Lark by Richard; Forrest Read Free Book Online

sergeant’s exam.”
    â€œHe’s the one I want.”
    Pemperton went to the door. “Take him. He’s yours. Don’t kill yourself on this one, Lark. The kid was probably a hitchhiker who picked the wrong guy to ride with. A druggy from nowhere going nowhere.”
    â€œYou’re a nice guy, Frank,” Lark said.

4
    â€œI don’t do overtime,” Horse Najankian announced in Lark’s office on the following morning.
    Lark glared over the personnel folder at the big, ruddy cop sitting uncomfortably in the peeling straight chair. Horse’s head erupted from his stiff collar, and the slight reddish rash at the neckline created the impression of a man alien to shirt and tie, even though Lark knew that he had worn one every duty day for the last sixteen years. The uniform pants were shiny and the seams around the pockets showed several repairs. He was a seedy-looking officer.
    â€œYou’ll work overtime when I assign it,” Lark snapped. “What kind of name is Sylvester Najankian?”
    â€œArmenian.”
    â€œSylvester’s Armenian?”
    â€œEveryone calls me Horse.” The man’s florid face reddened even further and Lark wondered if he were a boozer. “I didn’t ask for this, Lieutenant. I like it on traffic.”
    Lark glanced back through the officer’s personnel folder. “Jesus, you’ve got six kids. How in the hell do you support them on a patrolman’s salary?”
    Horse’s smile tightened. “Badly.” He shifted his bulk, but still kept his large hands clamped over his knees. “My wife works. She’s a checker at Waldbaum’s Supermarket. The kids help out the best they can with paper routes, baby-sitting, that sort of thing.”
    Lark slammed down the folder. “I’ve seen your test results taken when you joined the force. You’re bright enough to have taken the sergeant’s exam, you could have even gone for lieutenant, but you never even signed up.”
    â€œI don’t want the responsibility.”
    Lark thought about his own bank accounts. “What about the money?”
    Again the uncomfortable shifting of weight as Horse Najankian chose his words carefully. “There are a couple of ways to do your time on the force, Lieutenant. You know that. You can put yourself completely into it and suddenly you’ve got no outside life or time to spend with the kids. You take it home with you, you live with it until all your friends are cops and you can’t ever get away from it. I have always worked traffic, the hours are regular and I get home when my wife does. It works out just fine.”
    â€œHow did you end up out at Mark Street where the body was found?”
    â€œThe watch commander was short that day and pulled me into a patrol car.”
    Another glance back at the personnel folder. “You got a commendation back in seventy-two.”
    â€œIt was pure chance. I stopped a guy for running a stop sign and had to disarm him when he threw down on me. It turned out that there was paper out for him.”
    â€œAnd you did it without drawing your service revolver?”
    A long pause. “There wasn’t time.”
    â€œWell, I only get one man for this case and you’re it.”
    â€œWith all due respect, Lieutenant, you can use one of the men from narc, or there’s a lot of ambitious guys in plain clothes—”
    â€œI want you, Horse.” Lark had a sudden gut intuition. “Let me see your service revolver.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œHand over your piece.”
    Najankian’s eyes widened, but he slowly withdrew the weapon from its holster and handed it, butt first, across the desk.
    Lark swung the cylinder away from the chamber and peered into it. It was as he suspected. “Has it ever been loaded?”
    â€œOnce a year, when I have to go to the range. We got little kids at home. I can’t have a loaded piece