Free More Perfect Union (9780061760228) by Judith A. Jance Page A

nodded slowly.
    â€œIt sounds like Kramer’s up to his old tricks again.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œDoesn’t it seem a little odd to you that they’ve already decided it was an accident?”
    â€œCorbett didn’t tell them everything he told me.”
    â€œBecause they didn’t ask. Kramer’s in the market for quick fixes, Beau. That’s how he made such a name for himself in robbery, how he got on a fast track for promotion. He’s left behind a trail of cases that got closed on paper, whether the close was for real or not.”
    â€œI thought maybe this was just a mistake.”
    â€œMistake my ass!” Peters flared. “There’s no mistake. Believe me, I’ve seen it before. You could wallpaper your house with his paper clears. They don’t mean a goddamned thing but they look real good in the record books.”
    â€œBut what about Manny?”
    â€œYou know Manny. He’s easygoing. He’ll take the line of least resistance, and that doesn’t include standing up to Kramer’s constant pushing.”
    â€œSo what do you suggest we do?” I asked.
    There was a long silence. Finally Peters looked over at me. “Would you consider checking this out on your own without anyone being the wiser?” he asked.
    â€œI suppose so,” I replied.
    â€œThen do it,” Peters said. “If there’s anything to what that old man said and if Logan Tyreereally was murdered, I’d love to see Paul Kramer take it in the shorts.”
    â€œConsider it done,” I told him. “It’ll be a pleasure.”
    Amy and the girls came back into the room just then. I was reluctantly drafted into the hem-pinning process. My job was to help the girls hold still while Amy measured the hem with a yardstick and stuck pins in the gauzy material.
    â€œDid you know Amy made our dresses all by herself?” Heather asked.
    â€œYes, I did,” I said, “and it doesn’t surprise me. She’s a pretty talented lady.”
    When we left the hospital, I took the girls to McDonald’s for Big Macs. They promised they wouldn’t tell their dad. Big Macs are not on his health-food list. Afterwards, Heather wanted to go down to Myrtle Edwards Park to feed the ducks. Myrtle Edwards is only about three blocks from Belltown Terrace. I knew from things the girls had said that they went there often with Maxine.
    For me the problem with Myrtle Edwards Park was that I hadn’t been back there since that unforgettable day when I had married Anne Corley in a simple sunrise wedding. I didn’t want to think about it.
    In the end, I caved in and went only because I didn’t want to have to explain to Heather and Tracie why I couldn’t go. I sat on a bench overlooking the water and tried not to think whilethe girls played tag and climbed up and down the rock sculpture.
    When we got home to Belltown Terrace, it was time for dinner. I barbecued hot dogs outside on the recreation floor. I was standing over the grill, but my mind was still on Anne Corley. Heather came dashing up to me just in time to see me wiping my eyes on my sleeves.
    â€œWhat’s the matter, Unca Beau? Are you crying?”
    She had me dead to rights, but I didn’t admit it. “No,” I told her. “It’s nothing, just the smoke.”
    Satisfied with my answer, Heather went skipping off to the sport court where she and Tracie were playing badminton.
    â€œDamn you, Anne Corley,” I said aloud.
    She broke my heart, goddamnit. In the process she made me a homeowner again and gave me back a barbecue grill.

CHAPTER
6
    I dropped the girls off at their apartment downstairs and dragged myself home. My foot was killing me. I noticed it the moment I was alone in the elevator. A bone spur is one of those nagging, ever-present ailments that slips into the background when you’re busy but comes throbbing to the surface the moment