You're nobody 'til somebody kills you

Forty-seven

Stanze and his partner showed up right on time at 9:00 A.M. We were waiting so we wouldn’t have to let them in. Guess I was the one being a bit of a dick.

“You coming with us?” Stanze asked.

“No,” I said, “you can follow us. We might not be returning the same time you are.”

“You guys had breakfast?” Jerry asked.

“Just had time for coffee,” Bailey said. “Why, you hungry?”

“He’s always hungry,” I said.

“So’s he,” Stanze said.

“Got a favorite place?” I asked. “We’ll follow you there, then you can follow us to Palm Springs.”

“Sounds like a deal to me,” Bailey said. “Me, too,” Jerry said.

I had a feeling my partner and Stanze’s partner were going to get along.

During breakfast the conversation was carried by Jerry and Detective Bailey. They had similar tastes in food, similar attitudes about it, and sort of got into an unofficial contest to see who could eat the most pancakes.

As Bailey pushed himself away from the table Stanze said, “I think you finally met your match, Dave.”

“Oooh …” Bailey groaned.

Smiling, Jerry finished the last of his meal and stood up.

They walked ahead of us as we went to the cars.

“They’re like two big kids,” Stanze said.

“You and your partner should know, Stanze, that Jerry’s not stupid.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know, just in case you’re tryin’ to run some kind of game on him.”

“What kind of game?”

“Buddyin’ up,” I said. “Look, I’m just … warnin’ you.”

I sped up before Stanze could respond, passed Jerry and Bailey and got to the Caddy first.

We led the way to Palm Springs and I had pretty much the same conversation with Jerry along the way.

“Yeah, I kinda figured he was bein’ a little too friendly,” Jerry said.

“Then again, he is near retirement,” I said.

“Don’t make no difference,” Jerry said. “Once a cop-always a cop.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t usually mix good with cops, but this one … he seems okay.”

“So you don’t think he’s runnin’ a game on you?”

Jerry shrugged.

“What’s the difference? He ain’t gonna get nothin’ from me I don’t wanna give ‘im.”

“Plus there’s nothin’ to give him anyway,” I said.

“So let him run his game,” Jerry said. “It was a hoot watching him try to eat all those pancakes.”

“Bet he’s sufferin’ now,” I said, and we both started laughing.

“Hope he pukes in his partner’s lap,” Jerry said while laughing.

I pointed and said, “Don’t miss your turnoff.”