“He said that some of his best friends are FBI agents, but he wouldn’t want his sister to marry one.”
My God, what an insulting, outrageous thing to say! With obvious racial overtones!
“That remark, Matthews, was in particularly poor taste, wouldn’t you say?”
“Sir, the way he said it . . . sort of took the bite out of it. But . . .”
“Well, perhaps it’s a good thing this attitude of his came out so soon. There is no room in the Bureau for racial prejudice, Matthews, no room for a racist.”
“Sir, Payne isn’t a racist. I know that.”
“How do you know that?”
“Well, I know him, sir. And he’s very close to a sergeant named Jason Washington. . . .”
“I know Washington. Unless I’m wrong, he’s Payne’s supervisor.”
“Yes, sir, he is. But Payne is also very close to Officer Lewis, who is also black.”
“I believe the preferred term is ‘African American,’ Matthews,” Davis said. “And I am personally acquainted with an African American lieutenant named Lewis, who told me his son is also a policeman. Would that, do you think, be the Officer Lewis with whom Payne is so friendly?”
“Yes, sir. Lewis’s father is a lieutenant.”
“Well, there, under those circumstances, I don’t think we can be assured that Detective Payne is color-blind, can we?” Davis said.
Matt, you really pissed the old fart off with that crack.
“Sir, with respect, I cannot agree that Payne is any way a bigot,” Matthews said.
Davis glowered at him for a moment.
“Did he offer any explanation for his contempt for the FBI?”
“I don’t think he holds us in contempt, sir—”
“That’s what it sounds like to me!”
“Sir, that’s really why I came to see you first thing.”
“What is?”
“Sir, Payne told me he had had an unpleasant encounter with two special agents. Two days ago.”
“An ‘unpleasant encounter’? What sort of an ‘unpleas ant encounter’? Who were the agents?”
“Payne told me their names were Leibowitz and Jernigan.”
“I don’t have anybody with those names.”
“Yes, sir, I know.”
“Payne must be mistaken. We don’t have agents by those names, and if any of our people were going to be dealing with a Philadelphia police department officer, I would know about it. That’s standard operating procedure.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Possibly, your friend Payne had this ‘unpleasant encounter’ with some other federal officer. A postal inspector, a Secret Service agent.”
“Sir, Payne insists he saw FBI credentials.”