"Robb, J D - In Death 10 - Loyalty in Death (1)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robb J D)

"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Yeah." Ratso brooded into his beer. "He was okay, you know? Word I got is
somebody cut his tongue right outta his head." He lifted his tiny eyes, fixed
them mournfully on Eve. "What kinda person does that shit?"
"It's bad business, Ratso. Bad people. It's not my case," she added. "I can take
a look at the file, but there's not a lot I can do."
"They offed him 'cause he figured out what they was gonna do, right? Right?"
"Yeah, I'd say that follows."
"So you gotta figure out what they're gonna do, right? You figure it out,
Dallas, then you stop them and take them down for doing The Fixer like that.
You're a murder cop, and they murdered him."
"It's not as simple as that. It's not my case," she said again. "If they fished
him out in New Jersey, it's not even my damn city. The cops working it aren't
likely to take kindly to me homing in on their investigation."
"How much you figure most cops gonna bother with somebody like Fixer?"
She nearly sighed. "There are plenty of cops who'll bother. Plenty who'll work
their butt off trying to close the case, Ratso."
"You'll work harder." He said it simply, almost childlike faith in his eyes. And
Eve felt her conscience stir restlessly. "And I can find out shit for you. If
Fixer talked to me some, he coulda maybe talked to somebody else. He didn't
scare easy, you know. He come through the Urban Wars. But he was plenty scared
when he called me that night. They didn't do him that way 'cause they was gonna
take out a bank."
"Maybe not." But she knew there were some who would gut a tourist for a wrist
unit and a pair of airboots. "I'll look into it. I can't promise any more than
that. You find out anything that adds to this, you get in touch."
"Yeah, okay. Right." He grinned at her. "You'll find out who did Fixer that way.
The other cops, they didn't know about the shit he was into, right? Right? So
that's good data I give you."
"Yeah, good enough, Ratso." She rose, dug credits out of her pocket, and laid
them on the table.
"You want me to run down the file on this floater?" Peabody asked when they
stepped back outside.
"Yeah. Tomorrow's soon enough." As they climbed back up to her vehicle, Eve dug
her hands into her pockets. "Do a run on Arlington, too. See what buildings,
streets, citizens, businesses, that kind of thing have that name. If we find
anything, we can turn it over to the investigating officer."
"This Fixer, did he weasel for anybody?"
"No." Eve slid behind the wheel. "He hated cops." For a moment she frowned,
drummed her fingers. "Ratso's got a brain the size of a soybean, but he's got
Fixer down. He didn't scare easy, and he was greedy. Kept that shop of his open
seven days a week, worked it solo. Rumor was he had his old army-issue blaster
under the counter, and a hunting knife. Used to brag he could fillet a man as
quick and easy as he could a trout."
"Sounds like a real fun guy."
"He was tough and sour and would sooner piss in a cop's eye than look at one. If
he wanted out of this deal he was in, it had to be way over the top. Nothing
much would've put this old man off."
"What's that I hear?" Cocking her head, Peabody cupped a hand at her ear. "Oh,
that must be the sound of you getting sucked in."