Karen. Have you got that information for Detective Weeks?” She listened, hung up, nodded, said, “She’s bringing it in,” and then folded her arms across her chest, and looked across the room at Ollie.
“Would you guys be interested in a book by a bona fide police officer?” he asked.
Karen looked surprised.
“Would you?” he asked.
“What kind of a book?”
“You know, make-believe.”
“Fiction?”
“Sure, fiction. But by somebody who reallyknows police work, never mind these faggots who make it all up.”
“Who’d you have in mind?” Karen asked.
“Me,” Ollie said.
“I didn’t know you were a writer.”
“You probably didn’t know I play piano, either.”
“I confess I didn’t.”
“Do you like ‘Night and Day’? I can play that for you sometime.”
“It was never one of my favorites.”
“I can even play it with a Latin beat, if you like.”
“I don’t think so, thanks. Why? Do I look Latin?”
“Well, the dark hair and eyes.”
“Actually, my parents were Swedish.”
“So would you be interested?”
“In what?”
“A fictious book about police work? I’ve had lots of experience.”
“Would it have a Latin beat?” Karen asked, and smiled.
“I had more of an American cop in mind.”
“We sell lots of books in the Southwest.”
“What’s that got to do with the price of fish?”
“Large Latino audience,” Karen said, and shrugged.
“I could throw in a few wetbacks, I suppose,” Ollie said dubiously. “But it might ruin the subtle mix.”
“Oh, you already have a mix in mind, is that it?”
“No, but I thought if I could talk to somebody up here, one of your editors …”
“I see.”
“… he could maybe fill me in on your needs, and I could prepare an outline or something. I have to explain something to you, Miss Andersen …”
“Yes, what’s that?”
“If a person is creative in one way, he’s usually creative in another. That’s been my experience, anyway. Take Picasso, you ever heard of Pancho Picasso?”
“Does he write police novels?”
“Come on, he was a famous painter, you heard of him. The point is, he also made pots.”
“I see.”
“What I’m saying is, if you’re creative in one way, you’re creative in another. My piano teacher says there’s no limits to where I can go.”
“Maybe you’ll even play at Clarendon Hall one day.”
“Who knows? So have you got an editor up here I can talk to? Give your company an exclusive look at the book?”
“I’m not sure any of our editors are free just now,” Karen said. “But we may have something you can look at.”
“What do you meanlook at?”
“Something one of our editors may have prepared. Defining our needs. As I said, we don’t publish much fiction …”
“Always room for a bestseller, though, am I right?”
“Always room.”
“You had more bestsellers, maybe your salesmen wouldn’t end up in garbage cans with bullet holes in their
