Killer Mine Read Free

heart.”
    “That’s me, chicken.” I grinned back and said, “Let’s get under these reports. I need some filling in.”
    “Yes, sir. Yes, sir, Lieutenant, sir.”
     
    At six we had sandwiches sent up, and at ten we stacked the folders back in the files. I turned the fan off, stuck the .38 back in the Weber holster and said, “Let’s get some coffee. Real china-cup coffee without a cardboard taste.”
    Marta put her jacket back on, buttoned it and picked up her purse. “Are we off duty, Lieutenant?”
    “Off duty.”
    “Then hello, Joe.”
    A laugh twisted its way out of me.
    “No wonder you went up so fast. You’re a symbol of devotion to service and stark purity.” Then she reached out and took my hand. “But you’re nice, Joe. Where to for coffee?”
    “Down the block. It’s the closest.”
    Ray made his money from the oversize urn. It seemed to be all he sold, but at least he was in the right location for it. If he didn’t need a table to do his paper work on he wouldn’t have had the one in the back. To him the counter was the thing. We picked up our mugs and went back to the corner table and sat down.
    I said, “We didn’t learn much, did we?”
    “Not unless you like biographies.” She paused and put her cup down. “Joe… do you make anything of it?”
    “Something’s there,” I nodded. “You helped compile those statistics, didn’t you?”
    “That’s right. You saw the woman’s touch?”
    “It was a little flowery.”
    “They asked for that. They wanted every detail. They thought there had to be a background tie-in someplace. There certainly wasn’t any other connection.”
    I blew on my coffee slowly, watching her over the rim of it. “Let’s boil it down real quick, Marty. Let’s get one common denominator first.”
    She made circles on the table with the wet bottom of the cup. “The gun. The same .38 killed them all.”
    “What else?” I asked her.
    She was real sharp. She picked up one skipped detail right away. “Single shot each. Fatal almost immediately. Indicates professional killer. Doug Kitchen was the exception. He was shot on the run and the third bullet was merely insurance for the first two. Further professionalism.”
    I nodded. “That’s a common detail, but not the denominator. Now involve us too and you’ll see what I mean.”
    Her face was impassive a moment, then she got the point. “You and I knew them all, didn’t we.” It was a statement rather than a question.
    “Curious, isn’t it?”
    “In a way… at least from a coincidental standpoint. It was your neighborhood and still is mine. That’s why we’re on this one.”
    “You haven’t hit it, kid. You’ll never make sergeant this way.”
    “I don’t get it.”
    “Then I’ll wait until you do,” I told her.
    “Smart guy,” she said. “Just because you can pull rank.”
    I grinned at her. “Now you sound like old Giggle herself,”
    Her eyes flashed quickly. “Listen…”
    I waved a finger at her. “You watch it, kid, or I’ll start issuing orders. Then you’ll have to do whatever I tell you.”
    The laughter came back in her face again. “Like what?”
    “You’d be surprised at what I might order you to do.”
    “I wouldn’t be surprised at all,” she grinned back. “Just don’t leave the lights on.”
    “Damn dames,” I grunted. “Even when you’re policemen you can’t forget you’re dames.” Then we both laughed and got up and split the check and went back to the office.

CHAPTER TWO
     
    I LOOKED across the desk at Marty, wondering at the size of her and the wild chestnut color of her hair, wondering why such a broad should go cop when she could lay the world at her feet with the big look. The resiliency of youth whom so many desired had been replaced by the lushness of maturity, whose desire was superior, and only obtainable by certain few.
    I was grinning when she looked up and said, “You’re philosophizing. I can tell.”
    “How?”
    “You look