Read Online Big Goodbye, The by Michael Lister - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michael Lister
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I ignored them, and to my surprise, Howell did too.
We got into the back of his large red Packard Clipper and the driver eased out of the yard back onto the dirt road.
Though it had been Howell who honored me with a ceremony after I was shot, pinning the commendation on my coat himself, we had never spoken, and I had always thought the presentation was far more about a photo op for him than anything having to do with me.
“I hope our officers didn’t go too hard on you,” he said.
I shook my head.
“Hero last year, homicide suspect this year,” he said. “It’s amazing how quickly things change.”
I nodded.
“And how quickly people forget,” he added. “You’re one of the few bonafide non-war heroes we have around here. How can they possibly think you’re capable of what was done to that poor girl?”
The enormous backseat of the Packard was made more so by the double recessed front seats. I had seen houses with less head and leg room. Of course, a guy the size of Howell could use it. It probably didn’t seem roomy to him at all.
“You know why politics are so dirty?” he asked.
“The people they attract?” I said.
He smiled, his enormous face spreading even more.
“I think you’re being set up,” he said. His voice matched his build. It was deep sounding and forceful even when he was speaking softly. “Are you working for Mr. and Mrs. Lewis?”
I didn’t answer.
“I don’t expect you to divulge the names of your clients,” he said, “but if you are, be careful. Harry Lewis will stop at nothing to be mayor of our city, and with all the growth and changes—the military bases, the shipyard, the government contracts, the real estate boom—well, in the wrong hands a lot of bad things can happen.”
He paused, but I didn’t say anything.
“Harry’s up to something,” he said. “He may be using his wife and some quack named Rainer—calls himself a doctor. I just hope he’s not using you.”
“No one’s using me,” I said, as if I actually believed it.
“Glad to hear it,” he said. “I just hope you’ll keep it that way.”
“I will.”
“The reason politics are so dirty,” he said, “is because there’s so much at stake. Now, I’m no saint, and I’m not saying I am, but I’m not tempted by money and power. I have all I need of both of them. I don’t see the mayor’s office as a stepping stone to county, state, or national positions. I love Panama City. It’s my home. My family helped to build it. And right now it’s going through the biggest and most important changes it ever will. It’s no exaggeration to say our small town can actually win or lose the war. That’s what people like Harry Lewis don’t get. They’re too busy planning their next move, they don’t see the damage their self-interests are doing.”
The driver turned off Highway 231 onto Harrison.
Howell withdrew a card from his vest pocket and handed it to me.
“You may not know it yet,” he said, “but we have the same enemies. My home number is on this. If you need me for anything, you be sure to let me know.”
I nodded. “Thanks,” I said.
The driver pulled the big Packard up in front of our office door, Howell and I shook hands, mine momentarily disappearing in his, and I got out. As soon as the door was closed, he rolled down the window.
“Oh, and Jimmy,” he said, “as long as I’m mayor you will not be harassed by the police or set up for murders you didn’t commit.”
He didn’t say it, but the implication was clear. It was in my best interest to do what I could to help keep him mayor.
Chapter 15
The next morning, July walked into my office and dropped the Herald Tribune on my desk. I looked down at it. There I was on the front page right next to the latest war news, above the fold, surrounded by police in front of Margie’s house. The headline read: Former Detective Suspect in Murder of Local Socialite.
“When you get mixed up in something, you don’t do it
We got into the back of his large red Packard Clipper and the driver eased out of the yard back onto the dirt road.
Though it had been Howell who honored me with a ceremony after I was shot, pinning the commendation on my coat himself, we had never spoken, and I had always thought the presentation was far more about a photo op for him than anything having to do with me.
“I hope our officers didn’t go too hard on you,” he said.
I shook my head.
“Hero last year, homicide suspect this year,” he said. “It’s amazing how quickly things change.”
I nodded.
“And how quickly people forget,” he added. “You’re one of the few bonafide non-war heroes we have around here. How can they possibly think you’re capable of what was done to that poor girl?”
The enormous backseat of the Packard was made more so by the double recessed front seats. I had seen houses with less head and leg room. Of course, a guy the size of Howell could use it. It probably didn’t seem roomy to him at all.
“You know why politics are so dirty?” he asked.
“The people they attract?” I said.
He smiled, his enormous face spreading even more.
“I think you’re being set up,” he said. His voice matched his build. It was deep sounding and forceful even when he was speaking softly. “Are you working for Mr. and Mrs. Lewis?”
I didn’t answer.
“I don’t expect you to divulge the names of your clients,” he said, “but if you are, be careful. Harry Lewis will stop at nothing to be mayor of our city, and with all the growth and changes—the military bases, the shipyard, the government contracts, the real estate boom—well, in the wrong hands a lot of bad things can happen.”
He paused, but I didn’t say anything.
“Harry’s up to something,” he said. “He may be using his wife and some quack named Rainer—calls himself a doctor. I just hope he’s not using you.”
“No one’s using me,” I said, as if I actually believed it.
“Glad to hear it,” he said. “I just hope you’ll keep it that way.”
“I will.”
“The reason politics are so dirty,” he said, “is because there’s so much at stake. Now, I’m no saint, and I’m not saying I am, but I’m not tempted by money and power. I have all I need of both of them. I don’t see the mayor’s office as a stepping stone to county, state, or national positions. I love Panama City. It’s my home. My family helped to build it. And right now it’s going through the biggest and most important changes it ever will. It’s no exaggeration to say our small town can actually win or lose the war. That’s what people like Harry Lewis don’t get. They’re too busy planning their next move, they don’t see the damage their self-interests are doing.”
The driver turned off Highway 231 onto Harrison.
Howell withdrew a card from his vest pocket and handed it to me.
“You may not know it yet,” he said, “but we have the same enemies. My home number is on this. If you need me for anything, you be sure to let me know.”
I nodded. “Thanks,” I said.
The driver pulled the big Packard up in front of our office door, Howell and I shook hands, mine momentarily disappearing in his, and I got out. As soon as the door was closed, he rolled down the window.
“Oh, and Jimmy,” he said, “as long as I’m mayor you will not be harassed by the police or set up for murders you didn’t commit.”
He didn’t say it, but the implication was clear. It was in my best interest to do what I could to help keep him mayor.
Chapter 15
The next morning, July walked into my office and dropped the Herald Tribune on my desk. I looked down at it. There I was on the front page right next to the latest war news, above the fold, surrounded by police in front of Margie’s house. The headline read: Former Detective Suspect in Murder of Local Socialite.
“When you get mixed up in something, you don’t do it
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