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was one of the perks of being connected, of being with a crew.
    Garvin’s was where Doc liked to take our noon breaks, no matter what time of day it really was. We could afford better, like at those overpriced theme hamburger joints
    that cost you $8.95 for some browned ground chuck, but Gibron liked the brats and the Polish sausage and I never argued with him because there was something about the smelly-assed environment in Garvin’s that appealed to me after all these years. I had never taken my children to Garv’s. It was a male bar — except on weekend nights when the softball players dragged their wives and girlfriends (sometimes simultaneously) in here for an aftergame brew.
    Garvin limped toward us. The leg was courtesy of the Nazis at the Battle of the Bulge. Old man Garvin had fought with Patton, but I thought Patton was the weak sister of the two.
    He took our order and limped away.
    ‘So, Jimmy. What’s the order of business today? Huh? What do you wanna know from your coz that won’t get me dumped in the fuckin’ Lake with concrete in my wingtips?’
    ‘You been reading about the murders of those two women? You know, the ones who were what they called ‘mutilated’, down by Lakeshore Drive?’
    ‘Yeah. I think I recall readin’ about it. But you know we don’t kill fuckin’ civilians, Jimmy P. It is bad business. I’m not talkin’ out of school or nothin’, but you know I don’t get involved in no shit like killin’s. I’m small-fry, cousin. You know me.’
    ‘I’m talking about some guy who might be marketing some real expensive goods. Like internal organs.’
    Doc belched on his Diet Sprite, and then he excused himself to Billy with a grin.
    ‘Oh man, I don’t know about nothin’ like that. You know how the crew is. They steal shit. They love stealin’ shit. You know. Stuff at airports, trucks, trains. They like hoos and drugs ... But killin’ women for their hearts and kidneys and shit? I don’t know, Jimmy P. Sounds like some freelancin’ business to me. It was too, whatchoocall, ‘high-profile’. These city crews don’t like fuckin’ headlines. They like the dark. This is too fuckin’ bright.’ 
    ‘Your mama ever wash your mouth out?’ Doc grinned at Billy.
    ‘Jesus Christ, Doc. How come you’re always on my ass?’
    Doc went back to his brat, now that Garvin had brought the food and limped off down the bar again.
    ‘Nah, Jimmy. I don’t see this thing as our kinda thing . Cos a nostr a , ya know?’
    ‘Keep your ears open, Billy. There could be a few bucks in it for you if you help me out.’
    ‘I’m not a rat, Jimmy P. I don’t mind helpin’ you when it don’t hurt me, but I ain’t no fuckin’ rat — excuse my fuckin’ French, Doc,’
    ‘This guy’s done two women, Billy,’ Doc told him. ‘He cut them open like a couple of fish and left them sprawled out naked. He gutted them like you’d tear open an animal. Then he carved out their insides and took off like the weasel he is.’
    Billy Cheech looked down at his Polish sausage and at his beer with a look of disgust on his swarthy Sicilian face.
    ‘Look. I hear anything, I’ll let you know, cousin,’ Ciccio told me. ‘I suddenly lost my fuckin’ appetite,’ he growled toward Doc. ‘I better get back to work.’
    Doc smiled at him and suddenly clapped him on the shoulder.
    ‘A member of a crew with a weak stomach. A new wrinkle,’ Gibron teased. ‘Sit back down and finish your lunch. Your boss isn’t likely to call time on you ... We could use your help, Billy Cheech.’
    My cousin looked my partner in the eyes, and then he sat down quietly and finished his meal.
    *
    Natalie was ready for the streets. That was what she told me after she finished her prep tours. I was at her graduation from the Academy with my mother, my two kids, and with Natalie’s mother from Sioux City, Iowa. Her father died ten years ago. This was her whole family now, she said as she hugged me after the ceremony. She