Unfortunately, before Tyler had a chance to get down to business, his aging Spanish maid entered carrying a large serving tray complete with a carafe of coffee and three cups. She looked expectantly at Tyler and his two guests.
So much for forgoing informality. He had fallen victim to Esmeralda’s practiced efficiency.
Tyler motioned for the pair of police detectives to join him before taking a place on the sofa. His back was to a massive picture window with an expansive view of the Chicago skyline. It was mid-afternoon and the city was cast in crisp detail. Both detectives reluctantly took places on the sofa opposite Tyler. They obviously intend this to be no more of a social call than Tyler.
Moving swiftly, Esmeralda served the coffee in short cups set upon saucers before leaving the carafe at the end of the coffee table between the two sofas. Without a word she exited the room. Quiet, efficient, and never underfoot. Tyler only wished he had thought to mention the expected arrival of his guests and asked her forgo to usual pleasantries.
The officers were veteran Chicago police detectives, and they looked the part. Both dressed in cheap blandly colored suits, one was tall and rail thin with short sandy colored hair while the other might have been 5’ 8” if he wore thickly soled shoes. The short detective must have weighed close to two hundred pounds but he didn’t carry it low on his torso like most overweight men. His girth was evenly distributed between his belt and his chin making him look like a giant billiard ball dressed in drab attire. His prematurely bald pate further contributed to his cue ball like appearance. The tall detective’s name was Marsh and the short one went by, appropriately enough, Stubbs. No joke, you didn’t need Tyler’s eidetic memory to remember a name like that. Still, while he had no trouble with their names, Tyler preferred to think of them as Detective Stretch and Detective Cue Ball.
“What’s the problem?” Tyler asked, anxious to conclude the visit. “I though we had a deal. You said the next time I saw you I should have the rest of the money ready—the job would be done.”
Detective Stretch leaned forward on the couch doing his best to be intimidating in the opulent surroundings of the spacious penthouse living room. “When we do a job, we like to take a close look at the guy doing the hiring. We gotta be sure the job’s on the level.”
The look on the detective’s face implied Tyler was expected to say something even though no question had been asked. Tyler remained silent and looked on expectantly. He knew experienced detectives favored this approach. The idea was to say something pointed before letting the statement hang, waiting to see what the suspect said to fill the silence. It could be very effective, but he wasn’t falling for it.
“ The problem ,” Cue Ball said, finally picking up where his partner left off. “Is that you asked us to provide a service and we agreed, acting in good faith. The problem is that you weren’t on the level with us.”
“Good faith,” Tyler said with a laugh. “Provide a service? You make it sound like I hired you to resurface my dining room floor! I hired you to murder my wife!
“What’s the problem? You’re businessmen. I offered the money and you accepted payment—half down and half upon completion of the job. You took the job and you took the down payment. Now quit screwing around. I want her dead!”
“That’s just it,” Stretch growled through clenched teeth. “You’re the problem. It’s your fancy watch and your penthouse apartment. Your golf club membership and your big investment firm…they’re all bullshit! We did a little digging and none of it stands up!”
Crap , Tyler thought. That wasn’t part of the plan. He hadn’t expected these guys to perform any sort of due diligence let alone dig that far into his life. This life was only a veneer. He hadn’t backstopped his credentials at the
So much for forgoing informality. He had fallen victim to Esmeralda’s practiced efficiency.
Tyler motioned for the pair of police detectives to join him before taking a place on the sofa. His back was to a massive picture window with an expansive view of the Chicago skyline. It was mid-afternoon and the city was cast in crisp detail. Both detectives reluctantly took places on the sofa opposite Tyler. They obviously intend this to be no more of a social call than Tyler.
Moving swiftly, Esmeralda served the coffee in short cups set upon saucers before leaving the carafe at the end of the coffee table between the two sofas. Without a word she exited the room. Quiet, efficient, and never underfoot. Tyler only wished he had thought to mention the expected arrival of his guests and asked her forgo to usual pleasantries.
The officers were veteran Chicago police detectives, and they looked the part. Both dressed in cheap blandly colored suits, one was tall and rail thin with short sandy colored hair while the other might have been 5’ 8” if he wore thickly soled shoes. The short detective must have weighed close to two hundred pounds but he didn’t carry it low on his torso like most overweight men. His girth was evenly distributed between his belt and his chin making him look like a giant billiard ball dressed in drab attire. His prematurely bald pate further contributed to his cue ball like appearance. The tall detective’s name was Marsh and the short one went by, appropriately enough, Stubbs. No joke, you didn’t need Tyler’s eidetic memory to remember a name like that. Still, while he had no trouble with their names, Tyler preferred to think of them as Detective Stretch and Detective Cue Ball.
“What’s the problem?” Tyler asked, anxious to conclude the visit. “I though we had a deal. You said the next time I saw you I should have the rest of the money ready—the job would be done.”
Detective Stretch leaned forward on the couch doing his best to be intimidating in the opulent surroundings of the spacious penthouse living room. “When we do a job, we like to take a close look at the guy doing the hiring. We gotta be sure the job’s on the level.”
The look on the detective’s face implied Tyler was expected to say something even though no question had been asked. Tyler remained silent and looked on expectantly. He knew experienced detectives favored this approach. The idea was to say something pointed before letting the statement hang, waiting to see what the suspect said to fill the silence. It could be very effective, but he wasn’t falling for it.
“ The problem ,” Cue Ball said, finally picking up where his partner left off. “Is that you asked us to provide a service and we agreed, acting in good faith. The problem is that you weren’t on the level with us.”
“Good faith,” Tyler said with a laugh. “Provide a service? You make it sound like I hired you to resurface my dining room floor! I hired you to murder my wife!
“What’s the problem? You’re businessmen. I offered the money and you accepted payment—half down and half upon completion of the job. You took the job and you took the down payment. Now quit screwing around. I want her dead!”
“That’s just it,” Stretch growled through clenched teeth. “You’re the problem. It’s your fancy watch and your penthouse apartment. Your golf club membership and your big investment firm…they’re all bullshit! We did a little digging and none of it stands up!”
Crap , Tyler thought. That wasn’t part of the plan. He hadn’t expected these guys to perform any sort of due diligence let alone dig that far into his life. This life was only a veneer. He hadn’t backstopped his credentials at the
Similar Books
DARK CITY a gripping detective mystery
CHRISTOPHER M. COLAVITO
Natural Consequences
Elliott Kay
Ringworld's Children
Larry Niven
Transvergence
Charles Sheffield
The Animal Hour
Andrew Klavan
Possession
A.S. Byatt
Blue Willow
Deborah Smith
Fragrant Harbour
John Lanchester
Christmas In High Heels
Gemma Halliday