Never Look Down by Warren C Easley Read Free Book Online Page B

knows, but they know the work. Some of the tags are pretty funny, and they’re all in tough-to-reach places. My guess is you’re looking for a teen—smart, angry, and a damn good climber.”
    â€œThat’s got to narrow the field some. So he’s a tagger, not a writer, huh?”
    â€œOh, he’s no scribble monkey, that’s for sure, but, you know, he has to produce a body of work to earn a writer designation.” Picasso chuckled. “K209’s working on it. A red middle finger up on the Portland Police Bureau building, a big thumbs-up below the word graffiti about eight stories up on a brick wall near Powell’s, a rifle with its barrel tied in a knot over near the Lloyd Center. That one’s beautiful. I think Caffeine Central got tagged because of your reputation, Cal. You were being sent a message.”
    â€œI like the kid’s spirit, but I’m no fan of defacing public buildings.”
    â€œYeah, well, these kids don’t have any options. Everything’s off limits in Portland, man. San Francisco, Seattle, Tacoma—they all have free walls where kids can express themselves without getting arrested.”
    â€œI doubt some free wall in Portland would’ve stopped that middle finger from going up. The location was the whole point.”
    Picasso chuckled. “Probably, but it’s hard to say.”
    I sighed. Already suffering from outrage fatigue, I had no interest in another cause. “Okay, so the Portland taggers and writers are being persecuted. But right now, I want to focus on one thing—finding this kid.”
    After promising to call immediately if he heard anything, Picasso rang off. When Archie and I got back to Caffeine Central I gave him his dinner, and it dawned on me how hungry I was. So I showered and we headed over to Fong Chong for some dim sum, the best in the city. The streets of Old Town bustled with energy that night, the result of the crisp, clear, and decidedly dry fall weather. It was as if the entire city was saying “Enjoy it now, the rains will come soon enough.”
    Archie was in full city-dog mode, lying next to my chair at the outside table we’d scored, showing casual indifference to the goings-on, including a parade of his fellow beings and the admiration of several human passersby. I’m biased, for sure, but it’s hard to beat the looks of an Aussie tricolor.
    Nando called just as I finished eating. “Has Picasso located the graffiti witness?”
    I sensed the strain in his voice, like he was trying to sound all business. “Not yet. But he’s sure it’s the same person who wrote on the wall at Caffeine Central.”
    â€œI see. I just learned the police cut Cardenas loose.” The voice was especially deep, the words thickened by the Havana Club.
    â€œHow do you know?”
    â€œSources. I am told a woman came forward who claims she spent the night with him.”
    I groaned. “Let me guess. Rent an alibi?”
    â€œIndeed. I am working on getting her name.”
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œI will make an independent assessment of whether or not she can be believed. Of course, Cardenas could have hired someone to make the hit. Another avenue of inquiry. One way or the other, I will put the nail in the bastard.”
    â€œWhat I keep wondering is why Claudia ever agreed to meet whoever this person is in the first place? Maybe that’s another way into this thing.”
    We both fell silent for a few moments. “Calvin, I appreciate your help in locating the graffiti tagger. Perhaps it would be best if you also looked at this question?” His voice broke a little. “It would be too painful for me to delve into Claudia’s life right now, and maybe there are things I do not want to know.”
    A small warning flag popped up in my head at this point. After all, I had a habit of agreeing to things before I really knew what I was getting myself into.