'Okay, we got about thirty seconds,' Jimmy said. 'I'll set the scene by asking you a couple things, then we go to the calls. You'll need the earphones for the calls.' He looked sort of like a toad, but his voice had the rich timbre that professional voices have. Full of authority.
Brook no insolence. Trust me. The air light went on and Jimmy said,
'This is WKDK, the Thought of Boston, and I'm Jimmy Winston. This hour we'll be talking with a Boston private eye who says there's police cover-up in the Red Rose killings and is here to back it up with fact.
How'd you first get on this case, Mr. Spenser?'
I was looking at Susan. 'Police cover-up,' she mouthed silently, and smiled at me as sweetly as a field of alfalfa.
'I was asked on by the man in charge of the investigation.'
Jimmy looked at his notes. 'That would be Homicide Lieutenant Martin Quirk,' he said. Everything he said sounded like either an accusation or the announcement of World War Three.
'Yes.'
'He's no longer on the case,' Winston said. 'Why are you? You think Washburn's innocent?'
'I don't think Washburn is the Red Rose killer,' I said. 'He looks good for it, and solves everybody's problems if he goes down for it. But I think the genuine article is still walking around loose.'
'Even though the top criminal investigative officials in the Commonwealth are convinced otherwise?'
'Daunting,' I said. 'But yes.'
Jimmy lit a cigarette. It was maybe his fifth since I'd been there.
'You want to solve this,' Jimmy said.
'I want it solved.'
'But wouldn't you rather it be solved by you?'
'So I can make the movie deal and have my picture in People?'
'I can't believe you hadn't thought of that,' Jimmy said.
'Try,' I said.
'You have evidence?' Jimmy said. 'If you do, maybe you could tell us what it is, and maybe explain why neither the chief of police nor the Suffolk County District Attorney's office has it.'
I gave him everything I had except the stuff about Susan and our gang of seven. Jimmy looked disgusted.
'You haven't got anything Lieutenant Quirk didn't have,' he said. 'Time for the phones.' He looked at the small TV screen in front of him and saw six names displayed along with the towns from which they were calling.
'We've got Clara from Boston. Hi, Clara, you're on the Thought of Boston.'
'Hi. Jimmy?'
'Go ahead, you're on the air.'
'Jimmy, I love your show. I wanted to tell you that.'
'Thank you. Do you have a question for our guest?' Jimmy said.
'Yeah. Mr. Spenser?'
'Yes, Clara?'
'You seen the bodies, right?'
'Yes.'
'They were all undressed?'
'Yes.'
'And raped?' Clara said.
'No, not in the traditional sense.'
'Sure they was, he raped them and they ought to castrate the animal is what I say.'
'You say that often, do you, Clara?'
'If they cut 'em off, he wouldn't be raping women and tying them up.'
Jimmy said, 'Thanks, Clara, we'll keep you in mind. We have Ronnie from Reading on the line. Hi, Ronnie, you're on the air.'
'Jimmy?'
'Yeah, Ronnie, you're on the air. Go ahead.'
'Jimmy, I think this whole thing is a media hype, you know.
Incidentally, I love your show.'
'Thank you.'
'I mean, after all, they're only killing each other, you know. I mean, it's not like they were… you know. Let's
