Page 14 of Dirty Quinn
The chief calls me back into his office before I have time to do anything more.
“I got bad news, and I got worse news. Which do you want first?”
“Bad news.”
“The only guy I got to give you right now is Andrews.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, certain I must have heard him wrong because there’s no way in hell he just said I have to partner with Andrews, right?
“Come again?” I stick a finger in my ear and rotate it, as though I’m cleaning it out to hear him better.
“You heard me.”
“I’ll go solo.”
“You can’t go solo.”
“I work better alone, anyway.”
“You know the rules, Murph. And I break a lot of them for you. But I can’t break this one, sorry.”
“Fuck me. When?”
“He’s on his way now.”
“Well, shit. If that’s the bad news, what’s the worse news?”
“Nick Moony just turned up dead.”
“Goddamn it!” I turn to punch something before I remember where I’m at and try to reign it in.
Mother fucker!
“What happened?” I ask.
“Hung himself. Though I doubt it was self-inflicted.”
“Shit. Okay. I guess we’re back to square one.” I turn to leave the office, turning back as I hit the doorway. “Oh, chief?”
“Yeah?”
“You got that backwards. Andrews is definitely the worse news of the two.”
“Get outta here, ya’ dick.” He throws a crumpled piece of paper at me. I duck even though it wouldn’t hurt if it hit me.
When I get back to my desk, Andrews is already sitting across from me, in Reed’s chair. Rocking back and forth like he’s self-soothing and tapping his pencil against his forehead.
It’s how he thinks.
Fuck my life.
* * *
“That your girl?” Andrews asks with a nod toward my phone.
“It’s official business. Possible missing person,” I say.
“You always smile like that over a missing person?”
