Chapter Sixty
Alan Garner was eating a slice of pepperoni pizza and drinking a diet Sprite at the counter of a place on Dartmouth Street when Jesse and Brian Kelly came in and sat down on either side of him.
Jesse said, “Hi.”
Kelly didn’t speak.
Garner looked for a moment at Jesse. Then he remembered.
“The police chief,” he said.
“Paradise, Mass.,” Jesse said.
Garner nodded.
“This is Detective Kelly,” Jesse said. “Boston.”
“How ya doing,” Kelly said.
Garner chewed the last bite of his pizza, and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. He swallowed some diet Sprite. Then he smiled.
“Am I in trouble with the law?” he said.
“You want to talk about it here?” Jesse said.
“We could sit in a booth,” Garner said.
“Sure.”
The two cops moved to a booth opposite the counter. Garner paid his bill, then he took his diet Sprite bottle and sat beside Jesse. Kelly sat across from them.
“So, guys, what’s up?” he said.
“Tell us about Billie Bishop,” Jesse said.
“Who?”
“Billie Bishop,” Jesse said.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about Billie Bishop,” Garner said.
He took a little diet Sprite from the bottle, his elbow resting on the table so that he had to dip his head to drink.
“Tell us about Dawn Davis,” Jesse said.
Garner put his diet Sprite down.
“Dawn Davis,” he said.
“Dawn Davis,” Jesse said.
“I don’t think I know her,” Garner said.
“How do you know it’s a her?”
“I, oh, Dawn/Don, I see, I guess I just assumed because you were asking about a girl before.”
“Billie Bishop?” Kelly said.
“Yes.”
“How did you know Billie Bishop was a girl?” Kelly said.
Garner opened his mouth and closed it. He looked at his bottle of diet Sprite. He looked across at the counter man. Both cops were silent. Garner drank some diet Sprite. He looked at his watch.
“I… I don’t have anything to say.”
“Where do you live?” Kelly said.
“Cohassett.”
“Where in Cohassett?”
“Jerusalem Road.”
“Where Gino Fish lives,” Kelly said.
“I live with Gino.”
“You his new tootsie?” Kelly said.
“We have a relationship,” Garner said.
“I’m glad for you,” Kelly said.
“And you work for him?” Jesse said.
“Yes.”
The cops didn’t say anything.
