Red rain 2.0 by Michael Crow Read Free Book Online Page A

whole wheat toast, like that." He looks offended, but there are muffin crumbs uncountable littering his shirt. "Now what are we here for, my diet or my report?"
    "This Vaseline, this so-called Sovietski," Dugal says. "I do wish we had a make on this guy from more than a single source. Russian mafia? I am very doubtful."
    "Why don't we have IB just call up," I say, and slip into a falsetto. "Hi, this here's Ice Box, Baltimore County Police, can I please speak to Mr. Vaseline? Got a horse for him in the seventh at Pimlico today."
    "Oh fuck off, Luther," IB says.
    "No, really," Dugal says, suppressing a laugh. "What should we be doing on just a description of three guys who may or may very well not be Russian mob but legit Polish or Czech or what-have-you businessmen?"
    "We wait," I lie. "See if they contact IB's pal again. See if they contact anybody else in the horse game. Surely we got some vice squad undercovers who know the thoroughbred players. Maybe the City police have heard some things. Downtown's where IB's man heard his stuff—not from cops, of course."
    "Our vice guys are still trying to figure out how to put coins in rubber dispensers," Dugal says. "They are not up to our standards in any way, shape or form. I don't know how they justify drawing their salaries. They wouldn't, if it was up to me, which as of yet it isn't"
    I catch IB's eye. May that day never come, is what we read.
    "I personally don't have a man downtown who would give me the time of day. Do you guys?" Dugal asks.
    "Well, I could run it by Dog."
    "Dog? They have a cop called Dog?"
    "Detective Lieutenant Dog. Worked with him on those cross-line cases you lent me out for, remember?" I say. "He's cool, he's real, real smart. I think he'd hear before anyone if the Russian mob's trying to get in between the Italians and the black gangs for the drug market."
    "Ice Box, should I be worried? Should I be seeing anything in this supposed Russian angle? Was my opinion of those Bonus Packs of yours overhasty? Was I unduly sarcastic about that?" Dugal says this as if he really wants to know.
    "I'm with Luther. I say we wait, work a few connections downtown, check out the horsey set. See if my friend gets any callback," Ice Box says.
    "Okay, okay. Midpriority only."
    Ice Box leaves first. "Hey Luther," Dugal says in a low voice as I'm almost through the door. "Don't forget. You hear anything about the Reservoir girl that's drug related, you pass it on."
    "Sure thing, LT."
    Fuck waiting. I flash on punching up that cellphone number soon as I can. Things are starting to resonate for me in really nasty ways.
    "Hey Ice Box, you wanna give me that worldwide number for Vaseline, the one with eleven-teen digits Dee Dee slipped you?" I say.
    "No way. You rattle that cage, they're gonna know it came from Dee Dee. We gotta let a decent interval pass here, make sure they've given other guys the number."
    "Okay. Had an idea, is all. When it's time, right?"
    "Like what kind of idea?"
    "Just make a call, see who answers. Big surprise for you, IB. I speak Russian. Even personally know six or seven Russians, drank a lot of vodka with 'em a few years back. Hundred-to-one Dee Dee's guys aren't my acquaintances, but you never know. Ain't my guys, I can back out easy. They'll never make Dee Dee."
    "I do not like where this is going." Ice Box frowns. "I'm seeing implications that disturb me, Luther."
    "Stay cool, man. Just give me the number when it's time, okay?"
    "I'll consider it."
    Back in our cubicles, Ice Box is soon twitching and sweating and cursing under his breath as he makes his usual struggle to keep his big fingertips from pressing two keys at the same time instead of just the one he wants. "This fucker is not ergonomic, unless they used Japs and young girls as the size parameter. Hell, they probably did just that, deliberately, to make a man suffer," he's saying.
    "Yeah, there's a secret code at the keyboard factories in Taiwan. They got profiles on all the big men in