Blood Innocents by Thomas H. Cook Read Free Book Online Page B

— Daniels. We just strolled over to him.”
    â€œHe didn’t try to get away?”
    â€œGet away?” Langhof laughed. “He didn’t even know we were around till we were right under his goddamn nose. He was too busy with that fucking coke. He was really into it, you know.” Langhof grinned. “Dumb bastard. No. Not dumb. He just didn’t give a shit. We asked him what he was doing, and he just looked at us. You know, like we were garbage, like what the hell was it our business what he was doing.” He looked at Reardon. “I never seen such a thing in my life. I mean there this little prick was, snorting coke like a bastard, and he just looks at us like we come from Mars or something, like we was spoiling his good time, you know?”
    Reardon nodded.
    â€œThen what happened?” Mathesson asked.
    â€œThen my partner says, ‘What you got there, buddy?’ and he still didn’t say nothing. He just stared at us. So I grabbed the bag. The coke was in a little cellophane pouch. So I grabbed it. I took a sniff. Coke. So we busted his little ass.”
    â€œYou took him to the precinct house?” Reardon asked.
    â€œYeah, we shoved him in the patrol car, told him his rights and all that shit, and took him right to the precinct house. And we didn’t touch that little prick either,” Langhof blurted suddenly, angrily. “So if this little third degree we’re having is about police brutality, you can forget it.”
    â€œWhat makes you think this has anything to do with something like that?” Reardon asked.
    â€œWell, that’s the way it goes, ain’t it?” Langhof said.
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œLook, the minute we got that little fucker to the precinct house he says he wants to call his old man. So we let him. That’s his right, right? So we let him. And Jesus Christ, there was three goddamn lawyers down here before we could get the arrest report written out. He was on the streets again in no time.”
    â€œYou boys better watch out who you fuck with on the east side of Central Park,” Mathesson kidded. “You’ll be the ones that end up getting your asses busted.”
    â€œWell, it was a solid bust,” Langhof said bitterly, “a solid goddamn bust, whether it sticks or not. No matter what you guys report.”
    â€œWe’re not trying to break your bust,” Reardon said.
    â€œYou’re not?”
    â€œNo, we’re not.”
    Langhof seemed to relax. “Hell, I figured the department was embarrassed by it, or something, afraid of all those lawyers or something like that.”
    â€œNo,” Mathesson said, “we’re checking into something else. We don’t give a shit about this bust.”
    â€œDid you notice anything strange about Daniels?” Reardon asked.
    â€œNo.” Langhof scratched his head, subdued now. “No, nothing that I can think of except the way he just didn’t seem to care about us, about being busted.”
    â€œDid you notice if he looked out of breath, tired, anything like that?” Reardon asked.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œHow about blood?” Mathesson asked. “Did you notice any blood on him?”
    â€œBlood?”
    â€œYeah, blood.”
    â€œNo, we didn’t see no blood. This guy was very straight-looking. Well dressed. He could have walked right out of a TV commercial. He was no slob.” Langhof stared at Reardon curiously. “What is it with this guy anyway?”
    â€œReardon thought he might have had something to do with the deer killing,” Mathesson said.
    â€œThe deer were killed between three and three-thirty the same morning you made the bust,” Reardon said. “Daniels could have been involved in it and still be on Fifth Avenue by the time you busted him. Or he could have seen something. Maybe he came through the park, you know? He might have passed the deer cages just about