“Push?”
“O’Shaunessey told him if there was another murder, he was going to have to go cover the autopsy. Said he’d have to go to
the
real
morgue, not just the newspaper kind.”
“And he fell for it? As if they’d ever let a reporter within a mile of the place. What a dope.”
“See what happens when you go to journalism school? They take out all your brain cells.”
“You mean he just took O’Shaunessey’s word for it?”
“Well”—Mad smirked into his mug—“I kind of backed him up. Told him all about what it was like to cover my first autopsy. I
thought the kid was gonna hurl.” He reached into his shirt pocket and threw five twenties on the table. “My percentage.”
“Wait until Melissa hears about this. She’ll demand a recount.”
“Nothing she can do about it. Fair is fair. Nobody ever said you couldn’t help things along. Besides, he’ll be much happier
back in Iowa covering the corn beat.”
“He was from Wisconsin.”
“Dairy. Whatever.”
“So what’s Bill going to do? We need a cop reporter, especially now.” Mad wiggled his eyebrows at me and I got a sinking feeling
in the gut area. “No way. You do
not
mean me. Who’s going to cover the city?”
“Relax. Don’t get your crotchless panties in a twist. You’re not covering cops. I’m covering cops. You’re ghosting.”
“Oh,
fuck
. You mean on top of covering my own beat, I also get to be your slave? Do your dirty work? Be your girl Friday?”
“That about sums it up. But only on the murder case. Bill just wants you to keep your eyes and ears open. I told him you were
uniquely qualified for the job.”
“Mad, I am uniquely unquely
un
qualified for the job. I found the second body. I’m not what you’d call involved.”
“You broke the story about Patricia Marx.”
“Under Junior’s byline.”
“And now you can break the rest under mine.”
“What a treat.”
“What’s the problem? I thought you were all hot for this story. You went charging off after Cody, got him to ID the victim
for you. I thought you’d be psyched. Come on, it’ll be a hoot. How often are we going to get to cover a genuine psycho in
this stinking town? And besides, now you’re all chummy with the investigating officer. It’s a reporter’s dream come true.”
“Is that what you told Bill? That I was ‘chummy’ with Cody?”
“More or less.”
“What did he say?”
“He said to use a condom. I’m
kidding
. Lighten up, will you?”
“Sorry. I’m in a bitch of a mood all of a sudden. Maybe I’d better remove myself from society.”
“What’s your damage? A couple of frat boys put you off your gin?”
“Nah. It’s what I was thinking about before they showed up.”
“What?”
“It’s probably nuts. But I was thinking about the whole dog collar thing, and how the girls’ hands and knees were all fucked
up. And I just got this image of what they might have gone through. I mean, what if he didn’t just strangle them with that
thing? What if he dragged them around like that, made them crawl?”
“You mean he made them, what, act like dogs?”
“I guess so, yeah.”
“I’d say he’s one sick motherfucker.”
“You got that right. Jesus, Mad. How could this happen?”
“We’re a nasty species. Been preying on each other for a long time.”
“I mean, how could this happen
here
? Seems like a lot of evil for a small town.”
“Yeah, but this is no ordinary town. You know that. We attract nuts from all over the place, and not just the good kind.”
“That’s not very comforting.”
“Is that what has you so upset? The end of your little fantasy that Gabriel equals paradise?”
“That, and… I was picturing what happened to that girl, and I guess it got to me. It seemed so… well, like you said,
psycho
. And then I started thinking what differencedid it make, since the guy is obviously a monster to begin with. What do the details matter?”
“The devil’s in
“O’Shaunessey told him if there was another murder, he was going to have to go cover the autopsy. Said he’d have to go to
the
real
morgue, not just the newspaper kind.”
“And he fell for it? As if they’d ever let a reporter within a mile of the place. What a dope.”
“See what happens when you go to journalism school? They take out all your brain cells.”
“You mean he just took O’Shaunessey’s word for it?”
“Well”—Mad smirked into his mug—“I kind of backed him up. Told him all about what it was like to cover my first autopsy. I
thought the kid was gonna hurl.” He reached into his shirt pocket and threw five twenties on the table. “My percentage.”
“Wait until Melissa hears about this. She’ll demand a recount.”
“Nothing she can do about it. Fair is fair. Nobody ever said you couldn’t help things along. Besides, he’ll be much happier
back in Iowa covering the corn beat.”
“He was from Wisconsin.”
“Dairy. Whatever.”
“So what’s Bill going to do? We need a cop reporter, especially now.” Mad wiggled his eyebrows at me and I got a sinking feeling
in the gut area. “No way. You do
not
mean me. Who’s going to cover the city?”
“Relax. Don’t get your crotchless panties in a twist. You’re not covering cops. I’m covering cops. You’re ghosting.”
“Oh,
fuck
. You mean on top of covering my own beat, I also get to be your slave? Do your dirty work? Be your girl Friday?”
“That about sums it up. But only on the murder case. Bill just wants you to keep your eyes and ears open. I told him you were
uniquely qualified for the job.”
“Mad, I am uniquely unquely
un
qualified for the job. I found the second body. I’m not what you’d call involved.”
“You broke the story about Patricia Marx.”
“Under Junior’s byline.”
“And now you can break the rest under mine.”
“What a treat.”
“What’s the problem? I thought you were all hot for this story. You went charging off after Cody, got him to ID the victim
for you. I thought you’d be psyched. Come on, it’ll be a hoot. How often are we going to get to cover a genuine psycho in
this stinking town? And besides, now you’re all chummy with the investigating officer. It’s a reporter’s dream come true.”
“Is that what you told Bill? That I was ‘chummy’ with Cody?”
“More or less.”
“What did he say?”
“He said to use a condom. I’m
kidding
. Lighten up, will you?”
“Sorry. I’m in a bitch of a mood all of a sudden. Maybe I’d better remove myself from society.”
“What’s your damage? A couple of frat boys put you off your gin?”
“Nah. It’s what I was thinking about before they showed up.”
“What?”
“It’s probably nuts. But I was thinking about the whole dog collar thing, and how the girls’ hands and knees were all fucked
up. And I just got this image of what they might have gone through. I mean, what if he didn’t just strangle them with that
thing? What if he dragged them around like that, made them crawl?”
“You mean he made them, what, act like dogs?”
“I guess so, yeah.”
“I’d say he’s one sick motherfucker.”
“You got that right. Jesus, Mad. How could this happen?”
“We’re a nasty species. Been preying on each other for a long time.”
“I mean, how could this happen
here
? Seems like a lot of evil for a small town.”
“Yeah, but this is no ordinary town. You know that. We attract nuts from all over the place, and not just the good kind.”
“That’s not very comforting.”
“Is that what has you so upset? The end of your little fantasy that Gabriel equals paradise?”
“That, and… I was picturing what happened to that girl, and I guess it got to me. It seemed so… well, like you said,
psycho
. And then I started thinking what differencedid it make, since the guy is obviously a monster to begin with. What do the details matter?”
“The devil’s in
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