Detective Romeo Jones in Blood Ties Die, Chapter Two

Rome moved cautiously, not allowing his boots, a fashion leftover from his time with Texas Rangers, to make too much noise. He knew these men well enough. They would be on him, like an Alabama tick on a mangy hound dog, about the morning shooting. His left heel clicked. Too late.

“Ho! Yeah! There he is. The man of the hour,” said Andy Gunselman ,

He jumped to his feet, and said, “Before you say anything, we got to know, got some money riding on this, where did you shoot him. Chest, leg, arm, maybe something more unusal like his knee cap.”

“You fellas betting on me.”

“Well? Where did you shoot him. I got $20 that says it was a chest shot.”

“Give the man a cigar.”

“Pony up suckers. Let me see those Andrews,” Gunselman said starting to make his rounds about the desks

“Shut the hell up and sit down, kid,” said Washington.

Then he leaned back in his swivel chair and said, “Christ, Jones, you had to shoot another perp last night. What’s that, four in the last two years?” The detectives laughed.

“I don’t think he counts,”

Washington added, “And he shoots one of Willem Carter’s boys. Makes me think there might be a god after all. That’s our Romeo: takin’ out the white trash,” he said returning to his computer.

“I didn’t kill him. I wounded him,” Rome said.

“Seems you’re slipping, Jones,” said Washington. They all laughed again.

“Thanks for the support,” Rome said.

“Are you kidding? You’re my fucking hero, Rome,” Gunsel said. He smiled a toothy grin and waved his sixty dollars. “Bad ass, and all balls.”

“I think that’s enough, Andy,” said Rome moving to his desk. He sipped his coffee, now nearly cold, and passed through his messages, throwing out most of them.

He reached for his phone, but before he could dial, Josie appeared in the doorway and said, “Your five minutes are up, Rome.”

“I said ‘five minutes or so’,” Jones said tossing his cup to the trash. He rose slowly from his chair and asked, “Is the chief on this as well?”

“Of course. He likes to be entertained,” Josie said.

“This isn’t going to go well,” Jones said noting her sarcasm.

“It seems it never does, Rome,’ she added. “Guess you should stop shooting people.”

“Like that’s going to happen,” chimed Gunselman.

Washington spoke up as Romeo passed his desk, “I’m guessing you forgot about that thing we were supposed to do today. The ride-along to The Ward.”

“Shit. Was that today?”

“Yeah. Are you saying you shot somebody to get out of ride into the hood.”

“May be. But no,” Rome said. He hated ridealongs wherever they might go, only because he likes to work alone. But that’s not how things were done in the County offic and this was important to Washington. The little girl that got shot in a drive-by was important to him. Washington deserved better then his dismissiveness and the click of his boots leaving their austere abode.

“Monday then, say eleven” he said.

“Works for me.”

Craig Hartranft