Read Online Trigger City by Sean Chercover - Free Book Online

what? Zhang killed her, killed himself, and the case has been cleared. I’ve got the other 47 percent of murder victims and their families crying out for justice—which they’ll probably never get—and you want me to reallocate my detectives’ time stirring shit in a cleared case? Even if there is more to it, Zhang is dead. And without him our chances of getting anywhere go from slim to none.”
    â€œThat doesn’t explain actively tailoring the case file to cover up any connection to Hawk River.”
    Mike took a deep drag on his cigarette, blew it out. He said, “That’s a heavy accusation and if I were you I wouldn’t make it in public. Think about it. They find a dead woman with a signed confession by her killer who then killed himself. Ballistics match, nice and neat. They go through the routine to dot and cross the appropriate letters, and witnesses confirm the guy was crazy. Even the guy’s wife agrees. So maybe they aren’t too careful preserving all the paperwork, since the case was closed and cleared from day one.”
    â€œDetectives under your watch just aren’t that sloppy, Mike. I’ve known you too long for that line.”
    Mike Angelo’s façade cracked and now he just looked tired. “You get to play Lone Ranger but I gotta work within a system.”
    â€œThat’s what worries me. The system. Did an order come down from on high, to bury the connection to Hawk River?”
    Mike tossed his cigarette butt out the window and I did the same with mine and he rolled the windows up. “’Course not,” he said, “they’re not that stupid.”
    â€œThen what?”
    He didn’t offer the flask this time. Just took a swig for himself andput it away again. We sat in silence for about a year, me staring at Mike and Mike staring out the front windshield at nothing in particular. Finally he said, “God, I hate this job sometimes. Fucking politics.” He glanced my way, then stared back out the window again. “What I say now goes no further than this car.”
    â€œYeah, and if I ever said anything, you’d call me a liar and never speak to me again. I know.”
    He looked at me hard. “You ever say anything, I’ll do a hell of a lot worse than that. We clear?”
    Mike had never threatened me like that before. He’d threatened our relationship a few times and he’d threatened my license more times than I could recall, but this was something else. I knew what he was saying, and I knew he meant it.
    â€œWe’re very clear, Mike,” I said.
    â€œOkay. I tell you this, and then I’m out of it. The case looked like a no-brainer from the get-go. My dicks didn’t need me holding their dicks for them, you know?”
    â€œEverybody’s careful not to micromanage nowadays,” I said.
    â€œYeah, whatever. It was an easy case, a smoking gun. Nothing to it, open and shut. Then during a briefing, one of my dicks says he’s not so sure, maybe there’s more to it. I tell him to bring me the Deceased file the next day and we’ll talk it through. That night, I get a call at home.”
    â€œWho?”
    â€œI’m not giving you names. Let’s say, someone far above my pay grade. Wants to know exactly what I know about the case. I tell him the truth—I don’t know anything yet but I’m having a meeting with my guys in the morning and I’ll let him know what I think after the meeting.” Mike reached into his pocket, fired up another cigarette, but kept the windows rolled up. “Fuck it, I’ll be a chain-smoker. Want one?”
    â€œI’ll just breathe your exhaust,” I said. “So the next day…”
    â€œNext day, the two dicks working the Richmond-Zhang case are nowhere to be found. I’m told that they were summoned to headquarters and they took the deceased file with them. I call down to Thirty-fifth, get