In the Midst of Death Read online

Page 12

 

  I shrugged. "Not if it makes you happy. I dont know the man were drinking to. "

  "You never met the son of a bitch?"

  "No. "

  "I did. Greasy little cocksucker. " He took another sip of his drink, then shook his head with annoyance and put his glass on the table. "Aw, fuck this, Matt. How long we known each other?"

  "Its been a few years, Eddie. "

  "I guess it has. What the fuck are you doing with a shithead like Broadfield, will you tell me that? What the fuck are you doing playing games with him?"

  "He hired me. "

  "To do what?"

  "Find evidence that will clear him. "

  "Find a way for him to beat a murder charge, thats what he wants you to do. Do you know what a son of a bitch he is? Do you have any fucking idea?"

  "I have a pretty good idea. "

  "Hes gonna try to give the entire department the shaft, thats all hes trying to do. Hes gonna help that shitkicker of a rug peddler expose corruption in high places. Christ, I hate that candy-ass son of a bitch. He was as corrupt a cop as youd ever want to see. I mean he went out hunting for it, Matt. Not just taking everything they handed him. He hunted it. He would go out and detect like crazy, looking for crap games and smack dealers and everything else. But not to arrest them. Only if they werent holding money, then they might make the trip to the station house. But he was in business for himself. His badge was a license to steal. "

  "I know all that. "

  "You know all that and yet youre working for him. "

  "What if he didnt kill the girl, Eddie?"

  "She was stone dead in his apartment. "

  "And you think hes stupid enough to kill her and leave her there?"

  "Oh, shit. " He puffed on his cigar and the end glowed red. "He got out of there and dumped the murder weapons. Whatever he hit her with and whatever he stabbed her with. Say he went down to the river and dumped them. Then he stopped somewhere to have a couple of beers because hes a cocky son of a bitch and hes a little bit crazy. Then he came back for the body. He was going to dump her someplace but by then we got men on the scene and theyre laying for him. "

  "So he walked right into their arms. "

  "So?"

  I shook my head. "It doesnt make sense. He may be a little crazy but hes certainly not stupid and youre arguing that he acted like an idiot. How did your boys know to go to that apartment in the first place? The papers said you got a telephone tip. Is that right?"

  "Its right. "

  "Anonymous?"

  "Yeah. So?"

  "Thats very handy. Who would know to tip you? Did she scream? Anybody else hear her? Where did the tip come from?"

  "Whats the difference? Maybe somebody looked in a window. Whoever called said there was a woman murdered in such-and-such an apartment, and a couple of the boys went there and found a woman with a bump on her head and a knife wound in her back and she was dead. Who cares how the tipster knew she was there?"

  "It might make a difference. If he put her there, for instance. "

  "Aw, come on, Matt. "

  "You dont have any hard evidence. None. Its all circumstantial. "

  "Its enough to nail the lid on. We got motive, we got opportunity, we got the woman dead in his goddam apartment, for Christs sake. What more do you want? He had every reason to kill her. She was nailing his balls to the wall, and of course he wanted her dead. " He swallowed some more of his drink. He said, "You know, you used to be a hell of a good cop. Maybe the booze is getting to you these days. Maybe its more than you can handle. "

  "Could be. "

  "Oh, hell. " He sighed heavily. "You can take his money, Matt. A guy has to make a living. I know how it is. Just dont get in the way, huh? Take his money and string him for all hes worth. The hell, hes been on the other end of it often enough. Let him get played for a sucker for a change. "

  "I dont think he killed her. "

  "Shit. " He took his cigar out of his mouth and stared at it, then clamped his teeth around it and puffed on it. Then, his tone softer, he said, "You know, Matt, the departments pretty clean these days. Cleaner than its been in years. Almost all of the old-style pads have been eliminated. Theres still some people taking big money, no question about it, but the old system with money delivered by a bagman and distributed through an entire precinct, you dont see that anymore. "

  "Even uptown?"

  "Well, one of the uptown precincts is probably still a little dirty. Its hard to keep it clean up there. You know how it goes. Aside from that, though, the department stacks up pretty good. "

  "So?"

  "So were policing ourselves pretty nicely, and this son of a bitch makes us look like shit all over again, and a lot of good men are going to be up against the wall just because one son of a bitch wants to be an angel and another son of a bitch of a rug peddler wants to be governor. "

  "Thats why you hate Broadfield but- "

  "Youre fucking right I hate him. "

  "- but why do you want to see him in jail?" I leaned forward. "Hes finished already, Eddie. Hes washed up. I talked to one of Prejanians staff members. They have no use for him. He could get off the hook tomorrow and Prejanian wouldnt dare pick him up. Whoever framed him already did enough of a job on him from your point of view. Whats wrong with my going after the killer?"

  "We already got the killer. Hes in a cell in the Tombs. "

  "Lets just suppose youre wrong, Eddie. Then what?"

