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And it’s only going to get uglier.
Today, I have people to see. There are few that I still trust in the system, and Connor is one of them. Connor and I served in the Marines together. He retired a few years after me and joined the Everton PD because he couldn’t stand spending his days at the VA looking for civilian jobs. It just wasn’t for him. Con is a good man, a righteous and fair man, and I know he’d never end up in the pocket of a Black Hand. That is why I rely on him for information even though, technically speaking, we’re currently on opposing sides of the law.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” he grumbles when he sees me coming.
He stands outside the corner deli, taco in one hand and soda in the other, his uniform freshly starched and downright pristine—a habit from his days in the military. Our CO used to hassle us over our uniforms relentlessly. I’m glad to see that Con still adheres to those standards.
“It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?” I reply with a cool smile. “I wanted to go for a walk and get some fresh air.”
“On the east side of Everton?” Connor chuckles, accentuating the fine lines around his eyes. I let him finish his taco in peace while I look around. I lost my tail a few blocks ago, though I have no way of knowing which department he’s with. The Black Hand has people everywhere.
This is not the quietest neighborhood, but the rats don’t come out to play until much later. For now, kids are running up and down the sidewalks, and neighbors are meeting in the park across the street to play chess and reminisce about the good old days. It’s sunny and warm and maybe a little too humid for my taste, but I welcome summer with all of its flavors.
“No, I’m serious, you shouldn’t be here,” he says, constantly scanning the street. “If anybody sees me talking to you—”
“They’re not going to suspend you or take your badge. Relax.”
“I’m not worried about that, man. I know you’re good, Raylan. I don’t doubt you for a second, my brother,” he shoots back. “But I won’t be able to keep helping you if they know we’re buddies. They will shut me out.”
I give him a wry smile. “My guess is they already know, Con. These people do their homework. But they can’t touch you either because that would get the Department of Defense’s attention, and as far as I know, their reach is not that broad yet, which is why we must move now.”
“I hear you,” he replies, tossing the taco wrapper away, and then he chugs his soda before tossing the can, too. Once he’s had his fill, I can almost see the color returning to his cheeks.
It makes me laugh. “Fasting again?”
“Thirty-six hours once a week.”
“Smart man.”
“Just trying to stay young forever,” he says, letting out a dry chuckle. “Talk to me. What’s going on with that girl, the mayor’s daughter? I’ve got people in the department convinced you had something to do with her abduction.”
“Hell, if I know,” I say. I don’t like lying to my friend, but he can’t know about it for obvious reasons. “They can’t prove anything anyway, and we’ve got better lawyers this time around.”
“I hope that’s enough because the ADA and the mayor are still gunning for you; they’re still interviewing for that task force, too.”
“Have they interviewed you yet?” I ask, half-smiling.
“I’m scheduled for early next week,” he says.
“That was bound to happen. I told you they know we were in the service together. They’re keeping you close because of that, because you’re useful to them, and because of your spotless record.”
A couple of customers step out of the deli, arms loaded with grocery bags. I watch them walk all the way to their car while Connor brings me up to speed on what’s been going on in the Everton police force. “They’re under a lot of pressure ever since that kid delivered the letter,” he says at one point.
“The kid didn’t give them much, huh?”
“Nah, paid in cash. Never saw the guy. Or guys. He got instructions via email that bounced through so many servers, the IT department is still trying to untangle the mess,” he replies, then gives me another suspicious look. “Swear to me that you had nothing to do with it.”
“Do I strike you as the kind of man who needs to abduct innocent girls to get his point across?” I ask, sounding downright insulted. I know I’ve got a penthouse reserved in hell for this, but if we succeed, it’ll be worth burning for an eternity. “No, Con, I had nothing to do with it. Honestly, I’m starting to think it’s just a publicity stunt. For all we know, that girl could be chilling somewhere in Acapulco, waiting for her daddy to call her back home.”
“Nah, he’s genuinely distraught,” Connor says. “The guy loves his daughter. His aides are terrified. He’s constantly snapping. Barking orders. Firing anybody who doesn’t deliver. He’s furious and rattling every single cage until a shoe drops.”
Good. I want him to be miserable, I think. It’ll get him where we need him.
“So, what are they doing other than these occasional raids and stop-and-frisks, huh?” I ask Connor. He lets a heavy sigh roll from his chest, and I can tell that he’s already tired.
“Man, what aren’t they doing? They don’t have enough people on the force, though. They’re stretched too thin, and it’ll come back to bite them in the ass. More than once, I suggested that they focus on the mayor’s top five enemies, not all twelve—”
“That you know of,” I cut him off. “The guy probably has more people itching to hurt him than that.”
