Page 97 of Nightshade
“Look, I apologize, okay? But, man, this is a local goddamn story, and we’ve got all the heavy hitters coming in from overtown, and my deadline’s in like three hours. I need something they don’t have. It’s a matter of pride and I need it now. I just thought you’d get that and give the hometown paper something.”
“Well, you thought wrong. This is a murder investigation and there’s an escaped killer out there. No comment.”
“Look, we can trade. I guarantee you that someday you’ll need me to write a story that helps you with a case, and if you help me now, I’ll remember it then.”
Stilwell let him hang for a long moment before responding.
“Is that it?” he finally said. “That’s your best shot?”
“Well, what do you want?” McKey asked.
“I want you to stop calling me.”
He disconnected and looked at the detective sitting at the desk across from him. His name was Crockett, like the detective onMiami Vice.
“Fucking reporters,” Crockett said.
“Yeah,” Stilwell said.
He got up and went into his office, which had been commandeered by Corum. The captain was writing on a yellow legal pad.
“Need your office back?” Corum asked.
“No, not really,” Stilwell said. “What are you going to give the press?”
“I’m going to feed them shit and they’re going to love it.”
“Are we putting out Spivak’s photo?”
“Course.”
“What are you going to say happened?”
“That he overpowered a deputy, got the keys, and escaped. Clean and simple.”
“Are you naming Esquivel?”
“I should but I won’t. It’s not going to matter, though. He’s done in the department.”
“He’s not a bad cop. What about a suspension?”
“It won’t be my call. But he let a prisoner escape and kill a guy. And Spivak may kill others. Hard to come back from that.”
“What about Gaston?”
“What about him?”
“Are you going to say we had him in protective custody?”
“Fuck no, are you kidding me? He was being held for cutting up the buffalo, end of story. That case is solved and that’s the silver lining in this whole thing. The guy who cut off the head of the buffalo nearly had his own head chopped off.”
Stilwell nodded.
“You need anything?” he said. “A coffee or a Coke?”
“I’m already floating, I’ve had so much coffee,” Corum said.
“Okay.”
