The Damage Done by P J Parrish

Author:P J Parrish [Parrish, P J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732086746
Publisher: Our Noir Publishing
Published: 2018-09-08T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Louis had left Bushman’s office a message that he would stop by to get the PI surveillance report, and he had expected Bushman would either leave it for him with the security guard or not show at all, intending to hold out for a warrant.

But Bushman was waiting for him in the lobby. He wore a purple John Lennon “Imagine No Religion” T-shirt and had an unlit cigarette stuck over one ear, a neon-green file folder in his hand. Except for a sleepy guard at the reception desk, the lobby was deserted, and it took Louis a moment to remember it was Saturday. Downtown Detroit had a way of emptying fast once the work week was over.

“You’re late, detective,” Bushman said as Louis approached.

“Five minutes,” Louis said. “Is that the file?”

“Yeah,” Bushman said. “It’s all yours.”

Louis held out his hand.

“You could express some appreciation,” Bushman said.

“For what?”

“For me not making you guys jump through a shitload full of legal hoops to get this.”

Louis wanted to grab the folder and hit the road. All the way down from Lansing, he’d thought about Steele and cracked jugs and the five cold cases on the bulletin board. He didn’t need any crap from this blowhard.

“Just give me the file. It’s been a long morning.”

Bushman thrust the neon green folder out. Louis snatched it and started to turn away.

“You know,” Bushman called after him, “that kind of attitude is exactly why law-abiding folks in this city don’t like you guys. You cops are so full of yourselves you taste your own shit when you burp.”

Louis stopped and drew a breath before he turned. He stepped back to Bushman. The radio jock’s face was florid in the streaky light and his breaths, heavy with cigarette smoke and phlegm, rasped softly in the quiet marble lobby.

“Yeah, okay, thanks,” Louis said. “You saved me a lot of time. Good enough?”

Bushman nodded. “I got something else for you.”

“What?” Louis asked.

“I got a strange phone call yesterday afternoon to my talk show,” Bushman said. “I believe you might be interested in it.”

“Why?”

“I think it might have to do with Jonas’s murder.”

Now Bushman had his attention. “Okay. Talk.”

“So, I’m on the air,” Bushman said. “It was an open mic show, where people call in and talk about whatever they want. Those shows attract a lot of weirdos. You wouldn’t believe the nut jobs I get. People think—"

“Get to the point,” Louis said. “Please.”

“Okay, okay,” Bushman said. “So, my screener takes a call and, like always, he asks her what she wants to talk about. She says she wants to ask me what happens to an atheist’s guilt.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, you know how it goes,” Bushman said. “Christians commit sin and they ask Jesus for forgiveness and voilà, their conscience is clean. This woman wanted to know how do people who have no savior alleviate their guilt? Like, who do non-believers pawn our sins off on?”

“All right, I get you. Go on.”

“So, my screener says okay, sounds good, and he puts her on hold while we finish the calls before her,” Bushman said.

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