Detective Read Online Free

twice her age.
She was black and once beautiful,
but now her face was puffy and
etched with lines. Her figure was
good, though. A white jumpsuit
showed a slim body and firm breasts.
Ernestine saw Jorge's eyes and
seemed amused.
    "We all see things," she told him.
"roan' always remember."
    "But you'll remember if I help you?"
    DETECTIVE 21
    Ernestine smiled enigmatically. He
knew the answer was yes.
    That's the way it was with
prostitutes, and it was why
detectives cultivated them as
friends and allies. Prostitutes were
full of information and would reveal
it if they liked the cop or liked
the deal. But they never volunteered
anything; you had to ask the right
questions.
    Jorge began tentatively. "Were you
by any chance working Northwest
Third and Twelfth Street last
night?"
    "I dunno. Maybe."
    "Well, I was wondering if you saw
two jitterbugs jump into a car
driven by an older white guy, then
shoot him and dump him out of the
car."
    "No, but I did see a brother an'
this cheap-lookin' 'fey chick make
some old guy stop his car, then do
what you said."
    Jorge glanced at Ainslie, who
nodded, sensing pay dirt. "Let's get
this clear," Jorge said. "It was a
black male and a white woman?"
    "Yeah." Ernestine eyed him
directly. "Before I say any more,
you gonna hit my skin, man?''
    "If what you tell us isn't
bullshit, it'll be worth a hundred."
    "That's cool." She looked pleased.
    "Do you know the names?"
    "The black dude is Kermit the Frog.
Looks like a frog; has funny bulgin'
eyes. He's a bad one, always pullin'
his piece."
    "And the woman?"
    "Heard her called Maggie, she's
always with Kermit. They hang at the
diner over on Eighth Street, an' I
saw them both get picked up for
havin' smack."
    "If I brought some photos, would you
identify them?"
    "Sure, sweetie, anything for you."
Reaching out, Er
    22 Arthur Halley
    nestine touched Jorge's cheek.
"You're kinda cute."
    He smiled, then pressed on. "What
about Flame? Will she help us, too?"
    "You'll have to ask him."
    Jorge was startled. "Him?"
    "Flame's a he-she," Ernestine
said. "Name's Jimmy McRae."
    Ainslie groaned audibly. "Not as a
witness. No way!"
    Jorge nodded. A he-she, a male who
wanted to undergo a sex change and
meanwhile dressed and lived as a
woman, was common in the libidinous
underworld. On top of that, it
seemed, Flame paraded as a female
prostitute. There was no way such a
kink could be produced in court; the
jury would be turned off, so forget
Flame. Ernestine would be a good
witness, and they might find others.
    Jorge told Ernestine, "If what
you've told us checks out, we'll
stop by with your money in the next
couple of days."
    That kind of payoff an informer's
fee was available from an expense
account to which detectives had
access.
    At that moment Ainslie's portable
police radio announced his unit
number, 1910.
    He responded, "QSK," meaning
"Proceed with transmission."
    "Call your lieutenant."
    Using the same portable, which
doubled as a phone, Ainslie gave Leo
Newbold's number.
    "We have a break in the Niehaus
case," Newbold said. "State Police
found the missing car with two
suspects. They're being brought here
now."
    "Don't tell me, sir," Ainslie
said, checking notes. "One black guy
named Kermit, and a white girl,
Maggie?"
    "Right on! That's them. How'd you
know?"
    "Jorge Rodriguez has a witness. A
prostitute. Said she'll make an ID."
    DETECTIVE 23
    "Tell Jorge, nice going. Better get
over here. Let's wrap this up fast."
    The facts slowly emerged. A
sharp-eyed Florida state trooper,
who had memorized the previous day's
Miami Police BOLO, had spotted and
stopped the wanted car and arrested
its occupants a black male, Kermit
Kaprum, age nineteen, and Maggie
Thorne, white female, twenty-three.
They were carrying .38-caliber
revolvers, which were sent for
ballistics analysis.
    They told uniformed police that an
hour or so earlier they had found
the car abandoned, with the keys in
the ignition, and had taken it for a
joyride. It was a patently false
story, though not