Mitchell Smith Read Online Free Page B

revealed to the Treasury people, working in cooperation, that Detective second grade Clevenger, a short, stocky black woman with a high 10 (a darling of the black brass), had recently deposited forty-seven thousand dollars in an account at Marine Midland under the name Henrietta Christopher.
    Followed a bad day at the U.S. Attorney’s office, where the formidable Detective Clevenger was frightened to tears-and followed that, a serious fuss at Headquarters, with the result that the cash was donated to the Treasury’s Ongoing Operations Fund, and Detective Clevenger, chastened and hastened away, was appointed to the Commissioner’s Squad.
    This clever woman was now dying of leukemia in Memorial Hospital.
    “What about putting Klein in?” The Captain.
    “Perhaps,” the Chief said, who, a deeply conservative officer, would have preferred to have somewhat less flawed subordinates than custom allowed him. He was tired of cracked eggs-even for shit work. “We’ll see,” he said, and his captain let it lie.
    But the Commissioner, when Chief Delgado mentioned this most minor matter to him very much in passing they were going to different restaurants for lunch-said, “-Why not?”

CHAPTER 2
    Six or seven hundred a month maintenance, Ellie thought, since it was owned…. The apartment-decorated very nicely in greens and dark golds, a handy one-bedroom, one-bath, large living room–smelled like the Times Square Nathan’s, the damp air rich with the odor of cooking frankfurters … and some spoilage.
    The patrolman was balding young, and sweating along his brow. -Perhaps because of the smell. Or, he might have the whore’s book jammed into a back trouser pocket, along with his notebook, pens, and sap.
    “The super let you in … ?”
    “Nah … it was open. The colored lady was screaming in the hall.” He took out a crumpled ball of blue bandanna, shook it open, and wiped his brow. He was going bald fast; his hair was thinning even at the sides.
    “When you went in there, the water was still on …?”
    “Oh, yeah-still going’.”
    “Hot?”
    “What do ya mean?”
    “Was it running very hot, or just warm, when you turned it off?”
    “Oh-it was hot. Plenty hot. -Got a lot of hot water in this buildin’.”
    He tried a smile.
    Murmurs from the bathroom, a muffled cheer. -There, Greenstein had discovered another banana, this in the corpse’s anus, and removed it. In the echo of this cheer, two of the M.E.“s men came into the apartment pushing a rattling gurney, a green plastic bag folded neatly on its narrow sheet. A photographer left the bathroom, reloading, and stood aside for the cart.
    “You turned it off . ?”
    “Yeah, right then.” The patrolman took a deep breath.
    “Yeah, right then.” The patrolman took a deep breath and regretted it.
    Ellie saw he’d be more comfortable in the hall. The detectives were leaving the bathroom, too, making room for the coroner’s men. Nardone started to come over to her, but Ellie glanced him away”Where was her book?” she said.
    “What book?”
    “Don’t give me that shit,” Ellie said. “This whore’s book-that’s what book. Where’d you find it?”
    “I didn’t. I didn’t see any book.”
    Had sure as hell looked, though, seeking that annuity in a drawer, a class whore’s date book. “If you don’t tell me the truth right now “, Ellie said, “-I’ll bust your balls for you, Officer. Now, hand over that fucking book and take a commendation for good response safeguarding evidence.”
    “I didn’t.” Sullen face.
    Years before, Ellie would have let it go at that. -She turned to beckon Nardone, and when he came over, said, “He picked up her book; we’re going to have to take him in.
    ItHey-hey, c’mon!” Staring wideeyed at Nardone, who looked sleepy.
    ,-That’s fuckin’ bullshit!” Nardone took the patrolman by the arm and tugged him toward I” the door. “Hey-c’Union! You can fuckin’ search me. a Nardone felt growing