  He stared hard at me. "All right," he said. "Lets suppose Im wrong. Lets suppose your boy is clean and pure as the snow. Lets say he never did a bad thing in his life. Lets say somebody else killed Whats-her-name. "

  "Portia Carr. "

  "Right. And somebody deliberately framed Broadfield and set him up for a fall. "

  "So?"

  "And you go after the guy and you get him. "

  "So?"

  "And hes a cop, because who else would have such a good goddam reason to send Broadfield up?"

  "Oh. "

  "Yeah, oh. Thats gonna look terrific, isnt it?" He had his chin jutting at me, and the tendons in his throat were taut. His eyes were furious. "I dont say thats what happened," he said. "Because for my money Broadfields as guilty as Judas, but if hes not, then somebody did a job on him, and who could it be but a couple of cops who want to give that son of a bitch what he deserves? And that would look beautiful, wouldnt it? A cop kills a girl and pins it on another cop to head off an investigation into police corruption. That would look just beautiful. "

  I thought about it. "And if thats what happened, youd rather see Broadfield go to jail for something he didnt do than for it to come out in the open. Is that what youre saying?"

  "Shit. "

  "Is that what youre saying, Eddie?"

  "Oh, for Christs sake. Id rather see him dead, Matt. Even if I had to blow his fucking head off all by myself. "

  "MATT? You okay?"

  I looked up at Trina. Her apron was off and she had her coat over her arm. "You leaving?"

  "I just finished my shift. Youve been putting away a lot of bourbon. I just wondered if you were all right. "

  I nodded.

  "Who was that man you were talking with?"

  "An old friend. Hes a cop, a lieutenant working out of the Sixth Precinct. Thats down in the Village. " I picked up my glass but put it down again without drinking from it. "He was about the best friend I had on the force. Not buddy-buddy, but we got along pretty well. Of course, you drift apart over the years. "

  "What did he want?"

  "He just wanted to talk. "

  "You seemed upset after he left. "

  I looked up at her. I said, "The thing is, murder is different. Taking a human life, thats something completely different. Nobody should be allowed to get away with that. Nobody should ever be allowed to get away with that. "

  "I dont follow you. "

  "He didnt do it, damn it. He didnt, hes innocent, and nobody cares. Eddie Koe
hler doesnt care. I know Eddie Koehler. Hes a good cop. "

  "Matt- "

  "But he doesnt care. He wants me to coast and not even make an effort because he wants that poor bastard to go to jail for a murder he didnt commit. And he wants the one who really did it to get away with it. "

  "I dont think I understand what youre saying, Matt. Look, dont finish that drink, huh? You dont really need it, do you?"

  Everything seemed very clear to me. I couldnt fathom why Trina seemed to be having difficulty following me. I was enunciating clearly enough, and my thoughts, at least to me, flowed with crystalline clarity.

  "Crystalline clarity," I said.

  "What?"

  "I know what he wants. Nobody else can figure it, but its obvious. You know what he wants, Diana?"

  "Im Trina, Matt. Honey, dont you know who I am?"

  "Of course I do. Slip of the tongue. Dont you know what he wants, baby? He wants the glory. "

  "Who does, Matt? The man you were talking to?"

  "Eddie?" I laughed at the notion. "Eddie Koehler doesnt give a damn about glory. Im talking about Jerry. Good old Jerry. "

  "Uh-huh. " She uncurled my fingers from around my glass and lifted the glass free. "Ill be right back," she said. "I wont be a minute, Matt. " And then she went away, and shortly after that she was back again. I may have gone on talking to her while she was away from the table. Im not too certain one way or the other.

  "Lets go home, Matt. Ill walk you home, all right? Or would you like to stay at my place tonight?"

  I shook my head. "Cant do that. "

  "Of course you can. "

  "No. Have to see Doug Fuhrmann. Very important to see old Doug, baby. "

  "Did you find him in the book?"

  "Thats it. The book. He can put us all in a book, baby. Thats where he comes in. "

  "I dont understand. "

  I frowned, irritated. I was making perfect sense and couldnt understand why my meaning was evidently eluding her. She was a bright girl, Trina was. She ought to be able to understand.

  "The check," I said.

  "You already settled your check, Matt. And you tipped me, you gave me too much. Come on, please, stand up, thats an angel. Oh, baby, the world did a job on you, didnt it? Its okay. All the times you helped me get it together, I can do it for you once in a while, cant I?"

  "The check, Trina. "

  "You paid the check, I just told you, and- "

  "Fuhrmanns check. " It was easier to talk clearly now, easier to think more clearly, standing on my feet. "He cashed a check here earlier tonight. Thats what you said. "

  "So?"

  "Check would be in the register, wouldnt it?"

  "Sure. So what? Look, Matt, lets get out in the fresh air and youll feel a lot better. "

  I held up a hand. "Im all right," I insisted. "Fuhrmanns checks in the register. Ask Don if you can have a look at it. " She still didnt follow me. "His address," I explained. "Most people have their address printed on their checks. I should have thought of it before. Go see, will you? Please?"