Emerald City Blues Read Online Free Page A

out of bed, realized I'd fallen asleep in my clothes, and shrugged. Anyone who called at whatever ungodly hour it was now either had no idea who I was and what I did, or possessed not one ounce of respect for the hours an investigator worked. In either case, they deserved whatever they got, and I was ready to give it to them with both barrels. I stomped to the door of the apartment and grimly jerked the door open.
    "Miss Sheehan." Lieutenant Sneer gave me a toothy smile that could have stood in for one of those band saws down on the docks where the log jams were floated into the lumber mills to be cut. Behind him, Sergeant Malloy cleared his throat and shifted his feet uncomfortably. "We would like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind." The lieutenant's poisonously sweet tone said he hoped I minded. I did mind. That was clear to him, just as it was clear to me he would be only too happy to take me downtown if I said as much. I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.
    I held open the door and let them in. Sneer immediately began to reconnoiter, glancing at every detail as if to imprint it into his memory. I could almost hear him preparing to describe it to a jury. Malloy nodded ruefully to me as he stepped inside and took off his service cap. I let Sneer find his way around and made a point not to ask him if he would sit. Petty, but sometimes that's all you have. I leaned against the wall and watched him undress my apartment with his eyes until finally noticing I was watching him. This seemed to irritate him even more, if that was possible.
    "Miss Sheehan, I'll get right to the point. Why did you attempt to gain access to that crime scene on Capitol Hill yesterday?"
    I let my head fall to one side and adopted a thoughtful expression. "Hmmm. I can't say I completely recall, Officer. I-"
    "Lieutenant."
    "-just don't seem to remember anything in particular that led me up that way. It must have been one of those feminine whims you hear so much about these days." I finished smoothly, ignoring the way he gritted his teeth while still smiling.
    "You'll find this goes faster and much more pleasantly if you cooperate, Miss Sheehan. What would you say if I knew you had a particular reason to see Mr. Cooke yesterday, and that I have a witness who could place you in his company the night before that?" His band-saw smile resurfaced. He still had not removed his service cap. Maybe he thought it would make him seem more official. Or taller.
    I shrugged. "I don't know. You seem to have all the answers you need , Officer. Now I'm curious. What would I say, since you already know so much about me?"
    Malloy coughed into his fist. Sneer was ready to explode. It made me want to laugh in his face. That was definitely a bad idea unless I wanted to spend a night in the hoosegow, but I've been known to indulge in those upon occasion. Like now. "Don't get up on your hind legs, Officer," I told him sweetly. "Men and women see each other all the time, and terrible things rarely come of it. You might even try it yourself some day, just to see how it feels."
    Sneer took one angry step towards me but Malloy had already put out a hand to forestall him. "Look," Malloy said in a placating tone, making mollifying gestures toward Sneer , who still seemed of half a mind to come knock a few answers out of me. "We're not here to accuse anyone of anything. A man was murdered yesterday, lass. You know that. And you know we have to do our jobs. That's all we're here to do, Maddie. Y'see, Cooke's ledger had a few notes in it and your name came up in the last day before he died. Since you also showed up unexpectedly at the crime scene, we had to look into it. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation." He looked at me with an entreaty, trying to keep Sneer from bursting in to the conversation.
    I couldn't help it. I liked Malloy, but Sneer was too much. "Officers, you're here because I let you in. If you want to make this official you'll have to come back