Lieberman's Choice Read Online Free PDF

show he was clean.
    â€œDrop the pants.”
    â€œIt’s not a pretty sight,” said Lieberman.
    â€œI think I’ve seen worse,” said Shepard.
    In the darkness behind the concrete block barricade under the water tower, a dog growled sullenly.
    â€œSatisfied?” asked Lieberman, pulling his pants up and fastening his belt.
    â€œIt’s going to take a lot to satisfy me,” he said.
    Shepard looked calm, which might be a good or bad sign.
    â€œYou look like you’re planning a long night,” said Lieberman, nodding at the barricade.
    â€œAnd a long day,” said Shepard. “We can kick it around awhile Lieberman, but this is no shitcan. Your perp is standing in front of you confessing. Now, are you going to insult me by trying to talk me down?”
    â€œDepends on what I risk by trying. It’s nice up here.”
    Shepard looked around and at the moon.
    â€œPeaceful at night,” he said.
    â€œYou’re going to get more people killed, Bernie. That what you want?”
    â€œWhat I want I’ll tell you. Now, I want you to look around. See the yellow circle on the water tower?”
    Lieberman looked up at the water tower.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œI’m going to stay where I can see it,” explained Shepard. “A shot from anything, handgun, shotgun, anything that hits that yellow spot will light us up all the way to the Michigan shore and turn this neighborhood into a people’s rubble park.”
    Shepard had lowered the shotgun slightly so that it was no longer aimed at Lieberman, but both men knew how quickly it could come up and how much damage it could cause.
    â€œI told you I believe you.”
    â€œBut I want you to make them believe.”
    â€œI’ll tell them.”
    â€œNow, you’ve got five minutes to say what you want to say,” said Shepard, looking at his watch.
    â€œYou’ve got a case,” said Lieberman. “You come home unexpectedly, wife’s in bed with a fellow cop. Maybe he goes for his weapon. You—”
    â€œYou believe that?” asked Shepard.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œYou think a jury will believe it?”
    Lieberman looked at the setup under the water tower.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWhy don’t you suggest we go for temporary insanity? Cop driven over the edge by the knowledge that his wife is cheating on him.”
    â€œMight go over,” said Lieberman.
    â€œIt’s not the truth, Abe.”
    â€œMaybe it is and you don’t know it, Bernard.”
    â€œI don’t want an out. I don’t want to walk out of here in cuffs. I want Channel Four up here in the morning. It’s getting late. Think it’s time for you to go.”
    Shepard moved from the door, raised his shotgun again, and said, “You pull the bar away, open it, and go down.”
    â€œWe’ve got to stop you, Bernie,” said Lieberman, doing what he was told.
    â€œYou’ve got to try,” Shepard countered.
    Lieberman got the bar off and opened the metal door. It wasn’t easy. Below him he could see Bill Hanrahan and the sniper. He took a step down and the door clattered shut behind him.
    â€œWhat the hell is going on here?” Hanrahan called up the stairwell as Lieberman came down.
    An answer suggested itself to Lieberman, but it wasn’t time, nowhere near time, to let it out. He took his jacket and weapon back from his partner and went through the door leading back to the elevator.
    The situation was bad, but by the time Hanrahan and Lieberman hit the street, it was much worse. Kearney had parked a block south and come through a backyard and an alley. He had heard the report of sniper fire from the roof.
    Lieberman and Hanrahan were just coming through the front door of the Shoreham when Kearney stepped in front of them.
    â€œI want the area clear for at least three blocks in all directions, right up to the lake. And find someplace for a command post, someplace