Free A Killing in China Basin by Kirk Russell Page B

that way she wouldn’t have to sit in a car as long, meaning John was going to get lost.’
    ‘I thought you were avoiding being alone with her,’ Steve said, ‘and how does anyone get lost driving up the coast?’
    ‘Hey, I was never alone with her, not once. Look, I knew John was jealous and I was kind of pissed off that night. I didn’t like his paranoia. He had a coke problem. But it’s true, I suggested she ride with me just to piss him off. Anyway, I decided it was time to go. I left and when I got to my car there was some grungy fuck sitting in it. I didn’t even realize John had followed me down and all of a sudden the guy’s holding my gun and pointing it at us. He told us to lie down on the pavement and that’s when John charged him.’
    Stoltz took a deep breath and looked away before speaking again, his voice flat and quieter now.
    ‘The guy shot him through the head, dropped the gun, and ran. I knew John was dead so I chased him.’
    Stoltz bowed his head.
    ‘In a way it was all my fault. I left the car unlocked. I fucked up and then worse when I didn’t go back. I didn’t know what to do. I was in shock. Then a cop picked me up. My prints were all over my gun and obviously it fired the bullet that killed him. That’s how I ended up with voluntary manslaughter. I made all the wrong moves. That’s why I’m restarting my career.’
    ‘Never too late to invent,’ Steve said.
    ‘Hey, I watched the boom from prison. I watched all my friends get rich, even people that were totally incompetent, but I’m not telling you this so I can bitch about it. Maybe you’ve heard some news about a San Francisco homicide inspector who either shot himself or was murdered, and then yesterday or the day before the wife of a former homicide inspector was killed in a hit-and-run. Turns out these are the two inspectors who took me down, so because they don’t have any other suspects they’re hassling me.’
    Stoltz held his hand up like he was going to swear on a Bible.
    ‘No, that’s not quite full disclosure. I wrote letters from prison. I was angry. I didn’t write threatening letters or anything like that. I was just trying to get them to reopen the case.’
    ‘You seem like you’re doing OK,’ Jonathan said, like he was coaching.
    ‘I’m doing fine.’ Stoltz broke eye contact with Jonathan, glanced at Steve, and then back at Jonathan. ‘I trust you both. I’m thinking of suing them, like bang, overnight a lawsuit if they harass me in any way. What do you think? Is that a stupid idea or should I give it right back to them?’
    ‘My advice is not going to be what you want to hear,’ Jonathan said, and for a patent attorney he looked pretty pumped up.
    ‘Mine either,’ Steve threw in but left it to Jonathan.
    ‘OK, tell me because I trust you guys.’
    ‘Forget about suing. It’s long, complicated, and you’d probably lose. It’s the job of the police to talk to everybody who might have a grudge against this dead inspector or the wife. Even though it’s hard, the best thing you can do right now is cooperate.’
    ‘I’m trying but I feel like I should get a lawyer and hit back.’
    ‘Are you kidding? Always have a lawyer.’ Jonathan smiled, reached over and patted him. ‘How else are we going to make money? Hang in there, they’re just doing what they do, but by all means have a lawyer present. Right, Steve?’
    ‘I agree with everything he said.’ Steve stood up and said, ‘What do you say we hit the road?’
    They all stood and then clicked across the asphalt in their bike shoes.
    ‘Sorry to put you guys through that,’ Stoltz said before they broke up. He shook hands with both. He knew they’d find reasons never to ride with him again. They wouldn’t hear from him again either, and when he looked in the rear-view mirror as he drove away they were still standing in the lot talking about him. That was all he needed to know.

NINETEEN
    L ate Tuesday night, a radio unit responding