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Authors: James Patterson
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punk?”
He blinked. He stood up and closed his laptop, and I walked him out to Lexington Avenue.
“Mr. Hillsborough has had a change of heart,” I said to Kylie. “Ask him anything.”
“When did you last see my husband?” she said.
“He didn’t tell me he was married to a cop.”
“Answer the question,” she said.
“Yesterday. He was on a shopping spree, but he was a little low on cash, so we negotiated, and I got this handsome timepiece, and he got … well, you know what he got.” Damian held out Spence’s watch. “Take it. It’s yours.”
Kylie shook her head. “No. Technically, it’s yours. Where is Spence now?”
“Look, lady, I’m a dope dealer, not a travel agent,” he said, putting the watch back on his wrist. “I don’t know where to find your husband, but he knows where to find me. And the way that boy was fiending, trust me: he will.”
Kylie pulled her card out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Here’s your get-out-of-jail-free card, Damian,” she said. “Don’t lose it.”
CHAPTER 18
“WHAT THE HELL was that all about?” Kylie said as soon as we were back in the car.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. He pissed me off. I guess I lost my shit.”
“You could have lost your job, Rambo. You’re lucky Damian is a dope dealer. If he was Joe Citizen, he’d lawyer up and call you out on police brutality.”
“I’m not worried. The definition of police brutality is the use of excessive force by a cop when he’s dealing with a civilian.”
“It looked pretty damn excessive to me.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t a cop. I was off duty.”
“So that must have been your off-duty shield you flashed,” she said, laughing.
“Are you finished yet, Judge Judy?”
“Almost. I’ve got one more thing to say.” She stopped the car at a light on 116th Street. She turned to me, and a generous smile spread across her face. “Thanks, partner.”
“I was wondering when you’d get around to that.”
“My timing sucks, but I mean it, Zach: thanks. When I tracked Baby D down, I thought I’d ask him a few questions, and that would be it. I didn’t know he’d be such a hard-ass. It threw me off. That’s why I called you. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Anytime, partner,” I said. “The problem is I don’t know how much it’s going to help. All he told you was that Spence scored some coke yesterday. I’m sure you must have figured that out this afternoon when you were standing ankle-deep in the wreckage at Silvercup.”
“It helps a lot more than you think,” she said. “Spence pulled five thousand dollars out of our bank account yesterday morning, which means he had enough cash to buy a quarter of a key.”
“I don’t get it,” I said. “If he had that much money, why did he pay Baby D for the drugs with his watch?”
“For the same reason he busted up those sets. He was sending me another message.”
“Which is …?”
“If it has anything to do with me, he’s going to destroy it or get rid of it.”
“Ouch,” I said. “That hurts.”
“It sure does,” she said. “That’s why he’s doing it.”
The light turned green, and we rolled south on Lexington. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. It was after nine. At this point calling Cheryl wouldn’t cut it. I put the phone in my lap and stared out the window.
Kylie must have read my body language. “Do you want me to call Cheryl and apologize for screwing up your dinner?”
“Absolutely not.”
“From the look on your face, I’m guessing she was pissed that you had to leave.”
“Let’s just say she wasn’t happy.”
“She better get used to it, Zach. She’s living with a cop now. It’s the nature of the beast. We get called out day and night.”
“She works for the department, Kylie. I’m pretty sure she knows what being a cop is all about.”
“So what’s her problem?”
“This wasn’t a cop call,” I said.
I could see Kylie connecting the dots in her head.
He blinked. He stood up and closed his laptop, and I walked him out to Lexington Avenue.
“Mr. Hillsborough has had a change of heart,” I said to Kylie. “Ask him anything.”
“When did you last see my husband?” she said.
“He didn’t tell me he was married to a cop.”
“Answer the question,” she said.
“Yesterday. He was on a shopping spree, but he was a little low on cash, so we negotiated, and I got this handsome timepiece, and he got … well, you know what he got.” Damian held out Spence’s watch. “Take it. It’s yours.”
Kylie shook her head. “No. Technically, it’s yours. Where is Spence now?”
“Look, lady, I’m a dope dealer, not a travel agent,” he said, putting the watch back on his wrist. “I don’t know where to find your husband, but he knows where to find me. And the way that boy was fiending, trust me: he will.”
Kylie pulled her card out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Here’s your get-out-of-jail-free card, Damian,” she said. “Don’t lose it.”
CHAPTER 18
“WHAT THE HELL was that all about?” Kylie said as soon as we were back in the car.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. He pissed me off. I guess I lost my shit.”
“You could have lost your job, Rambo. You’re lucky Damian is a dope dealer. If he was Joe Citizen, he’d lawyer up and call you out on police brutality.”
“I’m not worried. The definition of police brutality is the use of excessive force by a cop when he’s dealing with a civilian.”
“It looked pretty damn excessive to me.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t a cop. I was off duty.”
“So that must have been your off-duty shield you flashed,” she said, laughing.
“Are you finished yet, Judge Judy?”
“Almost. I’ve got one more thing to say.” She stopped the car at a light on 116th Street. She turned to me, and a generous smile spread across her face. “Thanks, partner.”
“I was wondering when you’d get around to that.”
“My timing sucks, but I mean it, Zach: thanks. When I tracked Baby D down, I thought I’d ask him a few questions, and that would be it. I didn’t know he’d be such a hard-ass. It threw me off. That’s why I called you. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Anytime, partner,” I said. “The problem is I don’t know how much it’s going to help. All he told you was that Spence scored some coke yesterday. I’m sure you must have figured that out this afternoon when you were standing ankle-deep in the wreckage at Silvercup.”
“It helps a lot more than you think,” she said. “Spence pulled five thousand dollars out of our bank account yesterday morning, which means he had enough cash to buy a quarter of a key.”
“I don’t get it,” I said. “If he had that much money, why did he pay Baby D for the drugs with his watch?”
“For the same reason he busted up those sets. He was sending me another message.”
“Which is …?”
“If it has anything to do with me, he’s going to destroy it or get rid of it.”
“Ouch,” I said. “That hurts.”
“It sure does,” she said. “That’s why he’s doing it.”
The light turned green, and we rolled south on Lexington. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. It was after nine. At this point calling Cheryl wouldn’t cut it. I put the phone in my lap and stared out the window.
Kylie must have read my body language. “Do you want me to call Cheryl and apologize for screwing up your dinner?”
“Absolutely not.”
“From the look on your face, I’m guessing she was pissed that you had to leave.”
“Let’s just say she wasn’t happy.”
“She better get used to it, Zach. She’s living with a cop now. It’s the nature of the beast. We get called out day and night.”
“She works for the department, Kylie. I’m pretty sure she knows what being a cop is all about.”
“So what’s her problem?”
“This wasn’t a cop call,” I said.
I could see Kylie connecting the dots in her head.
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