Robert Charrette - Arthur 01 - A Prince Among Men Read Online Free PDF

suit on the left.
    "Yup."
    The guy held out a reader. "Would you please read your statement?" Charley did so. "Is there anything you would like to add?" Charley shook his head as he handed the reader back. "Anything you would like to alter?"
    "Nope."
    "This is a serious investigation, Officer Gordon. Your superiors have promised complete cooperation. I do not believe that you understand the gravity of the situation."
    "Damn straight."
    "Your levity is not appreciated, Officer Gordon."
    Too bad. You don't own the country. You don't own me. "I don't much appreciate being told to hang around here in the cold."
    "We would appreciate your cooperation."
    "I've been cooperating by hanging around out here, and you're acting like I'm the one putting you out."
    "This is a serious investigation, Officer. We have no interest in wasting our time, or any citizen's time for that matter. I am sure that we all will be quite happy to get on to other things."
    The sooner the better. "Look. If you got specific questions, ask them."
    The suit looked as though he'd bitten into a lemon. A real one, good and sour. When he asked it, his question sounded more like a statement. "You saw no one near the body, nothing out of the ordinary."
    "A bloody corpse on a mountain road is not ordinary. Leastwise when it's not a deer."
    "Quite. I meant to ask if you saw anything unusual that might be related to the killing." "Nop e."
    "The report you gave was very clear, but totally lacking in supposition. You are a police officer and surely you have some observations concerning the crime. Some thoughts."
    More all the time. "I found the body, but I'm off duty."
    "You are a police officer, are you not?"
    "I'm on leave, and even if I wasn't, this isn't my jurisdiction. I reported the find like a good citizen, and like a good citizen, I'm content to leave the investigation to the local law officers. I have plenty to do back home."
    "Ah, yes. You are involved in the Barrington slasher-killer investigation, are you not?"
    "Peripherally."
    "You found one of the bodies in that case as well."
    "Yup."
    "Do you see any connection between the two?"
    Other than dead bodies? "Different killer."
    "You are sure of this?"
    He'd thought so. Now? Maybe not. "Got no evidence. You're the boys been collecting that."
    "Quite. Do you have any supposition concerning—"
    Sorli interrupted him. "Are you related to the victim?"
    Just before Charley turned his eyes to the shrimp, he caught a flash of annoyance on the suit's face. Discord in the ranks? Sorli either didn't notice or didn't care; he stared at Charley with a hard expression. His dark eyes glinted coldly above his bearded cheeks.
    The question didn't make any sense to Charley, but he answered anyway.
    "Never saw him before."
    "You are sure?" the suit prompted.
    "Yup."
    Sorli's flinty eyes stayed on Charley for a moment. Then he seemed to sink into himself, thinking. After a while he mumbled something. It sounded like, "These things are often tied together."
    Tied together, huh? "What things?"
    Sorli stared up at him, clearly irritated. The shrimp probably thought he hadn't spoken aloud. Interesting. The annoyance in Sorli's voice made his words sound like concrete blocks grinding together.
    "You are a conscientious man, Officer Gordon. It is a quality that I appreciate. I am also told that you are lucky and inquisitive. Stay lucky. Don't be inquisitive."
    "Why not?"
    "If you are lucky, you won't find out."
    The shrimp turned his back on Charley and headed for the Swingjet. Several of the suits filed after him. The one doing the interrogation said, "That will be all, Officer Gordon," before following the others.
    For once, John was glad that Coach wasn't present for the Tuesday night practice. Lack of corporate interest in fencing meant a lack of funding as well, and the team had to practice when none of the other teams wanted school facilities, which wasn't very often. They had to make do where they could, which meant shifting