substation. Quirk demanded, and got, my personal stuff, including my gun, and we walked unhurriedly out onto the courthouse steps, where the sun was shining through the arching trees and the patterns of the heavy leaves were myriad and restless on the dusty street.
chapter twenty-four
QUIRK HAD PARKED his car in the fenced-in county lot back of the courthouse. We got in, and he pulled the car out the only exit, and parked on a hydrant across the street. He let the engine idle.
“How’d you get in there?” I said.
“Bullied the desk clerk,” Quirk said.
“You’re a scary bastard,” I said.
“Lucky for you,” Quirk said.
We were quiet.
“This a rental?” I said. Quirk shook his head. “Federal guys in Columbia lent it to me.”
“So why are we sitting here in it?”
“I thought we ought to see if we could get a read on the two suits in there,” Quirk said. “I’d like to know who sent them.”
From where we parked, we could see the front door of the courthouse and the parking lot entrance on the side street.
“We going to follow them?”
“Yeah.”
“And they spot us?”
“They won’t spot us,” Quirk said. “I’m a professional policeman.”
“Sure,” I said.
Quirk grinned. “And if they do,” he said, “fuck ‘em.”
Some cars came and went from the parking lot, but none of them contained Vest or the Partner. People went in and out of the courthouse, but they weren’t ours.
“Why didn’t you send Farrell?” I said.
“He’s got some time off,” Quirk said. “Trouble at home.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Guy he lives with has AIDS,” Quirk said.
“Jesus,” I said.
Quirk nodded, looking at the courthouse.
“How about him?” I said.
“He’s okay,” Quirk said.
“So you came because Farrell couldn’t?”
“Right, and Belson’s tracking down the other Olivia Nelson, or the real Olivia Nelson, or whoever the fuck that is in Nairobi, and the case is getting to be sort of a heavy issue… and I figure I better come down and save your ass, so Susan wouldn’t be mad.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“You’re welcome,” Quirk said. “I called Hawk and he said he’d keep track of Susan until this thing shook down a little.”
“You think someone might run at her to get to me?”
Quirk shrugged.
“Being careful does no harm,” he said.
The two suits walked down the steps of the courthouse, came down the side street and into the parking lot. In a minute they exited the lot in a green Dodge, and passed us, and headed out Main Street. Quirk let his car into gear and followed them easily, letting several cars in between. Quirk was too far back to stay with them if the suits were trying to shake a tail. But they weren’t. They had no reason to think they’d be followed. Quirk and I should be lickety-split for home. In ten minutes, they pulled into the parking lot of a Holiday Inn, out near the little airport, where Cessnas and Piper Cubs came and went several times a day, carrying Alton’s heavy hitters to and from important events. Quirk and I dawdled in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly across the street, while the suits got out and went into the motel. Then we pulled over to the motel and parked. Quirk adjusted his gun onto the front of his belt so that it showed as he let his coat fall open. Then we went into the lobby and walked briskly to the desk clerk. Quirk flashed his badge, and put it away. It could have said Baker Street Irregulars on it, for all the clerk had a chance to read it.
“Lieutenant Quirk,” he snapped, “Homicide. I need the room number of the two men who just came in here.”
The desk clerk was a middle-aged woman with a lot of very blonde hair. She looked blank.
“Come on, Sis,” Quirk said, “this is police business, I don’t have a lot of time.”
“The two gentlemen who just passed through here?”
Quirk looked at me.
“Is she a smart one?” he said. “Is this one a quick learner?”
He looked back at
chapter twenty-four
QUIRK HAD PARKED his car in the fenced-in county lot back of the courthouse. We got in, and he pulled the car out the only exit, and parked on a hydrant across the street. He let the engine idle.
“How’d you get in there?” I said.
“Bullied the desk clerk,” Quirk said.
“You’re a scary bastard,” I said.
“Lucky for you,” Quirk said.
We were quiet.
“This a rental?” I said. Quirk shook his head. “Federal guys in Columbia lent it to me.”
“So why are we sitting here in it?”
“I thought we ought to see if we could get a read on the two suits in there,” Quirk said. “I’d like to know who sent them.”
From where we parked, we could see the front door of the courthouse and the parking lot entrance on the side street.
“We going to follow them?”
“Yeah.”
“And they spot us?”
“They won’t spot us,” Quirk said. “I’m a professional policeman.”
“Sure,” I said.
Quirk grinned. “And if they do,” he said, “fuck ‘em.”
Some cars came and went from the parking lot, but none of them contained Vest or the Partner. People went in and out of the courthouse, but they weren’t ours.
“Why didn’t you send Farrell?” I said.
“He’s got some time off,” Quirk said. “Trouble at home.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Guy he lives with has AIDS,” Quirk said.
“Jesus,” I said.
Quirk nodded, looking at the courthouse.
“How about him?” I said.
“He’s okay,” Quirk said.
“So you came because Farrell couldn’t?”
“Right, and Belson’s tracking down the other Olivia Nelson, or the real Olivia Nelson, or whoever the fuck that is in Nairobi, and the case is getting to be sort of a heavy issue… and I figure I better come down and save your ass, so Susan wouldn’t be mad.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“You’re welcome,” Quirk said. “I called Hawk and he said he’d keep track of Susan until this thing shook down a little.”
“You think someone might run at her to get to me?”
Quirk shrugged.
“Being careful does no harm,” he said.
The two suits walked down the steps of the courthouse, came down the side street and into the parking lot. In a minute they exited the lot in a green Dodge, and passed us, and headed out Main Street. Quirk let his car into gear and followed them easily, letting several cars in between. Quirk was too far back to stay with them if the suits were trying to shake a tail. But they weren’t. They had no reason to think they’d be followed. Quirk and I should be lickety-split for home. In ten minutes, they pulled into the parking lot of a Holiday Inn, out near the little airport, where Cessnas and Piper Cubs came and went several times a day, carrying Alton’s heavy hitters to and from important events. Quirk and I dawdled in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly across the street, while the suits got out and went into the motel. Then we pulled over to the motel and parked. Quirk adjusted his gun onto the front of his belt so that it showed as he let his coat fall open. Then we went into the lobby and walked briskly to the desk clerk. Quirk flashed his badge, and put it away. It could have said Baker Street Irregulars on it, for all the clerk had a chance to read it.
“Lieutenant Quirk,” he snapped, “Homicide. I need the room number of the two men who just came in here.”
The desk clerk was a middle-aged woman with a lot of very blonde hair. She looked blank.
“Come on, Sis,” Quirk said, “this is police business, I don’t have a lot of time.”
“The two gentlemen who just passed through here?”
Quirk looked at me.
“Is she a smart one?” he said. “Is this one a quick learner?”
He looked back at
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