Keegan 00 Soft Case Read Online Free PDF Page A

possible.”
    I went to open the passenger door to the car, and Rick gave me a look. “You’re gonna finish that before you get in, right?” he asked, referring to the smoldering Marlboro danging from my mouth.
    “For you, anything.” I flicked the cigarette into the street and got into the car. The ride back to the city was quiet, which I enjoyed. I got the feeling that quiet was a luxury I wouldn’t be able to enjoy for a while
    Three
    Sleep didn’t come too easily that night. The bed felt warm, and a slick layer of sweat formed on my body. The temperature in the room wasn’t too bad, but my mind was racing, taking my heart along for the ride. I wanted to get to sleep so I could leap forward to the morning. By then, the media would be all over the situation, most likely camped out in front of the precinct. I didn’t like that, but it excited me. I was about to be thrust into a huge media blitz, make television appearances, and possibly even get a spot on Letterman. Well, at least something like that.
    When I got up, which was about 7AM, my head felt like one huge cloud. I hadn’t rested. The sleep I’d gotten had done more damage than good. I went through the morning procedure of showering, shaving, and getting into the last clean suit I had. It was a brown one, from Macy’s, made of a fairly expensive wool. The shirt I had didn’t go with the suit. It was a white oxford from The Gap, and the tie, a floral pattern my mother gave me years before, only worsened the situation. Still, I looked better than most of the bozos at the station, which wasn’t saying much, but comforted me nonetheless.
    Rick called after I got dressed, and was waiting downstairs in a Mercury unmarked car at the comer. He was nice enough to have a black coffee and buttered roll waiting for me when I got into the car. He seemed chipper, which was a common state for him, only more so that morning, like he’d slept like a baby the night before. I hated him for that.
    “Ready to roll?” he asked.
    “As ready as I’m going to be.”
    “Nice suit.”
    “Wiseass.”
    “No, I mean it.
    “Just shut up and drive.”
    We drove toward the station, through the morning traffic and drizzle. It wasn’t cold, maybe around 50, but there was a dampness to the air that ran right through you. I’m not a weather person, meaning that whether it is raining, sunny, or snowing, I am unaffected by what Mother Nature is doing. That day, however, the dreary weather got to me. Probably because I was tired and cranky, and I had Mr. Sunshine sitting next to me. Fun.
    “I spoke to Coltrain late last night,” he said to me.
    “Yeah.”
    “No sign of a heart attack. No present illnesses. The man was of sound health.”
    “Not surprising. It could still have been an accident of some sort.”
    “I don’t think you believe that.”
    “I don’t believe anything right now.” I didn’t.
    “I also spoke with Geiger. He’ll be speaking to the judge first thing, to get that search warrant.”
    “That would help.”
    “You cranky today?”
    “Not especially.”
    Rick rolled his eyes. “This should be fun.”
    “Have you heard anything about the wife, kids?”
    “They were in the Bahamas. I believe they’re flying back today.”
    “We might want to have a chat with Mrs. Mullins.”
    “I figured that.”
    We got to the station, and my premonition about a media frenzy was dead on. Rick averted them, pulled into the lot, and we entered through the back entrance, where said reporters didn’t think to park themselves. Before we got halfway down the hall, Geiger intercepted us.
    “You two are in for a hell of a day. I’ve already heard from the mayor and several of Mullins’ people, wanting to make sure the case is handled by able men. Oh, and a few senators called, to express their interest.”
    “How nice of them. Doubt it was anyone I voted for.”
    “I thought you didn’t vote,” Rick said.
    “Exactly.”
    “I’m working on that warrant, and I