Death in Paradise

"We got a statement from Dawn Davis. We got a statement from T. P. Pollinger. We have your ass," Kelly said.

"I want a lawyer," Garner said.

"Sure," Kelly said. "As soon as we arrest you."

"Maybe we can work something out," Jesse said.

"Work out my ass," Kelly said.

"Maybe he can help us," Jesse said.

"Fuck him," Kelly said.

"I want to know who killed Billie Bishop," Jesse said.

"I don't know," Garner said. "I honest to God don't know."

"Maybe you killed her," Kelly said.

"No."

"Maybe we could hang it on you anyway," Kelly said.

"No."

"Maybe," Jesse said, "what we need to do is to discuss this with Gino."

"Gino?" Garner said.

"Sure. Since you were using his phone number, I figure you were doing it for him."

"Gino's got nothing to do with this."

"Really? You mean he doesn't know you're ru

"Gino has nothing to do with this," Garner said.

He looked scared.

"So, if he doesn't know," Jesse said, "and we tell him, maybe he'll be grateful and help us with our case."

"Tell Gino?"

"Sure," Jesse said.

Garner looked around the room. It was 2:20 in the afternoon. The counter man was talking through the serving window to the pizza chef. No one else was in the restaurant.

"No," Garner said.

"No what?"

"You can't tell Gino."

"Why not?"

"He'll kill me."

"What a shame," Kelly said.

Garner looked around the room again, as if he were looking for a way out. The two cops sat quietly. Jesse could hear Garner's breathing.

"If I tell you what I know," Garner said, "can you give me a break?"

"Of course," Jesse said.

"And Gino doesn't have to know."

"Mum's the word," Jesse said.

"It started as nothing," Garner said. "A girl tried to pick me up. She was a kid. And I knew a guy liked kids, so I started talking to her and one thing led to another and I figured maybe she could use a little management."

Garner fiddled with his empty bottle.

"She a runaway?" Jesse said.

"Yes. Was staying at the shelter in JP with the nun. So I started setting her up with guys," Garner said. "And we'd split."

"How much did she get?" Kelly said.

"I did all the work," Garner said. "Took all the risks. Paid the rent, bought the clothes and makeup. All she had to do was have sex for half an hour or so."

"So what'd she get? Ten cents on the dollar?"

Garner shrugged.

"So that was working pretty good, and I thought, hey, why not expand?" Garner smiled. "The American way, you know?"

"And…" Jesse said.

"I specialized. Young girls seem to like me. I'm fairly attractive, you know. And I don't seem threatening. So I started to, um, cull them from the shelters, and clean them up and… put them in touch with clients."

"And Gino didn't know."

"It was before I met Gino."

"When you were still living in Brighton."

"Yes."

"And when you moved in with Gino, you didn't want to give up your career."

"I think it's important," Garner said, "for a boy to have an independent income."

"Billie Bishop work for you?" Jesse said.

Kelly had leaned back in the booth with his arms crossed, looking without expression at Garner. His gaze was steady.

"Yes. I met her at the shelter."

"She know you were in another program?" Jesse said.

Garner smiled.

"I'm in both programs," he said.

"Doubles the odds for a date," Kelly said, his stare steady on Garner.

"So the girls, like Billie Bishop, thought maybe you were their boyfriend," Jesse said.

Garner nodded.

"Tell me about Norman Shaw," Jesse said.

Garner sat back in the booth as if he'd been shoved.

"Norman Shaw?"

Jesse had his forearms resting on the tabletop, leaning toward Garner as he talked.

"Who's Norman Shaw?"

Neither Kelly nor Jesse spoke. Both sat as they had been sitting and waited.

After a long silence, Garner said, "You mean the writer?"

Jesse made a brief smile. Garner looked as if he might be ill.

"I guess he's a friend of Gino's," Garner said.

"Un-huh."

Jesse raised his forearms from the table and put his clasped hands against his chin. Kelly was stone still.

"Can you keep me out of this?" Garner said.

"Absolutely," Jesse said.

"I don't have to testify? Nothing?"

" 'Course not," Jesse said.

Garner looked at Kelly. Kelly winked at him.

"I fixed Billie up with Mr. Shaw," Garner said.

"Gino know?"

"Yes. Favor to Mr. Shaw. I told him Billie was just a kid I knew."

"So Gino didn't know she was a hooker."

"I don't know what Gino knew."

"He know you were her pimp?"

"No. Absolutely not. I didn't take a dime from Mr. Shaw."

"When did you give her to Shaw?" Jesse said.

"First time? Begi

"You have any idea how she came to get killed?" Jesse said.

"Ohmigod, no," Garner said.

"You think Gino would know?"

"No. I don't know. Gino doesn't know. You can't ask him. You promised."

Neither cop spoke. The sound of Garner's breathing was loud and ragged.

Then Kelly spoke.

"You'll have to come over to the station," Kelly said. "Make a statement."

"You promised."

Kelly smiled and nodded at Jesse.

"Just a formality," Kelly said. "We need to cover ourselves."

"I wouldn't want Gino to know," Garner said.

Kelly didn't say anything.

"Nobody's going to know, right?" Garner said.

"Certainly not," Jesse said.

Garner looked uncertain. The two cops were quiet.

"Your word?" Garner said.

"Absolutely," Jesse said.

Chapter Sixty-one

"I heard about how you shot a man," Je

Jesse nodded.

"How does that feel?" Je

"Necessary," Jesse said.

They were in Je

"Oh, Mr. Laconic. You must feel more than that."

"I try not to," Jesse said.

"You need to experience your feelings, Jesse."

"But I don't need to talk about them."

"Are you angry? You sound angry."

Jesse was quiet for a short time.

"Yes," he said. "I guess I maybe am."

"At me?"

"No."

Je

"What?" she said.

Jesse stood and walked to the window and looked out. Then he turned and leaned against the wall beside the window.

"Feelings," Jesse said, "can really fuck you."

Je

"Guy I shot," Jesse said. "Guy named Snyder…"

Je

"He couldn't face it without being married to the woman he used to punch around."

"He beat her up?" Je

"Regularly."

"And she stayed with him?"

"For years," Jesse said. "I had something to do with her finally leaving him."

"Why didn't she leave him sooner?"

"She didn't have anything else."

"There must be something better than getting beat up all the time," Je

Jesse shrugged. "Poor bastard," he said.

"Her? I should think she'd be glad he was gone."

"Him," Jesse said.

"Because he's dead?"

Jesse drank some Pepsi.

"Because he was so scared he'd lose her," Jesse said, "that he lost her."

"Beating her up might not be the best way to keep her," Je

"He had to control her. Unless he could control her she might leave."

Je