“That’s a medical fact—it’s on my service record. Some day it may come in handy, for an insanity plea.”
He seemed on the verge of tears. “How could you go to Giancana with such tissue-thin evidence? This is a bunch of circumstantial bullshit! You suspect these things, Nate, but, Christ, you don’t know them.”
“I know them.”
He slammed a fist on the table and the .38 jumped. “How? How can you be so goddamn sure?”
“It goes back to when you tied up that loose end at Riverview.”
“Huh?”
“You know—when you plugged that moon-faced mother-fucker in the back and in the head, getting even for Bill Drury. When you went all crazy with revenge. ‘This is for Bill!’”
“I…I loved Bill Drury. He was—”
“Like a brother, yeah. But how did you know that guy from Calumet City was one of Bill’s killers? I was the only one who saw them that night in Little Hell—and I didn’t tell you.”
His face went blank.
He swallowed. “You…you figured it, then? At that moment?”
I sighed. “No—too much was going on. I was busy grieving for a poor girl with bad taste in men. You arranged that abduction, didn’t you?…Had those clowns grab Jackie and lure me to Aladdin’s Castle. How you must have laughed when I called you to be my backup!”
He leaned forward, the pockmarked face long with attempted earnestness. “I didn’t laugh, Nate. And…I could have shot you, that night. You know that’s true.”
“No, I don’t think so—you weren’t sure I hadn’t told Lou or somebody else about meeting you, there. Better odds to let me live, and keep me thinking you were on my side, Bill’s vengeance-happy partner cutting down the scum who killed him. Scum you hired, right?”
“…That was Tubbo.”
“Was it? Piece of work, old Tub. Like coming to me with that outrageous offer of fifty grand should I find the Bill Drury papers—the notebooks and tapes…when Tubbo knew all along
“He gave them to me.” O’Conner sounded almost proud of that.
My laugh resonated harshly in the hollow room. “Too bad—you could have sold them for big bucks to the Outfit…only that might have tipped ’em to your role in the murders of Drury and Bas. You even misled those Calumet City boys about the files—when their only real job was to dispose of Mrs. Rocco Fischetti…and me. Pity, to have something so valuable…that you had to get rid of. Did you burn them, Tim? Out in your fireplace?”
He didn’t say anything.
So, for a while, I didn’t say anything.
Then, quietly, Tim said, “So now you’ve told me.”
“Now I’ve told you.”
Eyes tensed, shaking his head, he asked, “Why? Why come here and confront me? Why not just let Giancana take me for a ride?” He searched my face, in desperation.
“Or is this…is this one last expression of a friendship we shared—to give me a few hours to get the hell out?”
I shrugged. “Well, it is out of friendship, in a way. More with Bill, than you. I don’t think I want Annabel to have to suffer further, finding out that her husband’s partner was a greedy psychopath who betrayed him. I thought I’d do you the favor of offering you a graceful way out.”
He reared back. “And what would that be?”
I nodded toward the .38. “Bill Drury’s gun. Your partner’s weapon. Cops kill themselves all the time—ex-cops, too.”
A hollow laugh, an unbelieving grin. “You expect me to pick this gun up, and shoot myself?”
“Yeah.”
“One bullet in it, right?”
“Right.”
“Why wouldn’t I just turn it on you?”
“That’s an option. But you even hint at pointing that gun at me, the gun I’m pointing at you will fire first.”
“I might get lucky.”
“At this table? Anyway, if by some fluke you shot me before I could stop you, Sam Giancana would still finish the job. You’re a dead man, Tim. The question is, how do you want to go out?”
His head almost twisted off, from shaking side to side. “Suicide? Why the hell would I—”
“We can shoot it out right here, and I’ll plead self-defense, and reveal your whole sorry history. Or you can die a tragic police hero, depressed over the death of his murdered partner.”
“I’m a Catholic, Heller. I’m not—”
“You’re an excommunicated Catholic, Tim. And do you really think you’re going anywhere but hell? Jesus is going to forgive
