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A Stroke Of Midnight :: Гамильтон Лорел
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“Politics is politics, Major, and I was raised in the thick of it.” I sat on the edge of the desk and tried to get my shoulder to loosen up. The injured muscles had tightened sometime during the interview with the queen. Funny that, but now my arm ached, and that wasn’t funny, at all. Of all the things I missed with being part human, not healing instantly was one of the biggest envies I had. “I need a cop, Major Walters, not a politician. I need someone who understands that my crime scene is aging even as we speak. That valuable evidence may be getting contaminated right this minute. I need someone who will worry more about solving this mess than the political ramifications of it. I think you’re that man, and now that your political star runs beside mine, you are doubly motivated.”
“What makes you so sure of that? What makes you think I won’t cut my losses and run for the hills?”
I thought about that, and said, “The look in your eyes yesterday at the airport when you were angry with having to share leadership with Barinthus. The fact that you showed anger to me now on the phone rather than trying to toadie to me. I wasn’t sure with a rank as high as major, but you’re more cop than politician, Walters. And if you knew how little I like politics, you’d know what a compliment that is.”
“You seem pretty good at politicking for someone who doesn’t like the game.”
“I’m good at a lot of things that I don’t enjoy, Major Walters. As I’m sure you are.”
Silence again. “If we don’t solve this, my ass is grass, and no amount of confidence shown in me, by you or anyone else, will save it.”
“And if we solve it…” I said.
He laughed, a deep chuckle. “Then I’ll be the department’s shining star, and the executives will be climbing over themselves to give me an even bigger salary. Yeah.”
“Are you my man, or do I pretend that I didn’t make this call?”
“I’m your man.”
I smiled. “Good. You start making calls, and get me some CSU out here as soon as possible.”
“What do I tell the Chief about why you’re letting us into your precious faerie land?” he asked. Oh, yeah, he was definitely a better cop than politician.
“Explain that whoever did this has diplomatic immunity, but we are allowing this investigation to happen out of our mutual desire for cooperation and justice.”
“You want the bastard who did it, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Politics is politics, Major, and I was raised in the thick of it.” I sat on the edge of the desk and tried to get my shoulder to loosen up. The injured muscles had tightened sometime during the interview with the queen. Funny that, but now my arm ached, and that wasn’t funny, at all. Of all the things I missed with being part human, not healing instantly was one of the biggest envies I had. “I need a cop, Major Walters, not a politician. I need someone who understands that my crime scene is aging even as we speak. That valuable evidence may be getting contaminated right this minute. I need someone who will worry more about solving this mess than the political ramifications of it. I think you’re that man, and now that your political star runs beside mine, you are doubly motivated.”
“What makes you so sure of that? What makes you think I won’t cut my losses and run for the hills?”
I thought about that, and said, “The look in your eyes yesterday at the airport when you were angry with having to share leadership with Barinthus. The fact that you showed anger to me now on the phone rather than trying to toadie to me. I wasn’t sure with a rank as high as major, but you’re more cop than politician, Walters. And if you knew how little I like politics, you’d know what a compliment that is.”
“You seem pretty good at politicking for someone who doesn’t like the game.”
“I’m good at a lot of things that I don’t enjoy, Major Walters. As I’m sure you are.”
Silence again. “If we don’t solve this, my ass is grass, and no amount of confidence shown in me, by you or anyone else, will save it.”
“And if we solve it…” I said.
He laughed, a deep chuckle. “Then I’ll be the department’s shining star, and the executives will be climbing over themselves to give me an even bigger salary. Yeah.”
“Are you my man, or do I pretend that I didn’t make this call?”
“I’m your man.”
I smiled. “Good. You start making calls, and get me some CSU out here as soon as possible.”
“What do I tell the Chief about why you’re letting us into your precious faerie land?” he asked. Oh, yeah, he was definitely a better cop than politician.
“Explain that whoever did this has diplomatic immunity, but we are allowing this investigation to happen out of our mutual desire for cooperation and justice.”
“You want the bastard who did it, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I said.