Page 20 of Road Queens
“I shouldn’t tell you, but I get off on telling people how wrong they are. And like literally everyone in the country, I’ve watched cop shows and thus know all there is to know about being a cop.”
“You’re being sarcastic, but you’d be surprised how often people really do th—”
“Who are you and what are you up to? You used to be a Minneapolis cop, as evidenced by the badge you sort of but don’t really keep hidden. You do some of the by-the-book stuff, but then you go off script. You’re used to keeping your cool in the face of dangerous nonsense, and you don’t seem to mind being interrupted.”
“All of which indicates ...?”
“Like, you’re used to being in control when dealing with excitable people who may or may not be interested in shooting you in the face.”
“‘A soft word turneth away wrath.’”
“Stop it. And you didn’t arrest Cass.”
“No one arrested her. She’s a person of interest. She came in voluntarily. And so did I.”
Amanda closed her eyes at the monumental stupidity of Cassandra “Goddamned” Rivers politely putting her head into the lion’s mouth.I didn’t check social media becauseugh. So when Sidney came in fussing about Cass being at the cop shop, I assumed she’d been arrested. Hell, Cass tried to tell me she wasn’t going to be arraigned, but I cut her off. Stupid, stupid.
“At the station, you said you were waiting on paperwork.”
He didn’t even blink. “That didn’t mean Cassandra was under arrest.”
“What. Is. Going. On?”
He shrugged. “That’s what I’m here to figure out.”
She waited, but maddeningly, he was done. “Because...?”
“Uh ... guys?”
“Agh!” Amanda turned away from “Detective” Beane. “Jesus, Dave. Wear a bell or something.”
“I’ve been sitting five feet away this whole time.”
“Not quietly enough,” she snapped.
“Anyway, you don’t need me to watch the register anymore, and something weird and intense is happening right in front of me, which is making me uncomfortable, so I’m gonna mosey.”
She barely heard the frog croaking as Dave scuttled out. “Why are you here, Beane? Why are you interested in what’s happening?”
He just stood there and looked at her. And after a long few seconds, answered: “Because of what happened five years ago. And because of my sister. And Cassandra’s mother. And because of Operation Starfish—whoa.”
She had slapped his wallet shut and shoved it at his chest. “Out.” Taken off guard, he struggled not to drop it even as she had a hand flat on his chest and was propelling him, backward, to the door. He let her, thank God. “Right.Now.”
The frog announced his departure. Then she locked the door. Then she kicked the door. Then she went upstairs to suck down a pint of Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Swiss Almond and plot.
Idiot.
You. Fucking. Idiot.
Sean looked at Amanda’s store, at the blinds she’d hurriedly yanked down, the door she’d quickly locked. He could still feel the warm spot on his chest where she’d shoved him back, back, back onto the sidewalk. He was still trying to process how efficiently and ruthlessly she’d gotten rid of him. He’d run across bar bouncers who weren’t as skilled at the drunk toss.
All because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
Will you make a decision? Either tell her everything or withdraw and let events play out. But enough of the bullshit. Okay, champ?
Right. Because it was that easy. Because it wasn’t complicated at all. Because everyone was who they appeared to be, all the time. And because none of them had anything to hide.
Shit.
