“Yes, I am,” Jesse said.
“For crissakes, Jesse. You don’t have a prosecutable case.”
“Yet,” Jesse said.
“You mean you’re still trying to get something more on her?”
“Yes, I am,” Jesse said.
“Goddamn it, there’s nothing to get. She embarrassed a few kids.”
Jesse didn’t say anything.
“Even if you came up with something,” Hannigan said, “I wouldn’t prosecute it.”
Jesse didn’t say anything.
“I’ve talked to the selectmen already,” Hannigan said. “You want to get your ass in a crack, this is a good way to do it.”
Jesse nodded.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Stone?” Hannigan said.
“You don’t know, either?” Jesse said.
14
JESSE WAS sitting with John Maguire and Suit in the conference room at the station.
“What’s up with the Peeping Tommy?” he said to Maguire.
“Nothing much,” Maguire said. “Husband and wife”?he looked at his notes?“name of Richard and Alice North at Forty-one Rose Street, are getting ready for bed, bedroom’s on the ground floor, when she looks out the window and sees some guy hiding in the bushes. Mr.
North opens the window and yells at the guy and the guy scoots.”
“That’s it?”
“All they could tell me.”
“Anything in the way of a description?” Jesse said.
“Nope, just an ordinary-sized guy dressed in dark clothes. They didn’t see his face.”
“He see anything?” Jesse said.
“The peeper?”
“Yes.”
“Not as far as they told me. Why?”
“Just trying to find out whatever I can,” Jesse said. “Sometimes with peepers what they see changes their future behavior.”
“Really?” Maguire said.
Jesse nodded.
“Well,” Maguire said. “They said they were getting ready for bed, but I thought Mrs. North looked a little embarrassed.”
Jesse nodded.
“So maybe there was a little more going on than night-night,” Suit said.
“Maybe,” Maguire said.
“Peepers don’t usually do anything more than peep, do they?” Suit said.
“Not usually,” Jesse said. “But now and then they can escalate. Depends on what they see, sometimes, and how it affects them.”
“I figure it’s just some kid trying to see something he’s never seen,” Maguire said.
“Probably,” Jesse said. “Stay on it, John, and any more calls are yours.”
Jesse looked at Suit.
“How ’bout you?” Jesse said. “You got anything?”
Suit saluted smartly, and grinned.
“Paradise wife-swapping squad,” Suit said. “Reporting.”
“We got a fucking crime wave,” Maguire said.
“It’s called police work,” Jesse said. “People report, we look into it. People complain, we check. You know?”
“Wife-swapping ain’t even illegal,” Maguire said. “Is it?”
“Kid complained,” Jesse said. “Suit?”
“Well, they got a website,” Suit said.
“Course they do,” Jesse said.
Suit grinned.
“Call themselves a club, Paradise Free Swingers,” he said. “They have parties, cookouts, outings. They go on trips. All celebrating the swinging lifestyle.”
