the place until Harry arrives and can go over the whole thing. I need to stop off at the ME and then get downtown. I’ll log these papers when I get to the Roundhouse.”
John started toward the door and asked, “Your station house covers Penn Commonwealth and the old Victorian that had the murder last night, right, Pete?”
“Yep.”
“Do you know a Detective Fullman?”
“Nope,” Alvarez grunted with a frown. “I know all the detectives there, and I don’t know any Fullman.”
“Maybe he’s new.”
“Nah, not unless he started today; the Sarge makes sure we meet all the new detectives at roll call the day after they start. It’s a precaution so we don’t accidentally shoot any new guy when something goes down.”
“Well, maybe he works from another station. Does your squad car have a wireless connection?”
“Sure, come on.”
John followed Alvarez though the cheese-stench and down the grimy stairs until, finally, he burst through the doors of the building and found himself back on the street. There, even though he inhaled car exhaust and sewer vapors, he was happy to be back in the fresh city air. John took a deep breath to clear his lungs and waited for the cop to bring up the cruiser’s laptop computer and wireless connection.
“Here you go,” Alvarez said as he exited the car.
John clicked on the departmental directory and searched for “Fullman.” The computer answered him with the words, “Total instances found: 0.”
He thought for a moment. If no one at Alvarez’s station house could handle the call at the time, the call might have gone to a detective from another station house within the Southwest Division. It was also a possibility, though unlikely, that both Dunglison and Hallman screwed up the spelling. John searched for all the detectives and lieutenants in the Southwest Division. The computer answered, “Total instances found: 71.”
None of the names resembled anything close to Fullman. The two deceased scholars seemed the type that would get the details straight. If they did, either somebody was posing as a cop, or a cop was giving a false name. John particularly disliked the implications of a cop bearing an alias; it most likely meant that one of his brothers in blue was dirty.
“Everything OK?” Alvarez asked.
John wondered about that question. He did not have the time to wait around while Harry swept the place. Even if he did stand here and wait for Harry, it would do little good; a dirty cop could access the scene, pick up any evidence he wanted, and walk out with it while the rest of them cluelessly worked the site. Until he could locate Detective Fullman, he could trust no one, and his best hope at finding Fullman was to get downtown and start working a few requests through the system.
“Eh,” John said. “Until I find this elusive Detective Fullman, watch your back.”
Chapter 7:
Rue to the Morgue
By the time John made it to the ME’s office in University City, it was almost noon. It was on the way back downtown, so he felt it best to make the stop now. If he passed by and Kim had something to show him, it would mean another trip across town later. He wished that the city government had kept its offices closer together; he spent too much time traveling between them. If he kept things short here, he could grab something to eat and wrap things up at his office before five.
John strolled through the lobby of the building and took the elevator down to the morgue; most of the lights in the place were off, making it appear creepier than he liked. He wondered why lights were always off in these places. Maybe coroners were worried about the bodies decomposing from the heat of the lights; maybe coroners were just weird.
After opening the door at the end of the hall, he found Kim behind her desk, wearing teal medical scrubs. She stopped reading some kind of digital printout and looked at him over the top of her reading glasses.
“What do you have for me?”
John started toward the door and asked, “Your station house covers Penn Commonwealth and the old Victorian that had the murder last night, right, Pete?”
“Yep.”
“Do you know a Detective Fullman?”
“Nope,” Alvarez grunted with a frown. “I know all the detectives there, and I don’t know any Fullman.”
“Maybe he’s new.”
“Nah, not unless he started today; the Sarge makes sure we meet all the new detectives at roll call the day after they start. It’s a precaution so we don’t accidentally shoot any new guy when something goes down.”
“Well, maybe he works from another station. Does your squad car have a wireless connection?”
“Sure, come on.”
John followed Alvarez though the cheese-stench and down the grimy stairs until, finally, he burst through the doors of the building and found himself back on the street. There, even though he inhaled car exhaust and sewer vapors, he was happy to be back in the fresh city air. John took a deep breath to clear his lungs and waited for the cop to bring up the cruiser’s laptop computer and wireless connection.
“Here you go,” Alvarez said as he exited the car.
John clicked on the departmental directory and searched for “Fullman.” The computer answered him with the words, “Total instances found: 0.”
He thought for a moment. If no one at Alvarez’s station house could handle the call at the time, the call might have gone to a detective from another station house within the Southwest Division. It was also a possibility, though unlikely, that both Dunglison and Hallman screwed up the spelling. John searched for all the detectives and lieutenants in the Southwest Division. The computer answered, “Total instances found: 71.”
None of the names resembled anything close to Fullman. The two deceased scholars seemed the type that would get the details straight. If they did, either somebody was posing as a cop, or a cop was giving a false name. John particularly disliked the implications of a cop bearing an alias; it most likely meant that one of his brothers in blue was dirty.
“Everything OK?” Alvarez asked.
John wondered about that question. He did not have the time to wait around while Harry swept the place. Even if he did stand here and wait for Harry, it would do little good; a dirty cop could access the scene, pick up any evidence he wanted, and walk out with it while the rest of them cluelessly worked the site. Until he could locate Detective Fullman, he could trust no one, and his best hope at finding Fullman was to get downtown and start working a few requests through the system.
“Eh,” John said. “Until I find this elusive Detective Fullman, watch your back.”
Chapter 7:
Rue to the Morgue
By the time John made it to the ME’s office in University City, it was almost noon. It was on the way back downtown, so he felt it best to make the stop now. If he passed by and Kim had something to show him, it would mean another trip across town later. He wished that the city government had kept its offices closer together; he spent too much time traveling between them. If he kept things short here, he could grab something to eat and wrap things up at his office before five.
John strolled through the lobby of the building and took the elevator down to the morgue; most of the lights in the place were off, making it appear creepier than he liked. He wondered why lights were always off in these places. Maybe coroners were worried about the bodies decomposing from the heat of the lights; maybe coroners were just weird.
After opening the door at the end of the hall, he found Kim behind her desk, wearing teal medical scrubs. She stopped reading some kind of digital printout and looked at him over the top of her reading glasses.
“What do you have for me?”
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