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.
“One hundred and fifty? What do I got to do for that?”
“Mostly like what we did today. I sit in the back here again, and maybe you show me some other spots.”
“I showed you what I know.”
“You showed me where Biddy goes. I want to know where all of them get their drugs, ’cause narcotics is mostly my line of work. Getting the property back, too, of course, and maybe solve a murder along the way.”
“Shee-it. I told you I don’t know nothin’ about a murder.”
I don’t respond to that. Instead I say, “You don’t know where I might have eyes, so I catch you doing something you shouldn’t be doing, everything is off, no deal, and you’ll have a warrant for your arrest.”
“Don’t have to worry about that.”
“So when Biddy or one of the other boys calls you, he uses a cell phone.”
“I’m assumin’ so.”
“It’s always the same number?”
“Biddy’s is, but not always everyone else.”
“Give me Biddy’s number.”
“You ain’t gonna call him?”
“Now you’re thinking I’m stupid. I’m going to see where the number goes to, that’s all,” I lie, because it’s not easy like a landline. It’ll take a subpoena to get that from the provider. I certainly can’t do that.
I pull my phone out.
“Let me get it,” I say.
I tap the icon for Notes as he pulls his older smartphone out of his right front pants pocket. Searches his contacts, then calls out the number for me.
“Now you call my phone from yours.”
He’s reluctant, but he obeys. I give him my number, and he taps it in. Couple seconds later my phone rings.
“I’m going to save you in my contacts. You do the same.”
He does.
“Put my name in your cell as Fagin,” I tell him.
“That your real name?”
“Yes.”
He taps it in.
“I’m going to go now, but tell me this: Why didn’t you get a call from any of those burglars today?”
“I don’t always get a call. Sometimes it’s in the early morning. Sometimes in the evening. Sometimes not at all, ’cause most of the time they can haul their goods in a backpack.”
“So you get a call when they get a big hit?”
“Yeah.”
“You know what to do then, right?”
“Call you if they call.”
“Call me the second after you disconnect with them.”
“I got it.”
“Unless I hear from you first, I’m gonna give you a call tomorrow in the early afternoon to come pick me up. I’ll give you the corner to drive to and hail you down when I see you.”
“Just like a regular fare, huh?”
“No. The buck fifty kind.”
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Three