‘No, I’m gonna finish this. ThIs wasn’t any ordinary coke buy, y’know. Creech was leading me upstairs, to his man. We were talking coke in pounds. Pounds! He couldn’t handle that big a thing; he had to go to the supplier. That’s who I was after, High Ball’s connection. I had to. It couldn’t leak out, see. One leak —‘
‘How dare you?’ Jaspers was enraged now. ‘What in God’s name possessed you? A gunfight on a crowded bus.’
Jesus, is that all that mattered? The bus ? Sharky started to explain what happened. That he had taken a chance and looked at High Ball Mary, that everyone behind the pusher had dropped to the floor, that he was using soft-nose bullets. It wasn’t some irresponsible snap decision; he didn’t have any choice. But he said nothing. What the hell, all The Bat cared about was the goddamn bus.
‘This kind of press is disastrous,’ The Bat was saying.
‘Press? For Christ’s sake, what was I supposed to do, kiss his ass and wave goodbye?’
‘I ought to break you. For insubordination alone. I ought to give you six-and-six and put you back ‘where you belong, in a blue-and-white on Auburn Avenue. You’ll never learn, will you? You have no respect for anyone.’
‘Captain, look, it happened too fast. All of a sudden there we were on a bus full of Christmas shoppers and he was bonkers, totally around the bend, threatening to kill kids and all. I had a clean shot and I took it. What the hell else is there to say about it?’
‘Three clean shots, apparently.’
‘Okay, I hit him three times. I didn’t want to take a chance that maybe he squeezes one off and wastes some old lady on the way home to dinner. Ot some kid. I took him Out. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to work?’
Jaspers drummed his desk with his fingers. He glared at Sharky. God, how he despised these young hotshots. Headline hunters.
‘I don’t want any more headline hunting,’ he said.
‘That’s what it’s going down as, hunh? Headline hunting? Everybody’s scared shitless of the papers.’
‘You’ve tried my patience with your insubordination, Sharky.’
‘Captain, I’m asking to be treated fairly. No more consideration than we give to some bum in the drunk tank, that’s what I’m asking for.’
‘I’ll give you hell and call it whatever you want to call it. Right now you’re about as useful to Narcotics as a paraplegic.’
‘I don’t.. .‘ Sharky started to say something and stopped. He stared at the cold eyes. The bottom of his foot began to itch. He tried grinding his foot into the carpet. The itch grew worse. He tried to ignore it. Tears began welling up in his eyes. Christ, he thought, the son of a bitch is going to think he’s got me crying. Sharky sat down, unzipped his boot and pulled it off, frantically scratching the bottom of his fooL His big toe stuck through a hole in his sock.
Jaspers stared at him, appalled.
‘What in God’s name?’ he stammered.
‘My foot itches,’ Sharky said. ‘It’s driving me crazy.’
Jaspers threw the paper in the wastebasket. He stood up and leaned across his desk. ‘Put that shoe on,’ he said. ‘Put it on and stand at attention.’
Sharky put his boot back on and stood up.
‘I’ll tell you what’s going to happen, Sharky. As of eight A.M. today you are no longer attached to the narcotics section. As of eight A.M. you are in Vice.’
Sharky looked at him in disbelief.
‘Vice!’
‘Vice. Report to Lieutenant Friscoe.’
Sharky stared at him for several moments. He looked around the room, struggling to keep his own anger in check.
Sir, will you please just look at my sheet?! think I deserve that much. Eighteen months on the street, eighteen collars, all hard drugs. I dumped eighteen goddamn pushers, one a month, and fourteen got the basket. The DA knows...’
‘Shut up.’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘I said, “Shut up.”
‘Sure. Yes, sir. I’ll just, uh, yeah, keep my mouth shut, sit over there in public library watching the freaks jack off.’
‘Somebody has to do it. You think you’re too good for the Vice Squad, that it?’
‘I got eighteen months out there. That’s got to be worth something to Narcs. Even on a desk I can be a lot of help down there.’
‘You’re lucky I don’t send you over. I’ve busted better men than you for a lot less. I had the mayor on the phone half the night. The commissioner calling me at six-thirty in the morning. What kind of a nut is he? everybody asks. I’m giving you a break. I want you out of sight for a while. No more headlines. No more grandstanding.. Out of my sight. I don’t want to pick up the paper and see your shaggy.. . my God, look at you. When’s the last time you shaved? Had a haircut?’
‘You, uh, there aren’t a lot of dope deals on the make out there for guys in Brooks Brothers suits and Florsheims. Sir.’
