“I’d be obliged,” Dutch returned, moving more, so he was upin bed, back to the headboard, Georgie moving too, to stick close.
“Jessica Browbridge, I’mthinkin’you know who I’mtalkin’ about, strolled in brightand early this morning, tweaked asall fuck, falling all over herselfwith apologies, doing her best to impress on us just how very upset she was atthe time she falsely reported to police officers she was in the middle of anattempted rape when her assailant became a killer and shot Khalon Stephens.Sheshared effusively how much she liked her neighbors.They were nice.The wifegave her Christmas cookies.The husband fixed her sink and switched out hersmoke detectors when one started acting up.The kids were always nice andrespectful.”
The more Eddie said about how theStephenseshad looked after that woman, the more Dutch thought he was going to be sick.
“Instead,” Eddie continued, “she shares she was having onehelluvatiff with her boyfriend who’d found out she wassleepin’ with some other guy.Stephens shows when this guyis in the throes ofbein’ seriously fuckin’ pissedhis piece issteppin’ out on him, so much so, he’sjackin’ her up and brandishing a weapon.Since he is, asshe put it, ‘not himself,’ he lost it when Stephens arrives.So Stephens takesa bullet.”
“Holy shit,” Dutch whispered.
“Yeah.”Eddie did not whisper.
Georgie pressed closer.
He gave her his eyes.
When he did, she read them and hers got big.
“She gave us a name,” Eddie carried on.“And incidentally,Hank and me are close when this isgoin’ down, butHank’s on the phone with Lee,talkin’ about Lee andIndylookin’ after his and Roxie’s kids so Roxie andhim can hit Breckenridge to do some skiing,’causethey got whacked with a huge early snowfall last night, and they’refeelin’ some slope time and then some alone time.IoverhearBrowbridge.Hank overhears her.Lee hasalready filled both of us in that he and his boys are on the job and they knowwhere Carlyle Stephens is and what he saw.The detectives get a name.Unsurprisingly there’s a mugshot.Hank texts that to Tack, and a judge iscalled out of his bed early on a Saturday morning for a warrant.”
His heart racing, Dutch curled his hand around the back ofGeorgie’s neck and brought her closer.
Eddie kept talking.
“Browbridgeis now a font ofinformation and can share where he is.And as such, James ‘Jimmy D’ Dooenck waspicked up five minutes before I phoned you.He’s been charged with murder.Andas cooperative as she was, the minute the man was cuffed, she was charged withfalse reporting and accessory.”
“Fucking A,” Dutch pushed out.
“Chaos strikes again,” Eddie said.
When he did, Dutch stared unseeing at Georgie.
“Now, as a cop, there is no way in fuck I’d advise a citizento charge into an uncertain situation.As a man, and the man I am, I get it,and so does every cop I know.And I’ll tell you what, this case has beenstickin’ in all of our throats.So you got our gratitude.And the officers on this case aregonnapush hardneither of them get a deal.No matter that woman finally did the right thing,she’s been lying for three months.And no matter what else they’re involved in,and I suspect you know what I’mtalkin’ about withthat too.But I’mgonnawarn you, and I’ll do itadvising you warn Carlyle Stephens and his family, if they got good shit tostop bad shit floating around the streets of Denver, they’ll probably bothswing deals.”
“Right,” Dutch grunted.
“Good work, Dutch,” Eddie said.
“Yeah.”
“Later, man.”
“Later.”
Eddie disconnected.
Dutch dropped his phone hand.
“What?”Georgie asked.
“Jessica came clean.They picked up Khalon’s killer thismorning.”
“What?” she cried, bouncing up to her knees, asmile spreading on her face.
Seeing that, he started grinning.
“How did that happen so fast?”she asked.
“I don’t know.But I suspect it’s about something Vance saidto me.”
