Read Shades of Blue for Free Online Page B

kid.”
    “Yeah, way too young for an old guy like you,” Coop’s ever present smirk expanded to a grin.
    A waitress, tall and blond with the hard look, I suppose, of too many sour experiences, comes over. “What’ll it be boys?” She smiles at Coop and refills his coffee cup.
    Coop grins. “How ya doin’, Darlene? How’s your boy?”
    “He’s great, finally doing well in school and—”
    “Look, can I just get some fucking coffee? You two can stroll down memory lane some other time, okay?”
    “Whoa, Sport,” Coop says. They both stare at me. “I’ll have the special and my rude friend will have some fucking coffee, I guess.”
    I shake my head and look at her. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I’ll have the special too, whatever it is.”
    “Sure,” Darlene says, dismissing me curtly and walking away.
    Coop continues to study me. “So what’s going on with you?”
    “This.” I take out the note and photo from Cal, and slide them across the table. “I found those when I was going through Cal’s things at the house yesterday. That is Cal’s writing.” Coop studies them both for a minute.
    “Where did you find them?”
    “Taped to the bottom of a dresser drawer.”
    Coop looks up to see if I’m joking, sees I’m not. “Well, that’s original.” He looks at the note. “That’s what he means by not thinking creatively, huh?”
    “I guess.” I watch him study both items. “Well?”
    Coop shrugs. “Well what? I don’t know what to make of it but it’s obviously something he wanted you to have, or…” He stops, looking away for a moment then back to the note. “It’s like, he wanted you to find it but if you didn’t, that would be okay too. You know what I mean?” Coop looks up at me then. “How about you. Any ideas?”
    “I’m not sure.” I watch Coop look, his face creasing into a frown. He’s studied hundreds of crime scene photos and I’m hoping he sees something I don’t.
    “It’s like a half-hearted confession about something. He knows he’s dying, gets a conscience. Maybe somewhere along the line Cal had a child. I don’t think this is just some girl he just met who happened to have a baby with her. Look how his hand is on the handle of the carriage.” He leans over squinting at it and points to the photo.
    I look again and realize I hadn’t noticed it before.
    “And he keeps it all these years. Why? Unless the baby in there is important.” Coop looks up at me. “His baby?”
    “Cal never mentioned being married, much less becoming a dad.”
    “Maybe he couldn’t tell you.” Coop suddenly sits up straight. “Jesus, maybe that’s you. Maybe you’re that baby in the carriage.”
    I shake my head. “Yeah right, and my mother is Lena Horne. Come on. My parents live outside of Boston. Richard and Susan Horne. You know them.” But even as I say the words a tiny flicker of doubt seeps into some corner of my mind. Why? Where is that coming from? I brush it aside quickly. No, I know who my father is and it is not Calvin Hughes.
    “But why not just leave it with the other papers, with the lawyer?”
    “Good question. Maybe he wanted you to find it. In his mind, he gave it a try and you an option.”
    “C’mon, Coop. If you found something like that would you just tear it up and throw it away without looking ?”
    Coop sighs. “No, but then I’m a cop. But Jesus, this could be anything.”
    “Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s say he has a child somewhere. Maybe he was married, maybe he wasn’t. He wants me to track her down, help her, give her money, whatever. Why wouldn’t he leave more information, some place to start?”
    Coop looks at me again, his voice is slow and measured. “Because he knows if you found this, you’d already know where to start. You just haven’t figured it out yet.”
    “Thanks, Coop. That helps a lot.”
    Darlene brings our coffee then. She avoids looking at me but still has the big smile for Coop. “Be right back with