Liquid Smoke

FIFTY-SEVEN

I walked into my living room and saw Klimes, Zanella, and Wellton standing outside on my patio, each holding an umbrella. Klimes was peering in the door and raised an eyebrow when he saw me.

I opened the slider and let them in.

“Didn’t see you today,” Klimes said, closing his umbrella and dropping it on the patio. “Wanted to make sure you were fine.” Zanella and Wellton came in behind him. “I’m fine,” I said.

“This always sounds empty,” Klimes said, running a hand across his jaw. “But I’m really sorry, Noah. Not just for you, but for us, too. She was a good cop.”

I nodded but said nothing. Zanella looked uncomfortable, refusing to meet my eyes. Wellton looked exhausted, his eyes rimmed with red, his tie pulled loose at the neck.

“We’re looking for Keene now,” Klimes said. “Have you heard from him?”

“No.”

Klimes nodded, like that’s what he expected. “Okay. Alright.” “Why are you here?” I asked.

Klimes bit his lip and glanced at the other two. Zanella still looked nervous, and Wellton’s eyes just seemed vacant.

“We wanted to check on you. We know how hard this must be,” Klimes said.

“I’m fine. But you’re lying,” I said. “Why are you here?” “We want to make sure you don’t do anything stupid,” Zanella blurted out.

“Like what? Hit you again?” Color rose in Zanella’s cheeks.

“I’m ready to go anytime,” I said. “Say the word.”

I felt drunk. The exhaustion and emotion had pulverized me. I knew that if Zanella made even a minute move in my direction, I would shred him. I was saying stupid things and acting even more stupid. But I didn’t care.

“Noah,” Klimes said, his voice a little more official now. “We know what you’re going through. It’d be natural for you to wanna go get Keene. Hell, you’ve got an entire department that wants him now. But we need to make sure it goes down the right way.”

“Really? And what’s the right way?”

“You know what that is, Noah,” Klimes said, trying to soothe me. “Let us do our work and bring him in the right way.”

I shook my head, the bitter laugh coming out again. “Right.”

“Think about it,” Klimes said. “We find Keene’s body, you know who the first person is we have to come to? You. We don’t want that. We’ll get him. And trust me. Nothing a bunch of cops like more than bringing in some piece of shit who killed one of our own.”

“How about you, Zanella?” I said, turning sharply to him. “You feel that way too? I mean, before, you told me that Santangelo didn’t mean shit to you. I believe because she was fucking me.”

That wasn’t exactly what he’d said, but I wasn’t thinking exactly straight.

Zanella flushed again, started to speak, then stopped. He cleared his throat. “She was a cop. He killed her. That’s all I care about.”

I wanted to fight with someone, but even Zanella could see it and wouldn’t take the bait.

“She wouldn’t want it that way, Noah,” Klimes said. “We both know it. She would not want you to take the fall on this.”

I took a step closer to Klimes. “Do not tell me what she would’ve wanted. Ever.”

“We’re your friends, Noah,” Klimes said. “We’re all on the same side. Let’s make sure it stays that way.”

He turned to leave, and Zanella quickly followed him out. Wellton lingered in the living room, staring at his shoes.

“Your ride’s leaving,” I said.

Wellton turned and watched Klimes and Zanella disappear off the patio. Then he looked at me.

“You find him, you call me,” he said, his voice rough and low. “Any time, any place. Call me. Not them.”

He walked out into the rain.