Once Were Cops Read Online Free PDF

me the munchies so I called out for some
    pizza.
    The guy arrived in like jig time and I spotted him a
    five, he looked at me, said, “Cop, right?” I was
    delighted, asked, “How’d you know?” He gave
    that New Yorker look, said, “Cop lives in the
    building, everyone hides their stash.” Then he
    wrinkled his nose, smelling the weed, said,
    “Evidence, huh?” I put my fingers to my lips, made
    the shssssh noise. He was cool, down with it, said,
    “You ever need some decent blow, you gimme a
    call, my name is Jimmy.”
    I asked,
    “Jimmy, how come you think I won’t bust your
    arse?”
    “Ass, you’re in America now, and you’re Irish, the
    Irish don’t give a fuck, see yah.”
    And he was gone, whistling what might well have
    been “Galway Bay” but that was probably the
    weed.
    The pizza was good and I felt wired, good to go,
    good to … boogie.
    I didn’t have a whole lot of clothes so wore a
    white T … whitish, and black 501s, a pair of
    knock-off Nikes and me one sports jacket.
    Whatever else it said, it sure as shite said, he’s not
    on the take.
    A line that would come back to haunt me.
    In my mind, I saw the green rosary … gleaming.
    KEBAR WAS IN THE LOCKER ROOM,
    FEELING PLEASED THE kid had agreed to have
    a brew. He asked himself why it was so important.
    He’d never wanted buddy stuff before. But then,
    nobody had ever saved his life either.
    If the kid hadn’t stepped up to the plate, Kebar
    would be pushing up dirt, and he shuddered:
    What would Lucia do if he was gone?
    Back to the state garbage bins.
    Yeah, he owed and not just for himself, Lucia too,
    so the least he could do was buy the kid some cold
    ones, maybe let him in on stuff that would take
    years to learn.
    Clean the slate.
    He’d never owed before and it was confusing him.
    Plus, fuckit, he liked the kid, who’d have ever seen
    that coming?
    Kebar hadn’t liked anyone in … jeez … when …
    ever?
    The other cops, they gave Kebar a wide berth, you
    bid him the time of day, he growled right back at
    you.
    But the older guys, they didn’t much like him, what
    was there to like, he was a surly mean bastard, but
    they sure as shit respected him, he was your real
    beat cop, a stand-up guy, and he believed in the old
    ways.
    A sergeant, a Polack named Swierzcynski,
    approached Kebar, asked,
    “Got a moment, K?”
    Kebar, who should have been a sergeant long ago
    ‘cept for his attitude, snapped,
    “Make it quick.”
    The sergeant sighed, hard to help this schmuck but
    he tried, said, “You need to watch your back.”
    Kebar stopped, turned, asked, “What’s that mean?”
    The sergeant checked they couldn’t be heard, said,
    “IA is sniffing around you.” Kebar shrugged it off,
    said, “Fuck ‘em, they got nothing on me.”
    The sergeant, knowing he was going way out there,
    said,
    “You got a sister?”
    Kebar was stunned, he’d kept her real hidden,
    asked, “How do you know?”
    The sergeant gave a rueful smile, said,
    “I hear stuff and the word is, she’s in a real fancy
    home …”
    Pause. “A very expensive one.” Kebar was
    thinking, “Fuck fuck fuck.” But he said nothing and
    the sergeant added, “Word is they’re using the kid
    to bring you down.” Kebar couldn’t help it,
    splurted, “That kid saved my ass.” The sergeant
    shook his head, said, “That’s why he’s perfect to
    take you down, you trust him.” Kebar gave a
    grudging thanks and the sergeant said, “Not too
    many good ones left.” Kebar got out of there quick,
    thinking, “Damn kid, he wouldn’t turn, would he?”
    He had to hustle to get to see Lucia before he met
    with the kid. The drive out to Long Island was the
    usual fucking nightmare, and he got there running
    way late so he’d have to cut his time with his sister
    short. Thus preoccupied, he never clocked the tail
    on his ass. And if he had, he’d have been sure it
    was Internal Affairs. He’d have been wrong.
    As he went in, the Chevy pulled in a few