the hotel, fire bombed the hotel room of Feli city Bard and Fiona Simmons , then drove home and decided to park on the street?”
“No, I left The Spot. I drove home. I parked on t he street and then went to bed .”
“To sleep?”
“Okay, have it your way, I decided to read for a few hours. No, like I’ve been telling you, I more or less passed out. And, I did not fire bomb a ny hotel room.”
“You phoned a number of differe nt departments impersonating a p olice officer from Saint Paul , didn’t you Mister Haskell?”
“No. I phoned a number of different police departments. When they asked me if you were as big an asshole as you seemed I said , yes. If that makes it sound like I’m a member of the Saint Paul department there really is n’t much I can do about that.”
Manning had walked to the far end of the room and snapped the rubber band he’ d been stretching, turned and looked at me.
“You did call a number of different departments, did you not?”
“I did, four to be exact, Denver , St. Louis , Chicago and Kansas City . At no time did I tell anyone I was a member of the Saint Paul Police Department. If the individuals I spoke with arrived at that conclusion it was on their own.”
“Why did you call?”
“I’ve told you, Jimmy McNaughton had hired me to help with security. I was attempting to learn anything we could about the fingers that had been sent to the Hastings Hustlers. ”
“He didn’t feel the police could give adequate protection so he thought he better go right to the top, meaning you. That right?”
“More like he had you as his point of contact with the department , Manning. I’m sure after your standard confidence— building speech regarding budget cuts h e figured even I didn’t sound half bad.”
“What was it like doing the security for that English team? Did I hear right , you were in their locker room? ” Franco playing good cop.
“Yeah, you know , it was just a job , comes with the territory, twenty or so gorgeous naked women all of them trying to get my attention , it was just a n average day ’ s work.”
Manning flushed close to purple.
“That why you attacke d the Bard woman ? What is she about five-one, hundred pounds?”
“I didn’t attack anyone.”
“We’ve sworn statements.”
“Actually no you don’t , Detective. I believe all , but one of those statements have been withdrawn. The one remaining statement is from Miss Bard herself , hardly credible in the face of sixteen statements being withdrawn,” Louie said.
“You scare off all those little English girls, Haskell?”
“Don’t answer that, Dev,” Louie said. “I wonder if I might have a moment with my client , Detective ?”
Manning and Franco nodded almost in unison. Franco got up from his chair.
“Ten minutes enough time?” Manning asked, suddenly the voice of reason.
“Ten minutes will be perfect,” Louie said, then watched the two of them depart the interview room.
Louie turned to me, then moved his eyes to indicate the mirrored wall, reminding m e we were not entirely alone.
After ten or twenty thousand hours of questioning I felt completely drained. I was definitely in need of a serious shower. Louie on the other hand had arrived in that state, as a matter of fact , but right now he seemed to look better than me, a lot better. I couldn’t recall what, exactly, we had been discussing and suddenly came back to reality .
“…seems to be finally going our way,” Louie said.
“ Hunh? Going our way, y ou’re delusional, you gotta be kidding?”
“In my opinion, you’ve been set up. God knows why.”
There was a knock on the door, Manning poked his head in.
“Ready to continue? Need a coffee or anything?” again sounding the voice of reason.
Louie waved him in, “L et’s just get this finished up as quickly as possible.”
Manning went over the same ground all over again, and again, and again.
Finally I couldn’t stand any more.
“You know what
“No, I left The Spot. I drove home. I parked on t he street and then went to bed .”
“To sleep?”
“Okay, have it your way, I decided to read for a few hours. No, like I’ve been telling you, I more or less passed out. And, I did not fire bomb a ny hotel room.”
“You phoned a number of differe nt departments impersonating a p olice officer from Saint Paul , didn’t you Mister Haskell?”
“No. I phoned a number of different police departments. When they asked me if you were as big an asshole as you seemed I said , yes. If that makes it sound like I’m a member of the Saint Paul department there really is n’t much I can do about that.”
Manning had walked to the far end of the room and snapped the rubber band he’ d been stretching, turned and looked at me.
“You did call a number of different departments, did you not?”
“I did, four to be exact, Denver , St. Louis , Chicago and Kansas City . At no time did I tell anyone I was a member of the Saint Paul Police Department. If the individuals I spoke with arrived at that conclusion it was on their own.”
“Why did you call?”
“I’ve told you, Jimmy McNaughton had hired me to help with security. I was attempting to learn anything we could about the fingers that had been sent to the Hastings Hustlers. ”
“He didn’t feel the police could give adequate protection so he thought he better go right to the top, meaning you. That right?”
“More like he had you as his point of contact with the department , Manning. I’m sure after your standard confidence— building speech regarding budget cuts h e figured even I didn’t sound half bad.”
“What was it like doing the security for that English team? Did I hear right , you were in their locker room? ” Franco playing good cop.
“Yeah, you know , it was just a job , comes with the territory, twenty or so gorgeous naked women all of them trying to get my attention , it was just a n average day ’ s work.”
Manning flushed close to purple.
“That why you attacke d the Bard woman ? What is she about five-one, hundred pounds?”
“I didn’t attack anyone.”
“We’ve sworn statements.”
“Actually no you don’t , Detective. I believe all , but one of those statements have been withdrawn. The one remaining statement is from Miss Bard herself , hardly credible in the face of sixteen statements being withdrawn,” Louie said.
“You scare off all those little English girls, Haskell?”
“Don’t answer that, Dev,” Louie said. “I wonder if I might have a moment with my client , Detective ?”
Manning and Franco nodded almost in unison. Franco got up from his chair.
“Ten minutes enough time?” Manning asked, suddenly the voice of reason.
“Ten minutes will be perfect,” Louie said, then watched the two of them depart the interview room.
Louie turned to me, then moved his eyes to indicate the mirrored wall, reminding m e we were not entirely alone.
After ten or twenty thousand hours of questioning I felt completely drained. I was definitely in need of a serious shower. Louie on the other hand had arrived in that state, as a matter of fact , but right now he seemed to look better than me, a lot better. I couldn’t recall what, exactly, we had been discussing and suddenly came back to reality .
“…seems to be finally going our way,” Louie said.
“ Hunh? Going our way, y ou’re delusional, you gotta be kidding?”
“In my opinion, you’ve been set up. God knows why.”
There was a knock on the door, Manning poked his head in.
“Ready to continue? Need a coffee or anything?” again sounding the voice of reason.
Louie waved him in, “L et’s just get this finished up as quickly as possible.”
Manning went over the same ground all over again, and again, and again.
Finally I couldn’t stand any more.
“You know what
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