“Who’s Norman Shaw?”
Neither Kelly nor Jesse spoke. Both sat as they had been sitting and waited.
After a long silence, Garner said, “You mean the writer?”
Jesse made a brief smile. Garner looked as if he might be ill.
“I guess he’s a friend of Gino’s,” Garner said.
“Un-huh.”
Jesse raised his forearms from the table and put his clasped hands against his chin. Kelly was stone still.
“Can you keep me out of this?” Garner said.
“Absolutely,” Jesse said.
“I don’t have to testify? Nothing?”
” ‘Course not,” Jesse said.
Garner looked at Kelly. Kelly winked at him.
“I fixed Billie up with Mr. Shaw,” Garner said.
“Gino know?”
“Yes. Favor to Mr. Shaw. I told him Billie was just a kid I knew.”
“So Gino didn’t know she was a hooker.”
“I don’t know what Gino knew.”
“He know you were her pimp?”
“No. Absolutely not. I didn’t take a dime from Mr. Shaw.”
“When did you give her to Shaw?” Jesse said.
“First time? Beginning of the summer.”
“You have any idea how she came to get killed?” Jesse said.
“Ohmigod, no,” Garner said.
“You think Gino would know?”
“No. I don’t know. Gino doesn’t know. You can’t ask him. You promised.”
Neither cop spoke. The sound of Garner’s breathing was loud and ragged.
Then Kelly spoke.
“You’ll have to come over to the station,” Kelly said. “Make a statement.”
“You promised.”
Kelly smiled and nodded at Jesse.
“Just a formality,” Kelly said. “We need to cover ourselves.”
“I wouldn’t want Gino to know,” Garner said.
Kelly didn’t say anything.
“Nobody’s going to know, right?” Garner said.
“Certainly not,” Jesse said.
Garner looked uncertain. The two cops were quiet.
“Your word?” Garner said.
“Absolutely,” Jesse said.
Chapter Sixty-one
“I heard about how you shot a man,” Jenn said. “It was on the wire at the station.”
Jesse nodded.
“How does that feel?” Jenn said.
“Necessary,” Jesse said.
They were in Jenn’s living room. Sitting together on her couch. Jenn was drinking white wine. Jesse had a Pepsi.
“Oh, Mr. Laconic. You must feel more than that.”
“I try not to,” Jesse said.
“You need to experience your feelings, Jesse.”
“But I don’t need to talk about them.”
