Part 3 (1/2)

”Nope.”

”Don't. You'd be amazed what some guys here want to find in your trunk.”

I closed my eyes for a moment. Being at the top of the police department's s.h.i.+t list was not where I'd planned to be at this point in my life.

”You can't be too popular,” I said. ”You're the one who put the cuffs on a fellow cop.”

”n.o.body's ever liked me,” Devin said, ”but most of them are scared of me, so that's just as good. You, on the other hand, are a renowned cream puff.”

”Renowned, huh?”

”What's up?”

”I need a check on a Cody Falk. Priors, anything to do with stalking.”

”And I get what for this?”

”Permanent friends.h.i.+p?”

”One of my nieces,” he said, ”wants the entire Beanie Babies collection for her birthday.”

”And you don't want to go into a toy store.”

”And I'm still paying serious child support for a kid who won't talk to me.”

”So you want me to purchase said Beanie Babies, as well.”

”Ten should do.”

”Ten?” I said. ”You've gotta be-”

”Falk with an 'F'?”

”As in flimflam,” I said and hung up.

Devin called back in an hour and told me to bring the Beanie Babies by his apartment the next night.

”Cody Falk, age thirty-three. No convictions.”

”However...”

”However,” Devin said, ”arrested once for violating a restraining order against one Bronwyn Blythe. Charges dropped. Arrested for a.s.sault of Sara Little. Charges dropped when Miss Little refused to testify and moved out of state. Named as a suspect in the rape of one Anne Bernstein, brought in for questioning. Charges never filed because Miss Bernstein refused to swear out a complaint, submit to a rape examination, or identify her attacker.”

”Nice guy,” I said.

”Sounds like a peach, yeah.”

”That's it?”