his hand. He steps back, startled, like he’s going to scream for help.
A car slows to pass him. I notice the driver turn to look at me, passing me slowly. No threat, just a concerned citizen.
“Step to the front of your car or you’re gonna get run over.”
For some reason, he obeys the command. Maybe I got my real police tone back.
I unlock the door and open it.
“See, I opened the door for you.”
He just stands there, on the other side of the open door, mouth gaping.
In my experience, an innocent man would either demand a supervisor or get on his cell and call the cops himself. He wouldn’t take this shit. Bad guys aren’t afraid of the police anymore. That I know for sure. Especially getting the keys snatched out of his hand the way I did. He knows what this is about, but I don’t think he’s much of a bad guy. I can tell he’s mulling things over in his head, thinking something like maybe one of his burglary boys got arrested and rolled on him.