Deadly Assets (Badge of Honor 12)

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I see,” the male voice said.

There was a long silence.

“You know my name,” Badde then said. “What’s yours?”

“That is immaterial right now. You are aware, I trust, of your friend Reverend Cross’s rally today?”

I wouldn’t say he’s exactly my friend these days.

But where are you going with this?

“Yeah,” Badde said, “I know of it.”

“And that he had a musician perform?”

“I do not know the details of who was at the rally.”

“Well, I do. And the musician who performed during it is a young African-American named Tyrone Hooks. He goes by the stage name King Two-One-Five.”

“Okay, so this rapper, why is he relevant . . . ?”

“You do not know Hooks?”

“Never heard of him.”

“I will have to take you at your word on that.”

Well, you just do that, Badde thought, fuck you very much . . .

“What the hell do you want?” Badde snapped.

“It’s what and who. As I said, we intend to recover the stolen valuables. But in order to do that, we first need to find Tyrone Hooks.”

“Okay. And?”

“And the last time that Hooks was seen, he was in the company of Cross.”

“What, assuming it were possible, is it that you want me to do?”

“It is very important that I find Hooks immediately. I need you—our mutual friend needs you—to find Cross and then find Hooks.”

There was a long pause, then Badde said, “Fine. How do I get in touch with you when I do?”

“I will call back in thirty minutes. Every thirty minutes.”

“Fine. Okay,” Badde said, as he looked at Jan exiting the cabana while holding her cell phone.

As she approached him, he saw that she was looking at it, then apparently letting the call go to voice mail. After a moment she went to listen to the recording and raised her eyebrows as it played.

A moment later Badde almost spilled his champagne when he heard Jan gasp audibly as she held her phone to her ear.

She broke the connection and leaned in toward Badde.

“That was Raychell Meadow. She’s the fifth reporter who’s been calling, asking for a comment—one from you, b

ut she would settle for me speaking for you—about the apparent shooting of Josiah Cross after he called Matt Payne Public Enemy Number One.”