Robert B. Parker’s The Devil Wins

58

Dix stared at Jesse not unlike the way Tamara Elkin had stared at him the night before.

“Jenn called last night.”

Dix asked, “Before or after you called to make this appointment?”

“After.”

“Then she’s not why you’re here.”

“What does that matter? She called.”

“And?”

“And it was the same old thing. She called pretending she was concerned about me, with what’s going on in Paradise with the murders.”

“Don’t you believe her?”

“Do I think she’s concerned? Maybe. Sure. But is that why she called? No, probably not.”

“Then why did she call?”

“I don’t know. Her job isn’t working out or her most recent boyfriend is about to dump her or she saw a line on her face that wasn’t there the day before. Take your pick,” Jesse said.

“Not my job. But you apparently understand Jenn very well.”

“We worked it out in here. You know how she is. She needs me when things are broken. Then when things get fixed, she doesn’t.”

“Were you tempted to fix whatever was broken this time?” Dix asked.

“Not really, but I did stay on the phone with her for twenty minutes without getting anywhere.”

“You sound angry about that.”

“There was another woman with me when Jenn called.”

Dix nodded.

“I hate when you do that,” Jesse said.

Dix kept nodding. “What happened?”

“First she retreated, then she basically left without saying a word.”

“Who’s responsible for that?”

“Me.”

“Is the damage irreparable, do you think?”

“Probably not.”

“Then why are we talking about this?” Dix said.

“Weren’t you listening?”

“Look, Jesse, your ex called. It took a lot of hard work on your part to figure out the patterns that kept you and Jenn locked together in a very unhealthy emotional pas de deux. You parted ways, but none of that means either of you stopped caring or that parts of you still don’t hunger for the old comfort you found with each other. It seems to me you get it. You see Jenn for who she is and for what she wants. You say the damage between you and this other woman is fixable. So let me ask you again, why are we talking about this?”

“Because I don’t want to talk about Suit.”

“The cop who got shot last spring.”

Jesse nodded. Then sat silently, staring at anything but at Dix. After a few minutes of that, he said, “It’s almost time for him to get back on the street.”

“And?”

“And I’m scared for him.”

“Why?”

“Because the last time he was on the street he was two inches away from being killed. And I’m not joking about the two inches. An inch this way or that and he’d be dead.”

“I point this out only as a matter of discussion, Jesse, but you’ve had other cops die under your command previous to this and I don’t recall you reacting this way. What do you think that means?”

“Those other cops weren’t Suit.”

Dix nodded. “What’s special about Suit?”

“I don’t know.”

“Of course you do. You’ve spoken about him in here many times.”

“I have? I guess I must have mentioned him.”

Dix smiled. “I can tell you a lot about Luther ‘Suitcase’ Simpson, Jesse, but it will do you no good for me to tell you. What’s special about Suit?”

“He wants to be a good cop so bad.”

“Is he bad at his job?”

“He’s fine for where he is.”

“For Paradise, you mean?”

“He’s good with people and he can handle himself in a fight.”

“But...”

“He couldn’t make it on a big-city force. He’d get eaten alive. You know what it’s like. What you have to deal with.”

“I do. Not everybody can handle it. But it’s more than that.”

“I’ve tried to coach him up. I’ve encouraged him. Tried to get him to take the initiative.”

Dix said, “And has he taken the initiative?”

“It’s what nearly got him killed.”

“Do you blame yourself?”

Silence, a long silence. Then, “He was trying to impress me.”

“Why would he want to impress you?”

“Because I’m his boss,” Jesse said, unable to look Dix in the eye.

“You’re fighting yourself pretty hard not to say what you’ve come here to say.”

“When he was shot, I got madder at Suit than at the shooter.”

Dix smiled, or what passed for a smile. “Why?”

“Because he shouldn’t have been there.”

“If it was another one of your cops, would you have felt that way?”

“Maybe.” He shook his head. “No.”

“Why?”

Jesse said, “Because Suit was in way over his head. He wasn’t equipped for the situation.”

“Who was responsible for that?”

Silence. Jesse checked his watch.

“Do you ever regret not having children, Jesse?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“You tell me.”

“Jenn and I would have made terrible parents.”

“I didn’t ask about Jenn. I asked about you. Think about that. It’s time. We have to stop.”

Jesse checked his watch again and looked more than a little relieved.

“I can’t force you to come here, Jesse,” Dix said, “but I would urge you to come in next week.”

Jesse grunted something about trying and was gone.