21st Birthday by Patterson, James (ebook reader screen .TXT) 📕

He shot me a concerned look. “Start talking, Blondie.”

“Grrr. Must I?”

“You know you want to.”

“Ohhh-kay. Clapper told me to stay out of the Burke case but I decided to go interview Lucas Burke by myself. Kept Richie out of it, which, as we all know, shows consciousness of guilt.”

He handed me a wet dish. “How’d it turn out?”

“Nothing to show for it. Burke plausibly denied having anything to do with his missing wife and child.”

“He has an alibi?”

“Said he was on time for class the day she disappeared. That may be true but doesn’t account for the night before. What he says is that in the morning, they had a fight about money. He destroyed her credit card. He left for school, and his theory is that Tara looted the safe, took the baby, and drove off to piss him off. He says she’ll be home when she runs out of cash.”

“He didn’t express concern about the baby?”

“Not so you could tell. According to Cindy, Burke has a girlfriend.”

“Motive enough for some men to off their wives.” “Yup. And I would like to get into this for real. I’d like to interview the girlfriend. But. It’s not my case, says Clapper in an uncharacteristically stern tone of voice.”

“What’re you going to do?” Joe asked.

“What would you do?”

“I asked first.”

I sighed as I dried and put away the last of the dishes. Then I said, “I’ll write up my interview notes, tell Clapper what I did, say ‘sorry,’ and make a case for him not to treat me like a rookie. I mean, come on. I ran Homicide not too long ago. I’ve closed more cases than … than anyone.”

“That I know, Blondie. I hope he’s secure enough in his new job to cut you some slack.”

“Cindy’s running photos of Tara and Lorrie Burke online tonight and in the morning print edition —”

“It’s already on the tube,” said Joe. “I had to change the channel so ‘big eyes’ didn’t see it.”

“Hunh. Well. Maybe Tara Burke will see it and step forward. That would be a happy conclusion, and would get me off the hook with Clapper. Oh, man, if only Tara phoned in. Or someone else with a tip leading to her and the baby. Or even a credible sighting, confirmation that they were still alive.”

Joe said, “Either way, I think you’re covered.”

I wasn’t so sure. I emptied the remains of the Chardonnay into my glass and drank it all down.

CHAPTER 14

I WAS AT MY DESK by 7:30 a.m., the third time this week, and it was only Wednesday.

The message light on my phone console was blinking impatiently. Cindy had warned me that her story about the missing Burkes with the headlined reward was going to set our hotline on fire. But I had a hunch that this call was something different.

I picked up the receiver and stabbed the red button. As I’d thought, the message was from Charlie Clapper, chief of police.

“Boxer, it’s Clapper. Call me when you get this.”

Sometimes I just hate to be right.

Conklin wasn’t in yet because, unlike me, or any parent, he could still get seven hours of sleep. I looked around the squad room. Brady’s office was dark. Paul Chi came in, threw his coat over his chair, and waved hello as he passed my desk on his way to the break room.

I followed Chi and stood by as he filled the coffeepot.

He asked, “How ya’ doing, Boxer?”

“Five on a scale of ten.”

“Sometimes I wish for a five,” he said. “I’m getting arthritis in my right shoulder.”

“Sorry, Paul.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I need to take some Advil, which I’m gonna take with the coffee. What’s it going to take to get you up to a seven?”

“You’ve seen the news?” I said.

“Yeah. If Tara Burke has hit the road with her baby, I hope she’s in Canada.”

Someone on the night shift had stuck the morning paper on top of the microwave. I grabbed it and read the front page. Missing. REWARD FOR INFORMATION.

The subhead was 25k Reward for Information leading to return of Tara Wyatt Burke and her baby daughter.

I looked again at the photo but didn’t bother to read the article. I knew it by heart, both sides of the story. I poured myself a cup of hot java, took my mug back to my desk, and called Clapper.

“Chief, it’s Boxer.”

He didn’t bother to say hello.

He said, “I just got off the phone with Tom Murry. He says you interviewed Lucas Burke. I don’t see a report from you. Is that right?”

“Yes, sir. Murry asked me to help.”

“That meant he was looking to you for support, not inviting you to take over his case.”

This was really killing me. I’ve had nothing but an excellent relationship with Clapper since my first days in Homicide. I knew him. I liked him. I admired him. Sometimes I thought of him as family.

“Charlie, I was wrong to do it. Sorry. But there’s a baby missing. A baby.”

“Stop right there, Boxer. You have probable cause?”

“No,” I admitted.

“Charlie. I mean, chief. Why do you want to bust my chops —”

“We have eyes on Burke. I hope to God you didn’t crowd him into making a move we’re all going to regret.”

He hung up on me.

Conklin pulled out his chair and sat down across from me. “What the hell was that?”

“That was Clapper handing my ass to me. You’ve never heard me say this before, Rich, but I don’t know if I can work like this. I don’t know if I can stay in this job.”

CHAPTER 15

I REACHED FOR my coffee but hit the mug and knocked it over. A small lake of black coffee spread across my desk and cascaded onto Richie’s desk as well.

Chi dropped off a roll of paper towels, and Rich and I had the