shift cops was tapped too hard.
He died.
Jimmy knew that Hayden was behind it, but he couldn’t prove it. He called me, and I
brought Joshua in. It took less than two weeks to find somebody who’d spill, and another three
days before Hayden was abruptly replaced. Joshua took a lot of pleasure telling me and Jimmy
about how Hayden had been taken to the roof of the Central District station and staked out for the morning sun.
Funny thing was, Joshua and Jimmy had hit it off really well. Jimmy is the kind of guy who
deals with people based on who they are, not what they are. That Joshua was a Vee didn’t matter
a bit to Jimmy Mutz. Joshua was the same way. It was a
strong foundation for a friendship.
Jimmy walked with me to the station lobby. “So what do you want me to do with the
Marsch kid?”
“Take good care of him,” I said. “Feed him, don’t let anybody hassle him. He’s scared
shitless that his Vee boss is going to kill him. Let him calm down some. Joshua will pick him
up tonight, take him uptown, and that’ll be that. By midnight, he’ll be tending bar like nothing
ever happened.”
“Hopefully he’ll keep his hands out of the till from now on,” Jimmy said with a chuckle.
“I think you can make book on that,” I said. I stopped and turned to him. “Do what you can
to keep the night shift guys off his case too. I know they can be kind of rough on human
prisoners.”
I paused for a moment. “One other thing. Make it clear that they’re not to release him to
anybody but Joshua.”
“What’s that mean?”
I sighed. “You ever meet Ray Holstein? Robbery-Homicide dick at 83 rd Street.”
Jimmy shook his head.
“Well, he’s working Uptown now, night shift homicide. Joshua and I had a chat with him
last night, about those dead Vees outside Uptown station, and he wasn’t happy when he left.
There’s almost no chance he knows about the Marsch thing, but I wouldn’t put it past him to try
to fuck up one of Joshua’s cases if he could. So make sure your night shift guys only release the
kid to Joshua. Nobody else, even if they’re Uptown cops.”
“I’ll put the word out,” Jimmy said with a nod. “After Hayden, most of the guys on night
shift think I’ve got a hook in with some Vee brass, so they listen good. I don’t think there will be
any problem.”
“Appreciate it, Jimmy,” I said.
“How about the little girl in the cooler? You said Browne and Poole would be picking her
up?”
“Yeah,” I said. I glanced at my watch. It was almost one o’clock. “I’m talking to the
mother in an hour. I’ll give you a call, or you’ll hear from B&P no later than three, three-thirty.”
“I don’t envy you that conversation,” Jimmy said, shaking his head. “We’ve all had to do it,
but it’s harder when you’re telling them that you, personally, didn’t bring their kid home safe and
sound.”
“That it is,” I said. “I’ll be talking to you, Jimmy.”
“I’ll be here,” he said.
Cynthia came from behind her desk and stopped me before I could go into the office. “Mrs.
Klinger is waiting,” she said softly. “Inside.”
“Would have been better if you’d kept her out here until I got in,” I said.
“I couldn’t,” Cynthia said. “She was so pleased that I’d called her this morning and sure that it meant
good news . . .” Her voice trailed off. “I’m sorry, Charlie. I just couldn’t talk to her while she
waited. I didn’t know what to say.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “How long has she been in there?”
“Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.”
“I’ll holler if I need you,” I said, taking a deep breath. Arranging my face in the most neutral
expression I could muster, I opened the door and went into my office.
Jane Klinger was sitting on the couch as I walked into the room. On the low table in front of
her was the Klinger case file, the one I’d left on Joshua’s desk earlier in the day. The file was
closed.
“Mrs.
He died.
Jimmy knew that Hayden was behind it, but he couldn’t prove it. He called me, and I
brought Joshua in. It took less than two weeks to find somebody who’d spill, and another three
days before Hayden was abruptly replaced. Joshua took a lot of pleasure telling me and Jimmy
about how Hayden had been taken to the roof of the Central District station and staked out for the morning sun.
Funny thing was, Joshua and Jimmy had hit it off really well. Jimmy is the kind of guy who
deals with people based on who they are, not what they are. That Joshua was a Vee didn’t matter
a bit to Jimmy Mutz. Joshua was the same way. It was a
strong foundation for a friendship.
Jimmy walked with me to the station lobby. “So what do you want me to do with the
Marsch kid?”
“Take good care of him,” I said. “Feed him, don’t let anybody hassle him. He’s scared
shitless that his Vee boss is going to kill him. Let him calm down some. Joshua will pick him
up tonight, take him uptown, and that’ll be that. By midnight, he’ll be tending bar like nothing
ever happened.”
“Hopefully he’ll keep his hands out of the till from now on,” Jimmy said with a chuckle.
“I think you can make book on that,” I said. I stopped and turned to him. “Do what you can
to keep the night shift guys off his case too. I know they can be kind of rough on human
prisoners.”
I paused for a moment. “One other thing. Make it clear that they’re not to release him to
anybody but Joshua.”
“What’s that mean?”
I sighed. “You ever meet Ray Holstein? Robbery-Homicide dick at 83 rd Street.”
Jimmy shook his head.
“Well, he’s working Uptown now, night shift homicide. Joshua and I had a chat with him
last night, about those dead Vees outside Uptown station, and he wasn’t happy when he left.
There’s almost no chance he knows about the Marsch thing, but I wouldn’t put it past him to try
to fuck up one of Joshua’s cases if he could. So make sure your night shift guys only release the
kid to Joshua. Nobody else, even if they’re Uptown cops.”
“I’ll put the word out,” Jimmy said with a nod. “After Hayden, most of the guys on night
shift think I’ve got a hook in with some Vee brass, so they listen good. I don’t think there will be
any problem.”
“Appreciate it, Jimmy,” I said.
“How about the little girl in the cooler? You said Browne and Poole would be picking her
up?”
“Yeah,” I said. I glanced at my watch. It was almost one o’clock. “I’m talking to the
mother in an hour. I’ll give you a call, or you’ll hear from B&P no later than three, three-thirty.”
“I don’t envy you that conversation,” Jimmy said, shaking his head. “We’ve all had to do it,
but it’s harder when you’re telling them that you, personally, didn’t bring their kid home safe and
sound.”
“That it is,” I said. “I’ll be talking to you, Jimmy.”
“I’ll be here,” he said.
Cynthia came from behind her desk and stopped me before I could go into the office. “Mrs.
Klinger is waiting,” she said softly. “Inside.”
“Would have been better if you’d kept her out here until I got in,” I said.
“I couldn’t,” Cynthia said. “She was so pleased that I’d called her this morning and sure that it meant
good news . . .” Her voice trailed off. “I’m sorry, Charlie. I just couldn’t talk to her while she
waited. I didn’t know what to say.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “How long has she been in there?”
“Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.”
“I’ll holler if I need you,” I said, taking a deep breath. Arranging my face in the most neutral
expression I could muster, I opened the door and went into my office.
Jane Klinger was sitting on the couch as I walked into the room. On the low table in front of
her was the Klinger case file, the one I’d left on Joshua’s desk earlier in the day. The file was
closed.
“Mrs.
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