Burying Ben Read Online Free PDF

vacation and the other o n e broke her collarbone in a bike accident. Sorry, babe, I kn o w you need it now.”
    I bristle at his calling m e babe.
    “How’re you doing? Things working out at the P D ? ”
    “I ’ d better go,” I say. “My client ’ s waiting.”
    “Anyti m e. My phone’s always on the hook for you.”

Chapter Four
     
     
    Eddie Ri m b auer is waiting for m e in the hall t h e first day back after his four days off. I’m on m y way to m eet with the supervisor of records. Two of her e m ployees have a cantankerous relationship. They fight over w ho takes the longer c o ffee break and does the least work. Their chronic low-grade anger is affecting the unit ’ s m orale, and though she doesn ’ t say so, I can see the supervisor is worn down as m uch as anyone else having to babysit two grown women in their fifties.
    “Step into my office,” Eddie says and u s hers m e through a stairwell door into an airless, d i m l y lit landing. His eyes are puffy and irritated. “How’d you m ake out with Mr. Safeway ? ” He hooks his fingers behind his belt, on either s i de of his drooping belly, and rocks back o n his feet.
    “Sorry. I hope you understand, but I can ’ t tell you m uch beyond the fact that he kept his appoint m ent and that I’m going to do m y best to help hi m . The details of our conversation are confidential.”
    “I don ’ t want to know if he ’ s screwing h i s m other. All I want to know is what ’ s stressing him out.”
    “To be honest, I think you ’ re being too rough on hi m . I know hu m or is an i m portant way to defuse stress, but from what I saw at that s u icide call – excuse m y bluntness – but I thoug h t your hu m or was over the top. You were hu m iliating h i m .” I’m sweating. I can feel steam rising in my clothes. Eddie is s t aring at m e, his gray eyes glinting like bullets. The edg e s of his ears are tinged with pink.
    “ W hat about his other FTOs, Eddie? Tell m e what they’ve said about him.”
    “That he ’ s the best thing s i nce sliced bread. Everyone likes him because he tries hard. But trying hard doesn’t m ean he can do the job, and they don’t h a ve the balls to tell him that. So they pat him on the back and he shows up for work the next day, fat, du m b, and happy. Thinks he’s acing t h e progra m until he gets to me. And then it ’ s shock city. I give him what he deserves. They don ’ t pay m e to be a rubber sta m p.”
    “I think you’re putting too m uch pressure on hi m .”
    “And you know this how? From your years of experience as a cop? From all those books you wrote in your ivory tower? This is a police department. He has to take pressure. If he wants s y m pathy tell him to look in the d i cti o nary between shit and s y philis . ” The edges of his ears are now fla m ing red.
    “Have you ever asked him why he’s so stressed out ? ”
    “Are you kidding? He doesn’t say a word all day. Cla m s up. Looks at his feet. Ten hours in the cruiser w ith a frigging corpse.”
    “Doesn’t sound easy for either of you. G i ve m e a couple m ore sessions and then I’d like you to join us, see if we can’t sort out your differences.”
    “That’s it?”
    “ W hat were you hoping for ? ”
    “Beats m e. I just wanted to cover all my bases before the chief pulls the plug on the poor sc h muck.” He reaches for t h e door, ope n s it a crack and lets it cl o se again. “ L et m e tell you a couple of things, Doc. For your own good.” The light in the stairwell is murky with dust m otes. “Nu m ber one: that con f identiality crap doesn ’ t fly with cops. We do our jobs out in the open w ith the ACLU on our ass. W e don ’ t have a lot of sy m pathy for shrinks who get to fuck up behind closed doors. Nu m ber two: learn how to m ake yourself useful around here. People are laughing at you behind your back. They think you ’ re a joke. Another bullet point on the c h ief ’ s resu m e. Or his