Private Heat by Robert E. Bailey Read Free Book Online Page A

Franklin is a veteran. He rattled the keys some more. The girl came out and sat at the desk. The printer rattled on again.
    At the north end of the Hall of Justice there’s a door that the public can use to exit the building. Only police officers have a key to use this door as an entrance. At nine minutes and counting, it crashed open and a herd of heavy footsteps thundered up the hallway that ran perpendicular to the desk, well to the right, and out of sight from where I was standing.
    â€œWhere is this piece of shit?” said a gravelly voice.
    I heard Franklin intercept them in the hall, then the rustle of paper being passed around. Officer Talon came around the corner alone, five-eleven, and a very hard and square two hundred and thirty or forty pounds. His mustache drooped around the corners of his mouth like a Mexican bandit’s, and he’d gathered his shoulder-length, dark brown hair into a pony-tail. He wore blue jeans, a black T-shirt, and a plaid flannel shirt untucked and unfastened. His right pants leg was frayed at the cuff and dragged the floor at his heel, which betrayed a habit of carrying the Browning Highpower in his waistband behind his right hip.
    â€œYou the guy?” Talon wanted to know.
    â€œI’m the guy.”
    â€œGimme the paper. I’m Police Officer Randal Talon.”
    I fished a copy out of my pocket and held it out. Since I was already in the video camera’s eye, I held my ground.
    â€œIf you want to earn your … twelve bucks … you got to touch me with the paper,” he said. “Or didn’t they tell you?”
    â€œNo, Randy,” I said. “They told me I’d get thirty pieces of silver if I kissedyou on the cheek.” Police Officer Randal Talon stomped over and snatched the paper out of my hand.
    â€œNow I’m served,” he said. “Now you can go fuck yourself.”
    â€œI’m not a process server. Some officer of the court is going to get fat on those twelve dollars. I’m here because your wife and her family are afraid of you. I came down to ask the watch commander to send out a supervisor or patrol car when you go to get your personal possessions.”
    Talon balled up the service. He looked up at the camera and then back at me. “Yeah, well, they wasted their money.”
    â€œIs that a threat?”
    â€œNo. I just meant that I knew this was coming.”
    He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with the heel of his left hand. His pupils were large, given the light. Sunglasses dangled by a leg from his shirt pocket. I suppose that wearing a flannel shirt in the building would explain the sweat, but not his twitchy fingers.
    â€œJust tell Karen to put my shit on the porch. I’ll pick it up when I get off shift. It won’t be too late unless I have to arrest some creep and put him in jail.” He leaned toward me to emphasize the “creep” and the “jail” parts.
    â€œI’ll tell her.”
    â€œGreat. So you’re done. So get the hell out of here!”
    â€œI’m waiting for my paperwork.”
    â€œRandy, let’s go,” said a voice from around the corner.
    Officer Talon backed up several steps, then stopped, drew a breath, and held it. The CLIP had vacated the desk area. She and the sergeant had filed through the door and pulled it shut after them. Talon smiled and beckoned me over with a finger.
    I smiled back and wagged my head slowly in the negative. “Ain’t happening,” I said.
    â€œRandy, let’s go, dammit!” Same voice.
    Randy poked a pointed finger in my direction. He mouthed the words “I’m going to kick your ass” silently, then left.
    â€œCost a lot more than thirty bucks for me to kiss your ugly ass,” said a third voice as the herd shuffled down the hall.
    â€œAw, fuck you!” said Randy.
    I heard the door close behind them.
    The CLIP came out with Sergeant Franklin close on her