Rolling Thunder (John Ceepak Mystery) by Grabenstein Chris

Author:Grabenstein, Chris [Grabenstein, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 2012-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

22

“I WISH PETER O’MALLEY WASN’T CONNECTED TO MIKE Charzuk,” says Ceepak as we roll south, heading back to number One Tangerine.

“You think O’Malley is pushing Charzuk to say bad stuff about Big Paddy?”

“Mr. Charzuk insists that such is not the case. So, I will take him at his word.”

I’m driving. Ceepak’s thinking.

I can always tell. He gets this faraway look in his squinty eyes, like he’s back in the turret up top on an armored personnel carrier over in Iraq, hunting unseen enemies.

“Let’s stop at Three Tangerine first, Danny,” he says after a long moment of tire-humming silence.

“Mrs. D’Ambrosio and Puck?”

Ceepak nods. “According to Mr. Charzuk, very powerful men, including Mayor Sinclair, were occasional guests at the so-called Sugar Shack.”

“Mayor Sinclair’s married,” I say. “Three kids.”

“I suspect most of the men fit that same profile.”

Yeah. They’re all cheaters—putting them in direct violation of Ceepak’s honor code.

“Danny, do you remember what Mayor Sinclair said to us on the steps of the stationhouse?”

I’m ready to answer, “Have a sunny, funderful day,” because that’s what the doofus says every time he gets half a chance. But Ceepak fills in the blanks for me:

“‘Let’s not bother the neighbors too much up and down Tangerine Street.’”

“Right! Probably because they’d seen him hanging out where maybe he shouldn’t have been hanging out.”

And I mean that last bit literally.

“Let’s go bother the next-door neighbor,” says Ceepak, a glint in his eye. I think it’s the glint he got when he scoped out a sniper nobody else had seen up in a Baghdad bell tower.

Mrs. D’Ambrosio greets us at her front door in the same bathrobe she was wearing earlier, even though it’s almost ten o’clock at night. She’s cradling Puck in her arms.

“What’s with all the police next door?” she asks.

“The State Police Office of Forensics Sciences is investigating what we believe to be a crime scene.”

“At the frat house?”

“Ma’am?”

“Sorry. That’s what I call it. Some nights, it’s like that movie Gorilla House over there.”

I think she means Animal House.

“Loud parties?” says Ceepak.

“Let’s say boisterous. A lot of high-pitched squeals and giggles from the girls. Very young girls.”

“Have you ever filed a complaint?”

“No. Officer Santa Lucci told me it would be a bad idea.”

“You mean Sergeant Santucci of the Sea Haven Police Department?”

“Is he really a cop?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Huh. He told me he was. Wasn’t in uniform, though. Didn’t have a badge except this thing that said ‘Security.’ My kid has one just like it, only his says ‘Deputy.’”

“When did you talk to Officer Santucci?”

“Two weeks ago. When I first moved in. He told me I was early, that the season didn’t really start till the fourth of July. He was dressed all in black so I didn’t argue.”

He must’ve been working his side job—Italian Stallion Security.

“Anyway, he told me the ‘festivities’ next door at number one would die down at the end of the month, that the house would be rented out to tenants on a week-to-week basis. But, until such time, the police weren’t interested in

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.