Page 70 of Sean's Sunshine
“What was that?” Billy asked. “Your voice got all quiet. What was that?”
Sean shrugged, still troubled about how much trouble Jackson could get up to on a day that ended inY, and tried to work up the energy to stand up off the bench.
“He should be in the hospital,” he said after deciding they’d wait five more minutes and see if maybe that pack of Chihuahuas would come say hi.
“You said he was really terrified of them,” Billy remembered, and Sean nodded.
“He’s got history.”
Billy frowned. “You mean last year when he caught the Dirty/Pretty Killer?”
Sean laughed a little. “No, I mean ten years ago, when he was shot by a sniper because he’d worn a wire on his partner for three months, and the DA he was turning evidence over to decided to take over his partner’s drug and prostitution ring and take Rivers out in the process.”
Billy’s jaw had literally dropped. “Oh my God. For real?”
Sean stared at him. “You didn’t know this?”
“Oh my God. Wasn’t the Dirty/Pretty Killer enough?”
Well, it had been a pretty spectacular story, but Rivers had been in the hospital while all the media excitement had gone on.
“It should have been,” Sean agreed. “But you know. The guy keeps trying to be Superman in Batman’s body. Anyway, Ellery was making sure we could show on Monday. Because Jackson should still be in a hospital, but dollars to donuts he’s going to try to follow a lead or something while we’re there tomorrow.”
Billy nodded, then smiled as the Chihuahuas came up to them, standing on their little hind legs to sniff at their hands. “I’ll be strong,” he said, but Sean could tell he wasn’t convinced.
“We’ll both have to stay strong,” Sean warned him. “Because you’ve met the man. He’s sort of a force of nature.”
And that was how Sean planned to deal with Rivers. Stay strong, say no, keep the guy from running into danger. That was what he resolved to do as he bent down to pet the delicate little dog-goobers who were looking to sit on their laps.
HIS FIRSTinkling that that plan might get kicked out the window came at seven the next morning, when Andres called him, sounding stressed.
“You’ll never guess where the DA sent us this morning,” he snarled into the phone.
“Hell? Purgatory? Bakersfield?” Sean asked groggily in return.
“Worse. Cramer and Rivers’s place.”
Sean sat up too fast and hissed. “Because why?”
“Because the DA is dirty, Sean. I get you haven’t seen it—you’ve been on medical leave since the guy got put in office. But he’s dirty, and Charlie Boehner got capped last night, and Cartman the crooked DA is trying to pin it on Rivers.”
Sean slow blinked. “That’s unlikely.” There was no way Rivers would even know the president of the policeman’s union. For one thing, everybody’s favorite ex-cop and PI was persona non grata at the department. True, Jackson had been making goodwill inroads after Ellery started his own firm, starting with Sean himself, but a guy with his history had an automatic handicap when dealing with the department.
“I know it’s unlikely,” Christie snapped. “But this entire morning has been a trip to banana-bonkers land. De Souza and I got kickedoff a crime sceneto drive across town to interview a guy who could barely move, to see if he shot a guy he didn’t know in the middle of the night. Rivers had a bombproof alibi, though, so it’s okay.”
“He’s sleeping with Ellery Cramer?” Sean hazarded. Ellery’s integrity was rock solid.
“Even better. He was up at fuck thirty in the morning playing video games. We have his timesandhis prints on his personal controller as proof.”
Sean snorted, thinking he’d like to see Billy’s face when he heardthis.“Does he ever sleep?”
Andres made a pained sound. “It didn’t look like he did last night. He’s looked better. I’m giving you the heads-up because I understand you’re babysitting?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because de Souza and I are going back to the crime scene after a stop at the station. Thought you might want to come by. You know, get Rivers some… perspective.”
Sean’s eyes popped open, and all vestiges of sleep went away. A case. A real one—no matter how sideways he was involved.
