wasn’t here yet.”
“You’re not a native Yooper?”
“Born and raised in Detroit.”
“Is that where you were a cop?”
“Yes.”
There were a few cars on the road, most of them gamblers on a warm summer night, or Bay Mills members who were driving to or from work.
“They got nice houses here,” he said. “I don’t see one place I recognize.”
“All the shacks are gone. But again, that was before my time. Which reminds me. Your daughters’ houses are coming up on the right.”
I slowed down.
“Who lives there?” he said. “Mary?”
“No, this is Regina’s house. Mary is a few doors down. You want to go say hello?”
“Wow, I don’t know. It’s kinda late, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s late.”
“I mean, even so. Maybe after we find Vinnie. Maybe we can all sit down together.”
“They have kids, you know. Both of your daughters. I just saw them the other day.”
He nodded his head at that. But he didn’t say anything. I kept driving.
When we passed the big Bay Mills Casino, he looked it over. Then he turned to take in the Wild Bluff golf course on the other side of the street. The back of Mission Hill rose into the darkness.
“My God,” he finally said. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”
“Sorry you left now?”
He just shook his head again.
“We’re almost there,” I said.
“There’s a rez out by Las Vegas,” he said. “It’s called Moapa Valley. You ever hear of it?”
“No.”
“Instead of a golf course they’ve got a coal-burning plant. Right next to the houses. Down the road there’s a place called Yucca Mountain. It’s sacred to the Paiutes, so of course you know what the government is trying to do? They’re trying to use it as a storage area for nuclear waste.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t know. I’m just thinking, I hope these people know how good they’ve got it up here.”
“These people work hard,” I said. “They earned everything they’ve gotten.”
I could feel him watching me for the next few moments. Then he gave out a tired laugh.
“Now I know why you’re not a cop anymore. You had to quit so you could get into politics.”
I fought off the urge to slam on the brakes right then. Bounce this joker’s head right off the dashboard.
“Listen,” I said, “you want to know why I’m not a cop anymore? Because I got shot.” I was about to tell him about my partner lying dead on the floor next to me, and then about another cop who died on another floor, a lot closer to home. But I swallowed the words. It was none of his goddamned business.
“Just knock it off with the cop jokes,” I said. “Okay?”
“Easy, friend. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“We’re not friends, Lou. But if you really came all this way to help Vinnie…”
“I did, man. I swear.”
“Okay, then let’s find him.”
I kept going down the road. Neither of us spoke for a while.
“Vinnie says you went to prison because you got drunk and ran into a car,” I finally said. “Is that accurate?”
“It’s not polite to ask that.”
“I’m asking anyway.”
“It’s accurate,” he said. “I would give anything to take back that night.”
“I also understand this was not your first brush with the law.”
He let out a long breath. “You understand correctly. I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, before I got clean.”
“Did I not just watch you drink a couple of beers tonight?”
“I didn’t say clean and sober. Just clean.”
“I won’t even ask,” I said. “But you’ve been out for two years now, you said?”
“Coming up on two years, yeah. I’m already on the other side of sixty years old now. I don’t figure I have much chance to do something good with my life. So when I heard about my son being in trouble, well, I just figured I should try doing one thing right.”
“Okay,” I said. “I get it.”
“By the way, you didn’t have to point out the fact that
“You’re not a native Yooper?”
“Born and raised in Detroit.”
“Is that where you were a cop?”
“Yes.”
There were a few cars on the road, most of them gamblers on a warm summer night, or Bay Mills members who were driving to or from work.
“They got nice houses here,” he said. “I don’t see one place I recognize.”
“All the shacks are gone. But again, that was before my time. Which reminds me. Your daughters’ houses are coming up on the right.”
I slowed down.
“Who lives there?” he said. “Mary?”
“No, this is Regina’s house. Mary is a few doors down. You want to go say hello?”
“Wow, I don’t know. It’s kinda late, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s late.”
“I mean, even so. Maybe after we find Vinnie. Maybe we can all sit down together.”
“They have kids, you know. Both of your daughters. I just saw them the other day.”
He nodded his head at that. But he didn’t say anything. I kept driving.
When we passed the big Bay Mills Casino, he looked it over. Then he turned to take in the Wild Bluff golf course on the other side of the street. The back of Mission Hill rose into the darkness.
“My God,” he finally said. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”
“Sorry you left now?”
He just shook his head again.
“We’re almost there,” I said.
“There’s a rez out by Las Vegas,” he said. “It’s called Moapa Valley. You ever hear of it?”
“No.”
“Instead of a golf course they’ve got a coal-burning plant. Right next to the houses. Down the road there’s a place called Yucca Mountain. It’s sacred to the Paiutes, so of course you know what the government is trying to do? They’re trying to use it as a storage area for nuclear waste.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t know. I’m just thinking, I hope these people know how good they’ve got it up here.”
“These people work hard,” I said. “They earned everything they’ve gotten.”
I could feel him watching me for the next few moments. Then he gave out a tired laugh.
“Now I know why you’re not a cop anymore. You had to quit so you could get into politics.”
I fought off the urge to slam on the brakes right then. Bounce this joker’s head right off the dashboard.
“Listen,” I said, “you want to know why I’m not a cop anymore? Because I got shot.” I was about to tell him about my partner lying dead on the floor next to me, and then about another cop who died on another floor, a lot closer to home. But I swallowed the words. It was none of his goddamned business.
“Just knock it off with the cop jokes,” I said. “Okay?”
“Easy, friend. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“We’re not friends, Lou. But if you really came all this way to help Vinnie…”
“I did, man. I swear.”
“Okay, then let’s find him.”
I kept going down the road. Neither of us spoke for a while.
“Vinnie says you went to prison because you got drunk and ran into a car,” I finally said. “Is that accurate?”
“It’s not polite to ask that.”
“I’m asking anyway.”
“It’s accurate,” he said. “I would give anything to take back that night.”
“I also understand this was not your first brush with the law.”
He let out a long breath. “You understand correctly. I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, before I got clean.”
“Did I not just watch you drink a couple of beers tonight?”
“I didn’t say clean and sober. Just clean.”
“I won’t even ask,” I said. “But you’ve been out for two years now, you said?”
“Coming up on two years, yeah. I’m already on the other side of sixty years old now. I don’t figure I have much chance to do something good with my life. So when I heard about my son being in trouble, well, I just figured I should try doing one thing right.”
“Okay,” I said. “I get it.”
“By the way, you didn’t have to point out the fact that
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