Read Online Switch by William Bayer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: William Bayer
Tags: Mystery & Crime
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the one-way viewing slits looked like clouded mirrors.
Janek and Aaron spent a good part of an hour cramped together in the listening corridor watching Howell pump Brenda's pimp. His name was Prudencio Bitong and he was not, as it happened, Chinese, but a dark-skinned Filipino with a vaguely Oriental face, black eyes, and black hair greased and slicked straight back. Together he and Howell played a nice duet, Howell the brute inquisitor, Bitong the slippery detainee. Howell wanted information. Bitong wanted to save his ass. The dialogue was crude and predictable. Janek smiled as he listened. Aaron rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"You got keys to Brenda's place?"
"Don't have keys." Bitong pulled out his key ring. "Go ahead, Mister. Check."
Howell ignored the key ring. "You ditched her keys after you came out of there. You got scared and called 911 and then you ditched them, right?"
Bitong shook his head.
"Want to hear a tape of yourself? You know what a voice print is?"
Pause. "Okay. So I knew her."
"You called 911, didn't you?"
"So, I called 911. Big deal."
"After you killed her? Right? "
Bitong shook his head furiously. "I loved that kid. I'd do anything for her. How could I harm that kid?"
"She was holding out on you."
"She wasn't."
"You wanted to teach her a lesson."
"She didn't need a lesson."
"You bounced her around a little and then she got hurt and you got scared. You checked, saw she was dead, then you ran out. Isn't that how it went?"
"No. I came in and found her. I saw the blood. I didn't even go close and look."
" You didn't look? "
Bitong shook his head. Some of his slicked hair fell loose. "You saw something funny. What?"
Aaron elbowed Janek . When Janek glanced at him he gestured downward with his thumb.
"It didn't look like her."
"Who the hell did it look like? You trying to tell me that was someone else?"
"It didn't look like her. Just a dead broad in Brenda's bed."
"So you did look close?"
"I looked to see if it was her."
Janek elbowed Aaron, gestured thumbs-up. Aaron made a fifty-fifty gesture with his hands.
" Was it? "
"Didn't look like her."
"Shit, Prudencio , we got an ID. We took her fingerprints. We know who the hell we got. You trying to tell us she was someone else?"
Bitong appeared confused. "It didn't look like her. That's all. It wasn't her face."
"So who was dead in the fucking bed?"
"I don't know what the hell is going on."
Bitong smiled crookedly. Janek shook his head.
"Let me at him, Frank," Aaron whispered. "Howell's not bad, but he isn't taking him anywhere."
Janek nodded. Aaron smiled. He strode into the cubicle, took Howell's chair, turned it around, sat in it, then rested his arms across the wooden back.
Watching Aaron after Howell was like watching a master take over from a novice. Destination was everythingâthe best interrogators knew where they wanted to end up. Aaron knew that and also how to find a cavity, tickle it, wiggle around in it, make it start to hurt. After his first question Bitong was looking scared.
"You got a lawyer, Prudencio ?"
"What I need a lawyer for?"
"You got a lawyer?"
âNo.â
"Maybe we can find you one. I think maybe you're going to need one later on."
"Why the hell I need a lawyer?"
"You're in a lot of trouble. This is homicide."
"She was my girl."
"You think a john did it?"
"I think soâyeah. But she was careful. I taught her. She didn't let everybody in."
"How did she handle it?"
"She'd tell them to call her from the corner. She could see the booth from her window. If she didn't like the look of the guy she'd tell him she was sick. She wouldn't give him the address."
"And if she did like the look of him?"
"Then she'd go down and meet him. Sometimes she'd take him on a walk around the block. She was very careful. I told her to be careful, because she was up there all by herself."
"What about if she knew the guy?"
"If he'd been there before she'd tell him to come right up."
"How'd she keep
Janek and Aaron spent a good part of an hour cramped together in the listening corridor watching Howell pump Brenda's pimp. His name was Prudencio Bitong and he was not, as it happened, Chinese, but a dark-skinned Filipino with a vaguely Oriental face, black eyes, and black hair greased and slicked straight back. Together he and Howell played a nice duet, Howell the brute inquisitor, Bitong the slippery detainee. Howell wanted information. Bitong wanted to save his ass. The dialogue was crude and predictable. Janek smiled as he listened. Aaron rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"You got keys to Brenda's place?"
"Don't have keys." Bitong pulled out his key ring. "Go ahead, Mister. Check."
Howell ignored the key ring. "You ditched her keys after you came out of there. You got scared and called 911 and then you ditched them, right?"
Bitong shook his head.
"Want to hear a tape of yourself? You know what a voice print is?"
Pause. "Okay. So I knew her."
"You called 911, didn't you?"
"So, I called 911. Big deal."
"After you killed her? Right? "
Bitong shook his head furiously. "I loved that kid. I'd do anything for her. How could I harm that kid?"
"She was holding out on you."
"She wasn't."
"You wanted to teach her a lesson."
"She didn't need a lesson."
"You bounced her around a little and then she got hurt and you got scared. You checked, saw she was dead, then you ran out. Isn't that how it went?"
"No. I came in and found her. I saw the blood. I didn't even go close and look."
" You didn't look? "
Bitong shook his head. Some of his slicked hair fell loose. "You saw something funny. What?"
Aaron elbowed Janek . When Janek glanced at him he gestured downward with his thumb.
"It didn't look like her."
"Who the hell did it look like? You trying to tell me that was someone else?"
"It didn't look like her. Just a dead broad in Brenda's bed."
"So you did look close?"
"I looked to see if it was her."
Janek elbowed Aaron, gestured thumbs-up. Aaron made a fifty-fifty gesture with his hands.
" Was it? "
"Didn't look like her."
"Shit, Prudencio , we got an ID. We took her fingerprints. We know who the hell we got. You trying to tell us she was someone else?"
Bitong appeared confused. "It didn't look like her. That's all. It wasn't her face."
"So who was dead in the fucking bed?"
"I don't know what the hell is going on."
Bitong smiled crookedly. Janek shook his head.
"Let me at him, Frank," Aaron whispered. "Howell's not bad, but he isn't taking him anywhere."
Janek nodded. Aaron smiled. He strode into the cubicle, took Howell's chair, turned it around, sat in it, then rested his arms across the wooden back.
Watching Aaron after Howell was like watching a master take over from a novice. Destination was everythingâthe best interrogators knew where they wanted to end up. Aaron knew that and also how to find a cavity, tickle it, wiggle around in it, make it start to hurt. After his first question Bitong was looking scared.
"You got a lawyer, Prudencio ?"
"What I need a lawyer for?"
"You got a lawyer?"
âNo.â
"Maybe we can find you one. I think maybe you're going to need one later on."
"Why the hell I need a lawyer?"
"You're in a lot of trouble. This is homicide."
"She was my girl."
"You think a john did it?"
"I think soâyeah. But she was careful. I taught her. She didn't let everybody in."
"How did she handle it?"
"She'd tell them to call her from the corner. She could see the booth from her window. If she didn't like the look of the guy she'd tell him she was sick. She wouldn't give him the address."
"And if she did like the look of him?"
"Then she'd go down and meet him. Sometimes she'd take him on a walk around the block. She was very careful. I told her to be careful, because she was up there all by herself."
"What about if she knew the guy?"
"If he'd been there before she'd tell him to come right up."
"How'd she keep
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