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. Knowing her, this had been all about NYPD putting the squeeze on a bad guy. She’d completely forgotten that the entire operation was personal.
“Oh,” she said. “Right. It won’t happen again.”
I doubted it.
We were at 86th and Lexington, nine blocks from my apartment, when the phone in my lap went off.
“You see?” Kylie said. “She can’t be that mad if she’s calling you.”
I looked at the caller ID. Private caller.
“It’s not her,” I said. I answered the phone. “This is Detective Jordan.”
“My man, Zach,” a familiar voice on the other end said. “This is Q. You looking for a couple of scrubs who are holding a necklace so hot they’re almost ready to pay someone to take it?”
“Everybody is looking for them,” I said, “and I’m at the top of the pile.”
“That’s why I called you first. I’m upstairs at the Kim.”
My adrenaline was pumping. “We’re less than five minutes away,” I said.
“ We’re less than five minutes away?” he said. “Does that mean you’re with that knockout partner of yours?”
“Yes, I’m with Kylie.”
“At this hour? Sounds like you two are pulling the night shift. I hope I’m not interrupting any undercover work,” he said, following up with a lecherous laugh just in case I didn’t get the joke.
“You’re a pig.”
“That’s funny, Zach,” he said, still chuckling. “First time a cop ever called me a pig. I’ll see you in
“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. Knowing her, this had been all about NYPD putting the squeeze on a bad guy. She’d completely forgotten that the entire operation was personal.
“Oh,” she said. “Right. It won’t happen again.”
I doubted it.
We were at 86th and Lexington, nine blocks from my apartment, when the phone in my lap went off.
“You see?” Kylie said. “She can’t be that mad if she’s calling you.”
I looked at the caller ID. Private caller.
“It’s not her,” I said. I answered the phone. “This is Detective Jordan.”
“My man, Zach,” a familiar voice on the other end said. “This is Q. You looking for a couple of scrubs who are holding a necklace so hot they’re almost ready to pay someone to take it?”
“Everybody is looking for them,” I said, “and I’m at the top of the pile.”
“That’s why I called you first. I’m upstairs at the Kim.”
My adrenaline was pumping. “We’re less than five minutes away,” I said.
“ We’re less than five minutes away?” he said. “Does that mean you’re with that knockout partner of yours?”
“Yes, I’m with Kylie.”
“At this hour? Sounds like you two are pulling the night shift. I hope I’m not interrupting any undercover work,” he said, following up with a lecherous laugh just in case I didn’t get the joke.
“You’re a pig.”
“That’s funny, Zach,” he said, still chuckling. “First time a cop ever called me a pig. I’ll see you in
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