We waited almost another hour before Jackie came home. We heard him first—the squeal of the tires, the angry, impatient growl of the engine. “Helluva way to treat a car like that,” Hennessey said. The Lamborghini roared past in a swirl of dust. It made the turn and went behind the house and into the garage. Jackie came out, looking as he had the first time I’d seen him, like some plastic hero from Muscle Beach. He was a serious bodybuilder: his arms looked like a pair of legs, his chest like a fifty-gallon drum. He had grown himself a mustache and he needed a haircut. The image was formidable, a guy you don’t mess with. He stopped for a moment and looked at the dog, and the anger began again. “Get out of that car!” he shouted, and the woman peeped meekly through the open garage door. “Come on, come on!” Jackie said. She was none too happy about it: I could see that even from where we crouched in the bushes. Jackie grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and pushed her toward the house. They disappeared inside.
We waited. Nothing happened.
“Looks like the ball’s in our court,” Hennessey said.
“Yeah. Let’s go see the son of a bitch.”
We walked down the road to the car; then we drove back and turned into Jackie Newton’s drive, three officers of the law, proper to the bone. We stepped out and started up the walk. You could see the dog even from there, swinging grotesquely from the tree.
“Jesus, look at that,” Nasses said. “You boys see that last night?”
“See what?” I said.
Nasses gave a dry laugh. “Play it that way, then. I’ll help if I can.”
“Translate it for us, Nasses.”
“Don’t ask me to lie to cover your ass. I won’t volunteer anything, but don’t ask me to lie.”
“Ring the doorbell,” I said.
I had my badge pinned to my belt, like some cop on a TV show. I was pumped up: I always was when I was about to face Jackie. I heard him coming. The door opened and he filled the space.
“Mr. Newton?” Nasses said.
Jackie had seen me right off. He looked straight through Nasses and locked eyes with me. He probably didn’t even notice yet that Nasses was black.
“I’m Officer Nasses, Jeffco Sheriffs Department. These gentlemen are from the Denver police. They’d like to ask you a few questions.”
His eyes cut to my badge. Nasses had taken a little involuntary step to one side. There was nothing between Jackie Newton and me but two feet of violent air.
“Hello, Jackie,” I said.
“What the fuck do you want, Janeway?”
“You must be having trouble with your ears. The man just told you, I want to ask you a few questions.”
“You arresting me for something?”
“Maybe.”
“Go fuck yourself. Bust me right now or come back with a warrant.”
“How do you know I don’t have a warrant?”
“If you did you’d use it. Go away, you’re wasting my time.”
He started to close the door. I stepped past Nasses and put my foot in it. I started reading him his rights, thinking maybe it would throw him off, buy me a minute. At least if he slipped and said something, we’d be protected.
He listened, uncertain.
“Where were you last night?” I said.
I drove out on the plains. I was gone all night and, yeah, I had company. I got an alibi for any goddamn thing you want to dream up about last night.“
“Where’s your alibi, Newton? I want to see him.”
“Her, flatfoot, her… my alibi’s a girl.”
“Bring her down.”
“Come back with a warrant.”
Again he tried to close the door. Again I put my foot in it.
“I told you, Newton, you’ve got the right to remain silent. That doesn’t mean you can keep me from a witness. Now bring the girl down here or I’ll have your ass in jail for obstruction of justice.”
It was a bluff and I figured Jackie would know it. He didn’t know it, not for sure. He went and got the girl, who
