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.
“Investigator. All due respect, why you need to know all that?”
“I like to know the kind of man I’m dealing with.”
“I got a son. He’s in the military.”
“What branch?”
“Army. He overseas somewhere.”
“You must be proud.”
Nods.
“So you’re at that age when you stand to lose a lot, maybe everything. If your health is good, you’re not counting the years yet. But in prison you do. Not to mention your son. So here’s what I have. I got you solid on several burglaries. There’s also an accessory to homicide.”
“What? You fucking crazy. Get out of my car!”
“That’d be a mistake. You should let me finish.”
“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. Homicide?”
“Even though you weren’t the one breaking into the homes, and even though you didn’t kill anyone, you aided and abetted those who did, like Graham Biddy and this other dude, Givens.”
My head’s not in the game right now; too long since my last bump. But I get the reaction I like. That sudden intoxicated look: he feels like his insides just dropped to the pit of his stomach. We’ll see if I fucked it up.
“I mean, really? Transporting them right from the site of the homicide to the fence who bought the stolen goods? Not to mention chauffeuring one or both of them to a hit? Never would have dreamed it. These are serious charges, because you’ll get hit with several counts of burglary two, along with conspiracy, trafficking in stolen property, and accessory to murder. Some serious shit.”
“No, sir, you can’t do that. I don’t aid and abet nobody. I don’t know nothin’ about any murder. I just pick up people and take them where they want to go. I don’t conspire with them about breakin’ into other people’s homes. I’d never have anything to do with killin’ someone.”
“You pick up crackheads, let them put merchandise—flat-screens, laptops, music, and on and on—into the trunk of your cab. I got photos. I got witnesses. And like I said, you don’t have to break in to pick up the same charge.”
“Hell, I don’t know what they doin’. For all I know they moving.”
That’s what I want to hear.
“Yeah, moving stolen property. And it doesn’t look like you’re in the legitimate moving business. The Taxicab Commission might have something to say about that.”
Bows his head this time.
“I mean, Thrift World and that mom-and-pop convenience store on Fourteenth? You were at both of those spots the other day. I have photos to prove it. Shows everything.” I don’t allow him to answer. “Don’t play me for a fool or you don’t got any kind of chance here. I’ll walk out right now.”