Free Keeper by Greg Rucka

just out of high school.
    I thought, no wonder Lozano hates him.
    “He have the wanted posters on him?” Fowler asked.
    “Yeah,” I said.
    “Brilliant detective work,” Lozano muttered.
    “Where’d he get them?” Fowler asked.
    “He wouldn’t say. He lawyered up before you got here,” Lozano said.
    “What’d you do?” Fowler asked.
    “I interrogated the suspect, Special Agent Fowler.”
    Scott made a face.
    “You know what?” I said. “I’m going to go back to the clinic, I think. Check on Dr. Romero. You guys get in touch if anything happens, okay?”
    “Of course,” Fowler said.
    Lozano just grunted in my direction.
     
    Felice was in with her last patient of the day when I got back, so I checked up with Natalie and Dale, told them about the grade-school performances at the precinct.
    “No wonder she hired us,” Dale said before he went for the car.
    “Barry was with Crowell the first day I was here,” I told Natalie. “He was in the car with Crowell. Did he show?” 
    “No. Did you think he would?”
    “I don’t know. I get the impression Crowell only descends from his heaven every once in a while to stir the pot.”
    “You talked to him yet?” Natalie asked.
    “Can’t get through to him,” I said. “His office keeps giving me the runaround. He was supposed to call me this morning to set up an appointment to talk.”
    She frowned. “Some advance work.”
    “I’m doing the best I can with what I’ve got. I can’t take the time to chase him down, you know that. We need another guard.”
    “I know a PI we could use for the strictly investigational stuff,” Natalie said. “We could ask Felice to put her on the payroll.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t want to do that to her. She’s footing half the bill as it is, and despite what she told me, I think it’s a hardship. And Felice’s been feeding us when we’re at her place. I don’t want her to have to pay for another body.”
    Natalie sighed and ran her hand through her red hair. “It’s probably best,” she said. “You and Bridie would never get along. But you’re going to feel really stupid if something happens because we’re undermanned.”
    “I’ll feel really stupid whether we’re undermanned or not,” I said. “Believe me, I’ll find a way.”
     
    The egress was handled with the same precision as all the previous times. No one shot at us, no one got in our way, and no one followed us, as far as we could tell. We took the Baker route home that evening, which put us on the FDR for ten minutes of the ride. I brought Romero up to speed while Dale drove.
    “Barry,” she said, frowning. “I’ve never heard of him.” 
    “He’s definitely one of Crowell’s.”
    “Crowell has a lot of people,” she said flatly.
    “I need to talk to him,” I said.
    Romero raised her eyebrows at me.
    “Procedure.”
    She tugged at the collar of her Kevlar vest and exhaled down into her shirt. Then she looked back to me and said, “Lucky you.”
     
    Katie greeted us exactly as always, hugging the stuffing out of her mother, then me, then Natalie, and finally Dale. Rubin handed the doctor her mail and she disappeared into her bedroom, as had become her custom, while Katie dragged me to the television with her. On the way there I dismissed Dale and wished him a good night.
    “Elaine is very sick,” Katie told me when we were seated. “She’s very sick and she’s dying and David can’t save her.” Then she looked at me and said, solemnly, “It’s very sad.”
    “I’m sorry,” I said.
    “People die,” Katie told me. “Bixby Bill died and Melanie B died and maybe Elaine, too.” Then she put both her arms around me and snuggled close, watching the television screen.
    Rubin said, “You ought to tell her that you’re taken.”
    I stuck my tongue out at him.
    “You staying tonight?” he asked me.
    “Just to talk to the doctor after she gets changed. You and Natalie tonight.”
    He gave me an evil grin.
    “Not