Robicheaux (Dave Robicheaux 21)

“The feds used him for a long time. They must have believed him.”

“Yeah, they did the same with Whitey Bulger. Look, I came here because I thought you could use a friend.”

“Why do I need a friend?” she said.

“You work in a shithole.”

“You’re here to tell me I work in a shithole?”

“It’s all relative. Can I sit down?” he said.

“I have a lot of work to do.”

“Don’t take Homer away.”

“It’s not in my hands. The system is the system.”

“I say fuck the system, Miss Sherry.”

“Where has that gotten you, sir?”

He felt his eyes go out of focus and wondered if it had to do with the brightness of the sun shining through the window. “I’m a PI. When I had a real badge, I never jammed anybody. I didn’t do it then, I don’t do it now.”

Her eyes left his.

“They give you a bad time here?” he asked.

“I get time off from purgatory,” she said. “Watch your ass, bub.”

When he went outside, his Caddy was being hauled away by a wrecker. The desk sergeant was watching from the curb. “You were in a no-parking zone.”

* * *

ALAFAIR WAS COMING out of Victor’s Cafeteria when she saw Labiche. He was driving a cruiser, looking in the rearview mirror. When he saw her, he swung out of his lane, causing two other drivers to brake. He parked in the shade and got out. He had a gold-tipped cigarette in his mouth. He looked warily up and down the street. “Got a minute?”

“Not really,” she said.

“It’s important. About our last conversation. Misunderstandings that got to be cleared up.”

“There’s nothing to be cleared up, Detective.”

He turned his face and exhaled the smoke into the wind, then dropped the cigarette onto the sidewalk and stepped on it. “Your father thought I was putting moves on you or something. Robey gets steamed up.”

“Robey?”

“Whatever.” He gazed down the street. “It’s warming up. I hear this movie deal is coming together.”

“News to me.”

“Come on, Levon Broussard is hooking up with Tony Nemo. You’re writing the script. It’s all around town.”

“Talk to Levon.”

“Like I told you before, I know the locale. Or maybe they want to use some real cops.”

“Could be.”

“I was an extra in a Miami Vice episode. They didn’t do the real story, though. You know the real story about Miami?”