Rough Justice Read Online Free PDF

“I’ll bet your dog food sold like blazes.”
    â€œTop of the line, Johnny,” she told me. She smiled wanly. “Now, how you gonna make me look good today?”
    I rubbed my chin. I gazed into those gray eyes. I didn’t know—I couldn’t tell—what was going on behind them.
    â€œYou need an ally out there,” I said.
    â€œI do.”
    â€œYou could use me that way. Give me nothing.”
    â€œI could.”
    â€œThen you might make it look like I’ve sold out.”
    â€œI might, that’s true.”
    Still those eyes, those smart eyes of hers, didn’t waver.
    â€œIf I find one perky word in any of my stories, I’ll come after you with a blowtorch,” I said.
    â€œI’ll be waiting. Now what’ve you got?”
    I watched her, studied her. She still didn’t give an inch, didn’t reveal anything. I laughed. “All right. I’ve got a cop.”
    â€œI like that. Good. One cop?”
    â€œYes, but a very big one. And a very dirty one. A lieutenant named Tom Watts.”
    â€œA lieutenant, yeah, good.”
    â€œA few years back he was a captain named Tom Watts, only then I found out he’d turned an entire precinct into a drug operation.”
    â€œSon of a bitch.”
    â€œI wrote a bunch of stories about it, but I never could nail him directly.” I got to my feet and paced up and down in front of Emma’s desk. She watched me, half-smiling, her eyes sparkling. “Watts didn’t much like being broken, though. So one day he picked me up. On a pretense. For questioning. And he beat the shit out of me.”
    â€œOooh, bad move.”
    â€œI promised—I promised I’d have his badge for that.”
    â€œGood. Good. And now …”
    I stopped pacing. I leaned on her desk, looking down at her. She looked up at me. I could see her red sweater rise and fall with her breath.
    â€œAre you dicking me around, lady?”
    â€œYou won’t know until you try me, will you?”
    â€œFifteen years ago, Tom Watts helped some mobsters kill an informer. They buried him alive.”
    The half-smile vanished from her face. “Have you got that solid?”
    â€œI’ve got it awfully good. A deathbed confession from a cop who was in on it. They’d admit it as evidence in a court of law.”
    â€œIf this is just a vendetta …”
    â€œIt’s a vendetta, all right. He sucker-punched me.”
    â€œI want it solid, John. That’s all I ask.”
    â€œGive me a day. It’s an old case. No one will beat us. Give me till tomorrow, tops.”
    â€œI want it solid,” she said, “because if the mob thought they could buy a cop, there must have been more than one …”
    â€œThat’s it. That’s it.” I smiled at her. “There’ll be cops all over us.”
    Slowly, as she looked up at me, a flush rose into the managing editor’s round cheeks. It was a nice color. It went with the sweater. She stood too. She held her hand out again. I took it. It was very warm. It was almost hot.
    â€œThere could be hell to pay,” I told her.
    â€œSo I’ll pay hell.”
    â€œBy tonight, Watts’ll know I’m after him.”
    â€œLet him know.”
    â€œThe cops could go silent on us. The commissioner could call upstairs. He’s friends with Bush.”
    â€œThat’s my job to think about. You let me do my job. You just be good to me, Johnny.”
    â€œThink perky,” I said.
    â€œFuck perky,” said Emma Walsh. “I want to make this a newspaper.”
    I went to the door. I felt a little rush of blood go through me.
    â€œI’m gonna thank you for it,” I said.

4

    â€œHow was she?” McKay was right where I’d left him. And Lansing was perched on the cabinet again.
    â€œDon’t you people have desks?” I asked.
    â€œWe were hoping to get your desk,” said Lansing.