Free American Devil by Oliver Stark Page A

isn’t social, so what do you want?’ Harper said, cold-eyed.
    ‘Into the alley,’ said one of the guys. His face looked like the side of a mountain.
    ‘Read the shield, gentlemen,’ said Harper, flashing his ID. ‘I’m a cop, so you might want to avoid trouble and get yourselves home to bed.’
    They didn’t move, but looked down into the dark alley. Harper thought they were motioning for him to make a move, but from the alley he heard footsteps. His eyes twisted towards the sound and he saw the problem. Its name was Lieutenant Jarvis, and everything suddenly clicked into place.
    Jarvis’s jaw was no longer wired up but his face was still misshapen down one side. ‘Detective Harper,’ he said in a slow slur. ‘I thought your police time was over. Now someone tells me I’ve got to eat humble pie while you get the glory spot. After you leaping on me with those fists of yours, doesn’t sound fair, does it?’
    ‘No, Lieutenant, it doesn’t sound fair.’
    ‘So, what was it you objected to, Harper? You didn’t like my insinuations?’
    ‘I didn’t like any part of it at all,’ said Harper, ‘or your tone of voice.’
    ‘Really. My tone of voice. Hey, guys, he doesn’t like my beautiful voice.’
    They laughed like eager sycophants. Harper looked around quickly. This wasn’t good news. These four guys were all strong, and people fighting together tended to get all excited like a pack of hounds and do real damage. They could bust him up pretty bad. He couldn’t see a way out. There were too many of them. He let his arms hang down by his sides.
    ‘These your men, Lieutenant?’
    ‘These guys are just visiting the city. They stopped by and offered me a helping hand.’
    ‘Let it go, Jarvis. I hit you because you called my wife a whore.’
    ‘I still say she’s a whore. She’s shacked up with a lawyer over in New Jersey. She made that move real quick. Makes you think, doesn’t it, Harper? I heard the reason she left is because you used those fists of yours once too often. Well, me and my boys are going to make it hard for you to ever use those fists again. In the name of public safety and women’s liberation.’
    Harper bristled. But it was just what Jarvis wanted. The bad cop throwing a punch.
    ‘Didn’t you hear me, Harper? Lisa Vincenti was fucking every guy in the department while you were out all night chasing Eric Romario. She got real lonely. Liked it every which way, I heard. Now she’s done with the department and has moved on to the courts.’
    Harper’s two hands were fists now, and the anger was rising. He took a step forward. Then stopped. ‘I ain’t gonna rise to it.’
    ‘You don’t need to,’ Jarvis spat.
    One of the three gorillas stepped forward, then another. They grabbed Harper at each elbow and shoulder and marched him down the alleyway. The third gorilla opened a long canvas bag that was sitting by the dumpster and took out a serious-looking sledgehammer. Harper was held fast as Jarvis moved in.
    ‘You know what this is, Harper?’
    ‘I know what it is and I know what you are - a fucking coward. You do this, Jarvis, and I’ll hunt you down.’
    ‘With what? You going to slap me with your big flat hands?’
    ‘I’ll hunt you down, Jarvis, and every one of these monkeys.’
    ‘You do that. I just want you to remember the last person you hit with those fists and what a stupid thing that was.’
    ‘Jarvis, this is way beyond necessary. I’m working the case because they need me. There’s a killer out there.’
    ‘Put his arm on the dumpster,’ called Jarvis.
    Harper resisted and strained with all his strength as the three men held him and prised his arm from his side, but they were too strong. Against three of them he couldn’t do anything, not with his hands held firm.
    They held his wrist down on the lid of the dumpster, so that his fist was lying ready to be mashed to pieces. Jarvis picked up the big carbon-steel sledgehammer. ‘Let this be a lesson you