Final Justice: A Tex Hunter Novel by Peter O'Mahoney

Author:Peter O'Mahoney [O'Mahoney, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Roam Free Publishing
Published: 2024-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25

Even as the clock approached rush hour on Thursday, there weren’t many people on the usually busy streets of Chicago. Most had heeded the weather warnings and stayed indoors. Light snow was falling, covering the streets in a soft white haze.

Hunter stepped out of his building, hailed a cab, and climbed into the warm back seat. The driver complained about driving through the snow and how tough it was to avoid accidents. Hunter agreed and gave the driver directions. Fifteen minutes later, they reached Portillo’s in River North. Hunter tipped the driver well and then hurried inside. He found Ray Jones near the entrance. They greeted each other with a solid handshake and then went to the counter to order food.

Portillo’s in River North served one of the best Chicago-style hot dogs in the city. The dimly lit restaurant was full of eclectic character and charm, with numerous pieces of memorabilia from Chicago’s famous sports teams lining the walls. Hunter’s mouth salivated as he took in the smells of the hotdogs filling the air. The restaurant was always busy, with lines fifteen people deep, and the chatter of the crowds almost drowned out the person yelling out order numbers. After placing their orders and receiving their meals, the two men went upstairs and sat next to the window, tucked away from the noisy crowds.

Hunter bit into his Chicago-style hotdog—a frankfurter in a poppy seed bun, topped with yellow mustard, pickle relish, white onion, tomato slices, a dill pickle, and celery salt. As the flavors exploded in his mouth, he made a sound of deep appreciation. It was just about perfect.

As they ate, the two men talked about the weather.

“I got lost in a snowstorm in Wisconsin once,” Jones said. “It was such a thick white-out that I couldn’t see anything until another car drove by. I followed it, tailing his rear lights. After about five minutes, the other car stopped without warning, and I crashed into the back of it. I jumped out and started yelling at the guy for stopping in the middle of the road. The other guy agreed you shouldn’t stop in the middle of the road but then wondered what I was doing in his garage.”

Hunter laughed, and they talked a while longer about the approaching snowstorm until Jones turned the conversation to the current case. “Any further thoughts on the defense strategy?”

“I’ve received an updated witness list from the prosecution.” Hunter wiped his mouth as he finished his hotdog.

“Any surprises?”

“Not a surprise, but it could present an opportunity. Kurt Conway was added to the prosecution list. His witness statement indicates that he’ll testify about his dating life with Anna, but the prosecution should recognize it as a risk. They must be hiding something.”

“Interesting.”

“Agreed. Conway remains a good candidate for third-party culpability. He’s dodgy, had a motive, and a history of angry outbursts. If they put him on the stand, his connections in the force make it easy to talk about corrupt cops in Chicago. That’s a story everyone is going to believe.

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