[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
. No egg. Brewster Payne chuckled again, and said, You were telling me what you werecelebrating. No, I wasn't, Matt said. You're a pretty good inter¬rogator.You everconsider practicing law? Or maybe becom¬ing a cop? Touché, Brewster Payne said. I was on the pistol range yesterday, Matt said, when Chief Matdorf, whoruns the Police Academy, came out and told me to clean out my locker andreport tomorrow morning, this morning, that is, at eight o'clock, to thecommanding officer of Highway Patrol. He paused and then added, Inplainclothes. What's that all about? Brewster Payne said. John Barleycorn didn't say, Matt said. Although I had a long, long chatwith him. You think Dennis Coughlin is involved? Uncle Denny's involved in everything, Matt said as he put butter in afrying pan. You want one of these? Page 159 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Please, Brewster Payne said. Were you having any trouble in the Academy? No, not so far as I know. Highway Patrol is supposed to be the elite unit within the Department, Brewster Payne said. You think you're get¬ting special treatment, is thatit? Special, yeah, but I don't know what kind of special, Matt said. To getinto Highway, you usually need three years in the Department, and then there'sa long waiting list.It's all volunteer, and I didn't volunteer.And then, whyin plainclothes?'' Possibly it has something to do with ACT, Brewster Payne said. With what? ACT, Brewster Payne said. It means Anti-Crime Team, or something likethat.It was in the paper yesterday.A new unit.You didn't see it? No, I didn't, Matt said. Is the paper still around here? It's probably in the garbage, Brewster Payne said.Matt left the stove and went outside.His father shook his head and took overfrying the Taylor ham. It's a little soggy, Matt called a moment later, but I can read it. He reappeared in the kitchen with a grease-stained sheet of newspaper.Whenhe laid it on the table, his father picked it up and read the story again. May I redispose of this? he asked, when he had fin¬ished, holding thenewspaper distastefully between his fin¬gers.Page 160 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Sorry, Matt said. That offers a lot of food for thought, he added. ThisACT, whatever it is, makes more sense than putting me in Highway.But it stillsmacks of special treatment. I think you're going to have to get used to that. What do you mean? How many of your peers in the Academy had gone to college? Brewster Payneasked. Not very many, Matt said. And even fewer had gone on to graduate? So? Would it be reasonable to assume that you were the only member of your classwith a degree? A cum laude degree? You think that's it, that I have a degree? That's part of it, I would guess, Brewster Payne said. And then there'sDennis Coughlin. I think that has more to do with this than my degree, Matt said. Dennis Coughlin was your father's best friend, Brew¬ster C.Payne said. And he never had a son; I'm sure he looks at you in that connection, the sonhe never had. I never thought about that, Matt said. I wonder why he never gotmarried?''Page 161 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html I thought you knew, Brewster Payne said, after a mo¬ment. He was in lovewith your mother. And she picked you over him? Matt said, genuinely surprised. I never heardthat before. He never told her; I don't think she ever suspected.Not then, anyway.But Iknew.I knew the first time I ever met him. Jesus! Matt said. Would you like to hear my theory theories about this mysterious assignmentof yours? Sure. I think Dennis Coughlin is about as happy about you being a policeman as Iam; that is to say he doesn't like it one little bit.He's concerned for yourwelfare.He doesn't want to have to get on the telephone and tell your motherthat you've been hurt, or worse.Theory One is that you are really going to goto Highway.Dennis hopes that you will hate it; realize the error of yourdecision, and resign.Theory Two; which will stand by itself, or may be acontinuation of Theory One, is that if you persist in being a policeman, thebest place for you to learn the profession is from its most skilledprac¬titioners, the Highway Patrol generally, and under Inspector Wohl.Ifound it interesting that Wohl was given command of this new SpecialOperations Division.Even I know that he's one of the brightest people in thePolice Department, a real comer. I met him the night of Uncle Dutch's wake, Matt said. In a bar.When Itold him that I was thinking of joining the Department, he told me I wouldthink better of it in the morning; that it was the booze talking. Theory Three, Brewster Payne said, or perhaps Two (a), is that Dennis hassent you to Wohl, with at least an indication on his part that he would bepleased if Wohl could ease you out of the Police Department with your egointact. Matt considered that a moment, then exhaled audibly. Well, I won't know willI, until I get there? Page 162 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html No, I suppose not. Matt wolfed down his Taylor ham on toast, then started to put on his shoulderholster. They issue you that holster? Brewster Payne asked. No, I bought it a week or so ago, Matt said. When I wear a belt holsterunder a jacket, it stands out like a sore thumb. What about getting a smaller gun? You can't do that until you pass some sort of examination, qualify with it, Matt said. I wasn't that far along in the Academy when I was I suppose theword is 'graduated.' There's something menacing about it, Brewster Payne said. It's also heavy, Matt said. I'm told that eventually you get used to it,and feel naked if you don't have it. He shrugged into the seersucker jacket. Now, he said, smil¬ing. No longer menacing. Unseen, but still menacing, his father responded, then changed the subject. You said you were having headlight trouble with the bug? The bug, a Volkswagen, then a year old, had been Matt Payne'ssixteenth-birthday present, an award for making the Headmaster's List atEpiscopal Academy. I don't know what the hell is the matter with it; there's a short somewhere.More likely a break.Whenever I start out to fix it, it works fine.It onlygives me trouble at night. There is, I seem to recall, another car in the garage, Brewster Payne said. On which, presumably, both head¬lights function as they should. Page 163 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlThe other car was a silver, leather-upholstered Porsche 911T, brand new,presented to Matthew Payne on the occa¬sion of his graduation, cum laude, fromthe University of Pennsylvania. Very tactfully phrased, Matt said. Said the ungrateful giftee. He had not driven the Porsche to Philadelphia, or hardly at all, since he hadjoined the Police Department.His father read his mind: You're afraid, Matt, that it will.set youapart? Oddly enough, I was thinking about the Porsche just now, Matt said. Hungfor a sheep as a lion, so to speak. I think you have that wrong; it's sheep and lamb, not lion, Brewster Paynereplied, but I take your point. I am being what was it you said? being 'set apart' as it is, Matt said. Why not? I really do understand, Matt
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
