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.
“I told you before—I’m always the police. But I chose not to tell you that I’m a private investigator now. I can lie. That ain’t against the law.” That’s not quite true. I can lie, but I can’t impersonate a cop unless I say I’m a retired cop, so he’s right. I’m gonna take a chance that he doesn’t know that, though. “I regret lying to you, but I’m being straight with you now. I do have enough evidence for the police to arrest you if I turn it over to my buddy on the burglary squad and the detective in charge of the homicide. Doesn’t matter how I obtained the evidence because I’m not working on behalf of the police department, so they’ll take it.”
“You got me all messed up now. I don’t fucking know what to believe or what you want.”
“I want to find Biddy. But more than that, I want to find out if Biddy killed my cousin in my fucking kitchen.”
“What? Your cousin?”
Head drops.
I had to go there. Personal. It’s my only chance to keep him with me.
“You got it, Robert. My cousin. You know now. Something you might not know. The gun he stole—”
“I don’t know nothin’ about a gun.”
“The gun he stole from my house was found on another boy’s dead body.”
“Fuck no. Robby would never do something like that!”
“Robby?”
“Biddy. His middle name is Robby. I call him that sometimes.”
Shit. Biddy is an alias, and Robby is someone—something more—to him. I’m certain of it now. He’s protecting him. Probably thinking I’ll give up pursuing it after a while.
“On Rhode Island Avenue. That ring a bell?”
He doesn’t answer. He knows something.
“I know you feel you can’t trust me, but I’m telling you the straight truth. I was thinking all the time that Graham Biddy was a fake name, but now I’m still bettin’ he’s probably never been arrested before. Just got caught up with smoking crack somehow. I’ll tell you this: his time is short. He will get arrested, but I’ll turn you in before that happens. They’ll find out who Biddy really is, ’cause I know now he’s something to you. I don’t want to do that, though. That’s the truth, Diamond. Really is.”
He slowly shakes his head, considering things. Not a good sign.
“What the hell you protecting this guy for? Why would you put yourself in a position like this?”
“He my nephew, and he ain’t bad. His mother just fucked him up, and he ain’t ever had no dad.”
“But you were like his dad.”
“Yeah. I been there for him.”
“And your son in the army, like Biddy’s brother.”
Doesn’t have to respond to that.