“I haven?t had two unsolved goddamn homicides at the same time in this county in forty damn years.
Now I got twelve!”
Donleavy came out of the bedroom, made his apologies, and left to await Dutch?s weekly call, waving
good-bye as he did. It was seven fifteen. In another thirty minutes we could all leave.
“I?ll give it to you again,” I said. “I didn?t cause the homicides and murder isn?t my game. It?s not
why I came here and it isn?t why I?m staying.”
“I mean altogether I haven?t had twelve unsolved homicides since I been sheriff,” he said, ignoring
my comments. “You understand my concern when we have twelve in the space of a couple of days?”
“Sure.”
“Sure? What do you mean, sure?”
“I mean sure, 1 understand your consternation.”
“Hot damn, college boy. Consternation. Well, listen close, because my consternation tells me you
know one helluva lot more about what the hell?s goin? on than I do, and since this is my county, I
think it?s time we shared whatever information you might have.”
I smiled. “And what would I get out: of it?” I asked.
“Your ass, in one piece,” he said flatly.
I laughed. “What?re you going to do, Mr. Stoney, put out a contract on me?”
“It may be funny to you, doughboy—”
“That?s not what I?m laughing about,” I said, cutting him off. “I?ve been under the impression we
were both on the same side.”
He ignored my comment and went right on making his point. “I?m not without considerable influence
where it means something,” he said. „1 could have your tail bent till it hurts by just raisin? a question
or two about your conduct of this investigation.”
“I?m sure you could.”
“What the hell?s goin? on? What are you after, Kilmer?”
“I?m looking for RICO violations, M. Stoney. You know that. Now, I could be wrong. Tagliani may
very well have inched in here without anybody knowing who he really was. But I?ve got to know that
for sure.”
“No matter who gets hurt, that it?”
“I don?t give a damn whose tombstones I have to kick over to get to the truth.”
“Or whose bed you sleep in?”
“Who are you really worried about, Mr. Stoney? Who are you trying to cover?”
“The integrity of my county,” he snapped.
