Family Honor - Robert B Parker by Parker

the two cops put out his hand, and I gave him
the gun. I was glad to give it up. Then I could hold my robe together with
both hands. The younger cop stood over Mike and patted him down. One of
the EMTs went down on the floor beside Terry Nee.
    "He's cooked," the EMT said.
    "There's a gun on the counter," I said. "I took it from
Mike on the floor."
    "Glock on the floor out there," the younger cop said.
    "Leave everything for the detectives," the older cop said.
"You, on the floor, you stay right there.
    The young cop left Mike and went and bent over and looked
at the dead man.
    "Well, hello," he said. "It's Terry Nee."
    "If it had to be somebody," the older cop said, his eyes
moving around the room as he spoke, "it might just as well be Terry Nee."
The young cop opened the big cardboard box and peered in. "Empty," he said.
    Rosie crept out from under the bed waggling tentatively.
I scooched down and put my arms out and she scuttled over, and I picked
her up. Millicent stood up behind the bed and stayed there, her back against
the wall. The older cop looked at Rosie who was lapping my neck as if it
were her last chance.
    "Not an attack dog, I'd guess."
    "Not unless you're a liver snap," I said. He looked at
a scrap of paper.
    "Sonya Randall?"
    "Sunny," I said.
    "Sunny Randall?"
    "Yes."
    "You Phil Randall's kid?"
    "Yes."
    "I was in a cruiser once with Phil. You're a lot better-looking."
    "Yes," I said.
    "You want to tell me what happened?"
    I could hear more sirens on Summer Street. And the sound
of the elevator heading up. It was going to be a long day.
 
    CHAPTER 23
It helped that I had been a cop. It helped that I was a licensed
private investigator. It helped that I had a gun permit. It helped that
Millicent confirmed my story, however monosyllabically. It helped that
I was a woman defending a young girl against two known thugs. It helped
that I was kind of cute. It probably helped a little that Rosie was cuter
than is legally permissible in many states. And it helped a lot that I
was Phil Randall's daughter. We didn't have to go downtown. We agreed that
Millicent would be better off if she weren't mentioned to the press. The
lead detective on the case was a sergeant named Brian Kelly who had thick
black hair and a cute butt and a wonderful smile.
    "We'll need to talk again, Sunny," he said about five
in the afternoon as they were cleaning up the crime scene. "Is it okay
if I call you Sunny?"
    "Absolutely, Sergeant," I said.
    "And I'd appreciate you calling me Brian," he said.
    We were sitting at my kitchen table with Rosie plomped
on one of Brian's feet, looking up at him with her tongue lolling out.
Millicent was sitting up on my bed with her knees to her chin and her arms
wrapped around them, staring at the television.
    "I'll do what I can to shelter the kid. If there's a trial
she may have to testify, but I doubt that there'll be a trial."
    "You don't plan to bring old Mike into court?"
    "The guy you didn't shoot?" Brian looked at his notes.
"Mike Leary. Don't know him. But he hangs around with Terry Nee, we'll
find some use for him, and he'll plea-bargain."
    "Fine," I said.
    "You don't have any thoughts you've not shared with me,
do you, about why they were here and what they were doing?"
    "You know what I know," I said.
    "Maybe," Brian said.
    "Would I lie to you?"
    Brian smiled at me. When he smiled his eyes widened a
little and seemed to get brighter.
    "Of course you would, Sunny. We both know that."
    "So young and yet so cynical," I said.
    He stood and put his notebook away. I stood with him.
    "Lemme get back to the station," Brian said, "and sort
of fold this up and put it away for the night. I'll call you in a couple
days."
    "Fine."
    "You okay?"
    "Sure," I said. "I'm fine."
    "You ever kill somebody before?"
    "No."
    "It's sort of a heavy thing," he said.
    "I know," I said. "I'll be fine."
    "I'll leave a cruiser out front for the night, just until
we shake this down a little."
    "Thank you."
    "Okay. I'll call