Read Good Day to Die for Free Online

hat on. Something she’d already considered. “Can I assume you’re thinking blackmail? That one of our victims recognized a famous john and decided to supplement his earnings?”
    Bingo. She smiled like a little girl contemplating her first Christmas tree.
    “It’s the right place to start.”
    How would she know. One thing about NYPD brass, they never lack for arrogance.
    “What size task force are we looking at here? There’s a lot of ground to cover.”
    “You and me, Means. We’re the task force.”
    I managed a frown and a shake of the head. Despite the fact that my heart was pounding with joy.
    “You can forget about thorough.” I said. “Forget about quick, too. Seven victims … it could go on forever. Unless we get lucky.”
    “Maybe.” Her eyes got that glow again. “But if we succeed, it’s all ours.”
    “Look, Captain, no disrespect intended, but I know what’s in it for you. You’re young, you’re smart, and you’re ambitious. Why not? New York is more than half minority. There’s no reason why you can’t make inspector in a few years. Or chief, if you hang on long enough. A failure here won’t make much difference to your career, especially if you keep the investigation low profile. My problem is that I don’t know if I can take being sent back here again after going out on the street.”
    She snorted, pulling her head back to contemplate me along the length of her nose. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Detective.”
    “Isn’t that why you came to me?” I looked her right in the eye. The hook was set. All I needed to do was land her. “You’re asking me to give my best effort to the longest of long shots. I need to know that I won’t take the heat if we fail. I need to see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”
    “Taking a serial killer off the street isn’t enough for you?”
    “Taking a serial killer off the street is enough for me. I’m not worried about the consequences of success.”
    “You’re worried about the consequences of failure.”
    “You got it, Captain.”
    She finally let herself relax, let her shoulders drop to their normal set and took a deep breath. “You’re not as dumb as you look.”
    I think she was expecting a response, but I had no intention of changing the subject.
    “All right,” she said, “here’s the deal. Win, lose, or draw, I guarantee that you’ll return to regular duties. Maybe it won’t be homicide, where you were before the … the incident. But you will be on the street again. Is that what you want to hear?”
    “That’s it.”
    “There are some conditions, though. Or, actually, one big condition.”
    She paused dramatically and I leaned forward, a half-smile on my lips. Just as if I didn’t know what she was going to say.
    “We work together, Means. You don’t do anything without my personal okay. Nothing. You don’t breathe until you clear it with me. You don’t fart until you clear it with me. Understand?”
    I nodded wisely. “Sure, no problem, Captain.”
    “It’s not a joke, Means. You fuck up here, you’ll never see the streets again. Never.”
    “Damn, you’d think I was a criminal.” It was my turn to pause and her turn to exhibit the great stone face. “Captain, you said we were going to work together. Does that mean on the street, too?”
    “It means everything and everywhere. I don’t want you out of my sight.”
    “Sounds like you’re ready to move in with me.”
    “I’ll be knocking on your door in the middle of the night. You can count on it.”
    “Bed checks? Are we in summer camp?” I tried to smile, but the truth was that I was pissed off again. If I wanted out of the lab, I was going to have to kiss her butt until she got bored and went back to her desk. Well, maybe I could wake her up a little bit. Show her how the other half—the street half—lives. Even if it wasn’t exactly in my own best interest.
    “No, Means,” she said without blinking, “it isn’t summer camp.