French Kiss

Chapter 20

Laura says nothing for a few long moments.

“Well?” I say.

Laura is suddenly businesslike. Sharp. Composed.

“I know what you’ll do if I don’t keep helping you,” she says.

“You know what we’ll do?” I ask. “I don’t even know what we’ll do except ask you to help us.”

“No,” Laura says. “You’ll play the Grandpa card.”

“The what?” I ask.

K. Burke is far quicker than I am in this matter.

“Laura thinks we’ll tell her grandfather how she’s been making money,” says Burke.

For the first time I see a toughness in Laura. I am beginning to think that Laura Delarico is not so naive and innocent as I first thought. She’ll make a good lawyer someday.

“Believe whatever you want, Laura,” I say, “but I promise you with my heart that we will never do such a thing.”

“I guess I’ll believe you because…well, because I want to believe you,” Laura says. “I want to help…at least, I think I want to help. Oh, this sucks. This whole thing sucks.”

Time for a bottom line. Laura agrees to continue to help. “But just one more time.”

Later, after Laura leaves, K. Burke and I walk the dirty gray hallway back to the detective room.

“Nice job,” Burke says. “Your performance won her over.”

“Did you think that was a performance, K. Burke?” I ask.

“To be honest, I don’t know.”

Back at our desks, we learn that Paulo Montes will not be in New York for three days. He is on a quick drug trip through San Juan, Havana, and Kingston.

I tell Burke that I’m going to take one of those three days off.

“Impossible!” she exclaims. “Your presence is critical. We have Vice files to examine. We have a reinspection of the murder scene as well as forensics at Montes’s suite. I need you to-”

I cut her off immediately. “Hold it,” I say sharply. “Here’s what I need from you. I need you to stop thinking that you’re my boss. You’re my partner. And I don’t mean to throw this in your face, K. Burke, but we would not be progressing if I had not pursued my very unprofessional way of doing things.”

K. Burke gives me her version of a sincere smile. Then she says, “Whatever you say, partner.”