Read Online Flipping Out by Marshall Karp - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marshall Karp
Tags: Suspense
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it up. 'Let's drive over to the party, buy a book, sneak out
early, take Marilyn and Diana out for dinner, and make a decent night of it.'
'Or we could
bail on the party, wait for the paperback to come out next year, ply the girls
with alcohol, and make a fantastic night of it.'
My cell phone
rang. I looked at the caller ID. 'My father,' I said.
Terry gave me
two thumbs up. 'Just when you thought your day couldn't get any better.'
I flipped the
phone open. 'What's up, Dad?'
Big Jim was
breathing heavily. 'Mike, I'm at Nora's house,' he said. 'You better get here
right away. And bring a shitload of cops.'
'What's going
on?'
'Somebody shot
her. She's dead.'
Chapter
Nineteen
Terry bolted for
the parking lot, while I ran to the watch commander's office. I was still on
the phone with Big Jim.
'Dad, where are
you now?'
'I'm in Nora's
living room.'
'Get the hell
out of the house.'
'But what if
Julia's here too? I was supposed to pick the two of them up. What if she's
lying somewhere—'
'What if she's
the shooter?' I yelled. 'What if she's lying somewhere with a gun waiting for
some big, fat, stubborn teamster to walk in? Get out!'
Lieutenant Jack
Mullen, the watch commander, picked up his Rover and was ready to key the mic.
His assistant commander, Sergeant Carl Bethge, grabbed a phone and was waiting
for me to give him an address. But first I had to convince Big Jim to leave the
crime scene.
'C'mon, Mike, do
you really think Julia would shoot her own mother?'
'If I were any
closer I'd shoot my own father. Now for once in your life, follow directions,
get the hell out of the house, and wait for the cops.'
'OK, OK. I'm out
of here.'
'And leave the
front door open.'
I snapped the
phone shut and turned to Mullen and Bethge. 'DOA at 110 South June. There could
be a second victim. I need EMS, CSU, and a perimeter. Code 3.'
Bethge was
dialling. 'I heard you tell your witness the shooter may be out there. You want
an airship?'
'Yeah, thanks.
Eyes in the sky might help. Guys, this is big. The dead woman is Charlie
Knoll's mother-in- law, Nora Bannister. And there's a possible second vie,
Charlie's wife. But for all we know, she could be the shooter. Jack, nobody
enters the house till Terry and I get there.'
'Good idea,
Mike,' he said lowering his radio, 'because I was just about to call out the
Evidence Contamination Squad.'
Jack hates it
when people tell him how to do his job, but I didn't have time to cater to his
quirks. Unless the watch commander gives a specific order to wait for the
detectives in charge, some cowboy cop who wants to dazzle all the girls at the
bar will race into a house and corrupt the scene before CSU can get there.
Bethge swivelled
in his chair. 'You know South June is outside our jurisdiction.'
'I don't care if
it's outside the state line,' I said. 'Bannister was a lead in the Drabyak
homicide. Notify
Kilcullen and
Detective Burns. If there's a turf war, it's their problem, not mine.'
'How about
Charlie Knoll?' Bethge said.
'He's probably
waiting at the book party for Nora and Julia. Call him, but give us time to
secure the premises first.'
I ran out the
front door and jumped into the car. Terry shot down Wilcox, then ran the lights
on Santa Monica and Highland. A squad car cleared the way. We made it in five
minutes, just as the EMS bus was pulling up.
Terry and I
jumped out of the car and strapped on vests. I barked orders at the cops who
were already cordoning off the area. Big Jim's Mercedes was parked in front of
the house. There was a cluster of black and whites forty feet away, and Jim was
sitting in the back of one of them.
Terry grabbed
three cops and drew his gun. 'Detective Lomax and I are going in first. You
back us up. One woman's been shot, there may be a second victim, and the
shooter may still be in there.'
I pointed at one
of the paramedics. 'You, stay outside. Don't come in until we call for you.'
