loyal-cop-wife gene and I can’t be positive. But she and I have been through a lot together too. So it’s a faint hope. Anyway, I’ll find out soon enough.”
Parr cleared his throat. “Who’s Juhle?”
“Friend of mine,” Hunt said. “Also the homicide cop who pulled the case.”
“And why will you be talking to him, about this reward, I mean?”
“Because if we do have any luck drumming up this business, we’ll have to coordinate anything we do with what they’re doing. Sometimes cops don’t like to share, maybe you’ve heard. Juhle might take some convincing that this could be helpful to him.” Seeing the questioning look on Parr’s face, he asked, “What?”
“It just seems a little cart before the horse is all. I mean, if there’s no reward yet, what are you bringing to the party? Wouldn’t your position be a hell of a lot stronger if you had something tangible to offer?”
“That’s a good call,” Mickey conceded. “Wait until we get some of these charities on board, then talk to Juhle.”
“You could do that,” Parr said. “Or just save yourselves a lot of time and go straight to Len Turner.”
Hunt spoke up. “Who’s he?”
“He’s pretty much the Man around nonprofits in the city.”
“In what way?” Hunt asked. “I’ve never heard of him.”
Parr chuckled. “Which is the way he likes it. He’s a lawyer, pretty much at the top of the charity food chain. He represents most of the big ones and also runs the mayor’s community outreach program. Back in the day, he was Dominic’s right hand, and if anything, he’s got even more influence now. You want something to happen around a reward, he’s the guy you want to talk to.”
“Len Turner, got it,” Hunt said.
“And then you go get that bastard who killed Dominic.”
Hunt threw a look across at Mickey, then over to Parr. “That’s not exactly it, Jim. The main job would be fielding the calls. We wouldn’t really be investigating on our own.”
Parr leveled his gaze. “Well, you damn well should.” He swallowed against some strong emotion, then looked again around the table. “It’s just that Dominic saved this family. He didn’t have to give me my job. Nobody else would have, not with my history. I mean, here I am, two strikes down . . . hell, we all know.
“But he believed I could straighten up and do the job every day. And because of that, I got to build a good life finally and let you kids have yours. And then somebody goes and kills him. That’s just not right. It’s not right.” His watery eyes shone. “They got to be caught. That’s all I’m saying, that it’s personal. And if you’re going to be in this thing, you might want to keep that in mind as you go about your business.”
“Jim’s right,” Tamara said. “We get close, we ought to go after him.”
“We?” Hunt said.
Tamara nodded. “And that’s the other thing, while we’re on this.”
“I’m listening.”
“Well, I don’t know if you want to hear this after I’ve been such a flake for so long, but if you’re out following up leads, Wyatt, and Mickey’s out hunting up these people who are going to kick in more reward money, who’s going to be answering the phones and keeping the office going?”
A silence hung for a long moment around the table between them.
Until Mickey said, “I guess, Sis, that would be you.”
“Which would be special,” Hunt said, “if there actually was a reward and someone was paying us to administer it. Notice the judicious use of the word if .”
Len Turner was listed in Mickey’s telephone book under “San Francisco, City of” as the director of the Communities of Opportunity. At nine-fifteen P.M. on this Saturday night, after they’d come down from the roof, Hunt called Turner’s number on Mickey’s phone. He intended to leave a message that he’d like to make an appointment to meet with Mr. Turner early next week. He was somewhat surprised when Mr. Turner
Parr cleared his throat. “Who’s Juhle?”
“Friend of mine,” Hunt said. “Also the homicide cop who pulled the case.”
“And why will you be talking to him, about this reward, I mean?”
“Because if we do have any luck drumming up this business, we’ll have to coordinate anything we do with what they’re doing. Sometimes cops don’t like to share, maybe you’ve heard. Juhle might take some convincing that this could be helpful to him.” Seeing the questioning look on Parr’s face, he asked, “What?”
“It just seems a little cart before the horse is all. I mean, if there’s no reward yet, what are you bringing to the party? Wouldn’t your position be a hell of a lot stronger if you had something tangible to offer?”
“That’s a good call,” Mickey conceded. “Wait until we get some of these charities on board, then talk to Juhle.”
“You could do that,” Parr said. “Or just save yourselves a lot of time and go straight to Len Turner.”
Hunt spoke up. “Who’s he?”
“He’s pretty much the Man around nonprofits in the city.”
“In what way?” Hunt asked. “I’ve never heard of him.”
Parr chuckled. “Which is the way he likes it. He’s a lawyer, pretty much at the top of the charity food chain. He represents most of the big ones and also runs the mayor’s community outreach program. Back in the day, he was Dominic’s right hand, and if anything, he’s got even more influence now. You want something to happen around a reward, he’s the guy you want to talk to.”
“Len Turner, got it,” Hunt said.
“And then you go get that bastard who killed Dominic.”
Hunt threw a look across at Mickey, then over to Parr. “That’s not exactly it, Jim. The main job would be fielding the calls. We wouldn’t really be investigating on our own.”
Parr leveled his gaze. “Well, you damn well should.” He swallowed against some strong emotion, then looked again around the table. “It’s just that Dominic saved this family. He didn’t have to give me my job. Nobody else would have, not with my history. I mean, here I am, two strikes down . . . hell, we all know.
“But he believed I could straighten up and do the job every day. And because of that, I got to build a good life finally and let you kids have yours. And then somebody goes and kills him. That’s just not right. It’s not right.” His watery eyes shone. “They got to be caught. That’s all I’m saying, that it’s personal. And if you’re going to be in this thing, you might want to keep that in mind as you go about your business.”
“Jim’s right,” Tamara said. “We get close, we ought to go after him.”
“We?” Hunt said.
Tamara nodded. “And that’s the other thing, while we’re on this.”
“I’m listening.”
“Well, I don’t know if you want to hear this after I’ve been such a flake for so long, but if you’re out following up leads, Wyatt, and Mickey’s out hunting up these people who are going to kick in more reward money, who’s going to be answering the phones and keeping the office going?”
A silence hung for a long moment around the table between them.
Until Mickey said, “I guess, Sis, that would be you.”
“Which would be special,” Hunt said, “if there actually was a reward and someone was paying us to administer it. Notice the judicious use of the word if .”
Len Turner was listed in Mickey’s telephone book under “San Francisco, City of” as the director of the Communities of Opportunity. At nine-fifteen P.M. on this Saturday night, after they’d come down from the roof, Hunt called Turner’s number on Mickey’s phone. He intended to leave a message that he’d like to make an appointment to meet with Mr. Turner early next week. He was somewhat surprised when Mr. Turner
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