Revealing the Shadows by D.J. Maughan

Author:D.J. Maughan [Maughan , D.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-22T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter twenty-five

Peter

Peter gets off the bus at Lexington Avenue and Fifty-Second Street. The Seventeenth Precinct, the place he felt he belonged most, is just around the corner. For twenty years, this was his professional home base. Now, looking back, he realizes it meant more to him than anything other than Karen. There, he was like Norm at Cheers. When he walked in, everyone would call out his name. But right now, he’s doing his best to stay out of sight. At least until he gets in the building. He circles the block, heading down Lexington, then up Fiftieth Street, and enters Ess-a-Bagel. It’s a place he knows well. He used to come here a couple times a month. He knows exactly where he wants to sit. He orders tea and sits at the bar facing the exterior windows. He picks a seat pointing toward the police station. From this vantage point, he can see his old partner’s parking spot and the front doors of the precinct.

For the last twelve hours, since talking to Teresa, he’s gone back and forth between doubting and believing what he heard from her. He still can’t believe his friend and former partner was involved in the plot to kill his wife. They were together almost every day for four years. He and Karen had been there when Tony’s kids were baptized. Tony had been in his and Karen’s home numerous times. How could someone do that? Peter had seen enough murder in his life to understand how horrible human beings can be to each other. But those people were strangers. His friends, his partners, couldn’t be like that. Could they?

The evidence is stacked against it, but Peter still holds out hope. Maybe Tony was told to sign off on Kaminski’s investigation without going to the crime scene. Perhaps the other man with him at Teresa’s home forced him to go along. But even as Peter thinks it, he knows he’s being naïve. He saw Tony’s look when he asked for the widow’s address. He knows him too well. He knows the truth. Today he’ll confirm his suspicions.

Peter remains diligent, watching the parking space and the front door. The parking space remains occupied. The vehicle is a Chevy Malibu. Newer than the one Tony drove when they were partners. Peter watches former coworkers and friends file in and out of the building for thirty minutes. Finally, the wait pays off. Tony appears. He says something to Hamby, a cop standing out front smoking a cigarette, walks to his car, and drives away.

Peter takes this as his cue. He walks out of the bagel shop, crosses the street, and enters the precinct. Janet’s on the phone, like always, and doesn’t notice him. People rarely react when things look normal. We’re trained to pay attention to the unexpected. Peter acts like he belongs here. He walks past her and heads down the hallway. He knows his timing is perfect. Most of the detectives are out of the office following leads.

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.