The cops all drew
their weapons, and the young paramedic
early, take Marilyn and Diana out for dinner, and make a decent night of it.'
'Or we could
bail on the party, wait for the paperback to come out next year, ply the girls
with alcohol, and make a fantastic night of it.'
My cell phone
rang. I looked at the caller ID. 'My father,' I said.
Terry gave me
two thumbs up. 'Just when you thought your day couldn't get any better.'
I flipped the
phone open. 'What's up, Dad?'
Big Jim was
breathing heavily. 'Mike, I'm at Nora's house,' he said. 'You better get here
right away. And bring a shitload of cops.'
'What's going
on?'
'Somebody shot
her. She's dead.'
Chapter
Nineteen
Terry bolted for
the parking lot, while I ran to the watch commander's office. I was still on
the phone with Big Jim.
'Dad, where are
you now?'
'I'm in Nora's
living room.'
'Get the hell
out of the house.'
'But what if
Julia's here too? I was supposed to pick the two of them up. What if she's
lying somewhere—'
'What if she's
the shooter?' I yelled. 'What if she's lying somewhere with a gun waiting for
some big, fat, stubborn teamster to walk in? Get out!'
Lieutenant Jack
Mullen, the watch commander, picked up his Rover and was ready to key the mic.
His assistant commander, Sergeant Carl Bethge, grabbed a phone and was waiting
for me to give him an address. But first I had to convince Big Jim to leave the
crime scene.
'C'mon, Mike, do
you really think Julia would shoot her own mother?'
'If I were any
closer I'd shoot my own father. Now for once in your life, follow directions,
get the hell out of the house, and wait for the cops.'
'OK, OK. I'm out
of here.'
'And leave the
front door open.'
I snapped the
phone shut and turned to Mullen and Bethge. 'DOA at 110 South June. There could
be a second victim. I need EMS, CSU, and a perimeter. Code 3.'
Bethge was
dialling. 'I heard you tell your witness the shooter may be out there. You want
an airship?'
'Yeah, thanks.
Eyes in the sky might help. Guys, this is big. The dead woman is Charlie
Knoll's mother-in- law, Nora Bannister. And there's a possible second vie,
Charlie's wife. But for all we know, she could be the shooter. Jack, nobody
enters the house till Terry and I get there.'
'Good idea,
Mike,' he said lowering his radio, 'because I was just about to call out the
Evidence Contamination Squad.'
Jack hates it
when people tell him how to do his job, but I didn't have time to cater to his
quirks. Unless the watch commander gives a specific order to wait for the
detectives in charge, some cowboy cop who wants to dazzle all the girls at the
bar will race into a house and corrupt the scene before CSU can get there.
Bethge swivelled
in his chair. 'You know South June is outside our jurisdiction.'
'I don't care if
it's outside the state line,' I said. 'Bannister was a lead in the Drabyak
homicide. Notify
Kilcullen and
Detective Burns. If there's a turf war, it's their problem, not mine.'
'How about
Charlie Knoll?' Bethge said.
'He's probably
waiting at the book party for Nora and Julia. Call him, but give us time to
secure the premises first.'
I ran out the
front door and jumped into the car. Terry shot down Wilcox, then ran the lights
on Santa Monica and Highland. A squad car cleared the way. We made it in five
minutes, just as the EMS bus was pulling up.
Terry and I
jumped out of the car and strapped on vests. I barked orders at the cops who
were already cordoning off the area. Big Jim's Mercedes was parked in front of
the house. There was a cluster of black and whites forty feet away, and Jim was
sitting in the back of one of them.
Terry grabbed
three cops and drew his gun. 'Detective Lomax and I are going in first. You
back us up. One woman's been shot, there may be a second victim, and the
shooter may still be in there.'
I pointed at one
of the paramedics. 'You, stay outside. Don't come in until we call for you.'
The cops all drew
their weapons, and the young paramedic
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