Lush Life (2008) by Richard Price

Author:Richard Price [Price, Richard]
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2010-12-19T00:41:39.531000+00:00

Chapter Five.

WANT CARDS

The call from Kenny Chan, a Robbery sergeant in the Ninth, came to Matty as he was handing a blowup of Billy Marcus's driver's license photo to the daytime bartender at Kid Dropper's.

"Mr. Matty, we picked up one of your guys this morning off the Want Cards, Shawn Tucker?"

"Who?"

"Tucker, goes by the tag Blue Light? Got ratted out by his partner on a robbery."

"My Want Card?" Not remembering. "Who's the partner?"

"Which robbery? We ran some lineups, got three hits on Tucker so far, but the vies are all describing a different second guy. Apparently ol' Blue Light's democracy in action, just grabs whoever's around, takes whatever's handy, gat, knife, stick, tomahawk, says, 'Let's snatch a head,' and off they go. We have seven more vies on their way in, it's like we're having a clearance sale with this douche. You want to wait until we're done or you want to talk to him now?"

"Wait. Let him rack up all the hits first."

"Actually one of the vies is from your neck of the woods."

"Yeah?"

"Old Chinese guy, Ming Lee?"

"Who?"

Hang on." Muffling the phone to talk to someone, then, "Sorry. Ming Lam," then, "Fenton Ma says to say hello."

Matty had no idea who this Blue Light was, but with at least one of the comparable victims off the All Sheets having made a positive ID, Matty was desperate now to have Eric Cash eyeball this guy-a lineup, a photo array, a drive-by, anything-and so he finally called Danny the Red to make a behind-the-DA's-back plea for cooperation. He got a recorded greeting, first in Spanish, then English.

"Danny. Matty Clark. Call me. Please." Assuming that he wouldn't.

Hoping for a second Blue Light hit, he called the Israeli flamingo, Avner Polaner. Another machine: "If you are calling for information on the Stop Berkmann's Coalition, please go to the Sanaa Deli at 31 Rivington Street and ask for Nazir or Tariq. If you are calling to speak to me personally, Avner Polaner, I will be in Tel Aviv until the end of the month."

Nothing. Matty thought for a moment, then remembered Harry Steele; time to call in his marker.

"I need your help with somebody."

"Who's somebody."

"Eric Cash. He needs to get over himself. I assume you know what I'm talking about."

"Do you remember where I live?"

"The synagogue?"

"Come by in an hour. No. Hour and a half. That would be brilliant."

"What do you mean 'brilliant'?"

"It's just an expression."

"Who the fuck is Blue Light?" Matty asked Yolonda as they took the elevator, reeking of cleaning solvent, to the Robbery Squad on the third floor of the Ninth Precinct.

"Blue Light's True Life," she said. "Albertina Einstein got his name wrong. I put out the Want Card last night."

In the hallway outside the squad room, Ming Lam sat doubled over on a bench, his face freeze-dried with agitation. Fenton Ma, one arm draped possessively across the backrest, sat at his side, looking fiercely proud of himself.

When Lam saw Matty and Yolonda walking towards him, he nearly growled.

"This guy, Tucker, they're throwing away the key on him, right?" Ma said loudly.

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