Free Cul-de-Sac by David Martin

until
after
Growler has had his way with Norton.”
    “This is stupid.”
    “I’ll take care of the loose ends,” McCleany continued as they went through the living room. “I’ll find out what Camel’s interest is, go have a talk with what’s-his-name, that asshole brother-keeper.”
    “Paul Milton.”
    “Yeah, why he got Growler out of prison, why he bought Cul-De-Sac … I can handle this just like I did the first time, the only thing that can bite us in the ass now is somebody suddenly coming up with those pictures.”
    Gray stopped on the steps to the basement. “I thought J.L. burned them.”
    “That’s what I always thought too but you know J.L., he was a cagey old bastard and—”
    “Jesus.”
    “Don’t let your bowels start leaking, Parker, all I’m saying is we got to face the possibility that J.L. kept the pictures in spite of what he promised us about burning them, you know how he was, liked to have leverage over people.”
    “
Jesus
.”
    “What the fuck’s wrong with you?”
    “You been sitting on this all these years, the possibility those photographs are still floating around somewhere?”
    “I didn’t see any reason to give my old partner any more sleepless nights than you were already having … I figured the pictures would either show up or not. And they haven’t. And maybe I’m wrong about it, maybe J.L. destroyed them like he said.”
    They were in the basement now, McCleany acting amazingly jaunty, taking a few practice golf swings, talking about getting tothe driving range before it closed. Then he noticed something by the washer and dryer. McCleany walked over there and shined his light on the bloodstains. When he lifted the lids to the washing machine and dryer McCleany laughed out loud. “Hey come here Parker you’ll get a kick out of this.”

14
    At six P.M. on April 15 Teddy Camel was cold, blowing warm breath into cupped hands, hiding in the shadows of a corner on level 3 of his building’s parking garage, waiting to catch the geek who’d been exposing himself to women … Camel just then remembering he hadn’t mailed his tax forms, they were still in the office. He took a moment to think what he should do … give this stakeout one hour like Eddie said, go up and have dinner with Annie, drop the tax forms off on the way to Cul-De-Sac to pick up her husband. With that straight in his mind he relaxed a little but felt cold again.
    Camel wondered if he should’ve gone to the store with Annie instead of pulling this stakeout, she still seemed shaky … but she also acted like she wanted some time by herself, away from Camel. They could talk at dinner, it’d be their last chance before the husband comes on the scene … maybe they’d talk about what Annie said, our baby.
    His feet hurt. Blood pooled in his lower legs. He should’ve put a coat on over the sports jacket. Checked his watch, one hour maximum he told himself.
    Twenty or thirty people had walked by on the way to their cars, no one had spotted Camel back here in his dark corner. Most of the men were on their own but the women clustered in groups ofthree or four. The word was out on the pervert. He was short, five and a half feet tall, he picked on women who were even shorter, he usually struck on the third level but a couple times up on 4. Camel hadn’t seen anyone suspicious.
    Around half past six a black guy came walking up the ramp from level 2, taking his time, stopping every few steps … obviously not the flasher but this guy wasn’t just looking for his car either.
    When he got closer Camel saw the man’s Air Force blue jacket, saw he was wearing a service belt heavy with flashlight and pepper spray and cuffs and radio, Camel finally recognizing him … Jake Kempis who worked for the shopping mall’s private security firm.
    Camel stepped out of the corner and Kempis turned quickly.
    “Teddy?”
    “Yeah.”
    Kempis’s shoulders relaxed, he came over. “Eddie said you were up