Robert Crais - The Two Minute Rule

“Fowler killed Juarez’s brother. Juarez and his brother were both in Frogtown.”

“Right, but maybe there’s a deeper connection. Remember when we talked about a possible insider connection to Marchenko and Parsons?”

“Yeah.”

“The real money is in the vault, but the amount of money in the vault varies during the week. People come in, cash their paychecks, and take the money away, right?”

“I know that. I used to rob banks, remember?”

“So once or twice a week, banks receive a shipment of new cash so they’ll have enough to meet the customer draw. You said you didn’t see how a couple of takeover hitters like Marchenko and Parsons could have an inside accomplice, but all it takes is someone who knows when the area branches are scheduled to receive their shipments-a secretary, somebody’s assistant, a Frogtown homegirl, say, and her boyfriend passes it along to Marchenko and Parsons to get cut in on the split.”

“But they hit different banks.”

“It only takes one inside job to have an insider, and then the Feeb and the cops are all over it. I’m just theorizing here, Holman, not jumping at conclusions. LAPD learns of a Frogtown connection, so they turn to the cops with Frogtown experience to develop or follow up leads-i.e., Fowler. That could explain how your son leaving his house to discuss Marchenko and Parsons with Fowler led to Warren Juarez.”

Holman felt a flicker of hope.

“You think?”

“No, I don’t think, but I want you to understand how little we know. When you’re asking your daughter-in-law about Thursday night, pick up the case reports your son had-the stuff he got from the Detective Bureau. You gave me the cover sheets, but I want to see what was in the reports. That should tell us what he was interested in.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll know more tomorrow when I start talking to people and read those reports. I could wrap this thing up with a couple more calls.”

Holman was surprised.

“You think that’s all it’ll take?”

“No, but it seemed like a good thing to say.”

Holman stared at her, then burst out laughing.

They came down through the Sepulveda Pass and into the darkening city. Holman watched Pollard maneuvering her car through the traffic.

He said, “Why do you drive so fast?”

“I have two little boys waiting for me at home. They’re with my mother, the poor kids.”

“What about your husband?”

“Let’s keep the personal stuff out of this, Max.”

Holman went back to watching the passing cars.

“One more thing-I know you said you didn’t want me to pay you, but my offer is still there. I never expected you to go to all this trouble.”

“If I asked you to pay, I’d be scared you would have to rob another bank.”

“I’d find another way. I’ll never rob another bank.”

Pollard glanced at him and Holman shrugged.

She said, “Can I ask you a question?”

“So long as it isn’t personal.”

Now Pollard laughed, but then her laugh faded.

“I put you away for ten years. How come you’re not pissed off at me?”

Holman thought about it.

“You gave me a chance to change.”

They rode in silence after that. The lights in the shadows were just beginning to twinkle.

PERRY WAS STILL at his desk when Holman let himself into the lobby. The old man’s leathery face twitched and trembled, so Holman read that something was wrong.

Perry said, “Hey, I want to talk to you.”

“You get your car back okay?”

Perry leaned forward, lacing and unlacing his fingers. His eyes were watery and nervous.

“Here’s the money I charged you, the sixty bucks, those three days for the car. Here it is right here.”

As Holman reached his desk, he saw the three twenties laid out face up, waiting for him. Perry unlaced his fingers and pushed the three bills toward him.

Holman said, “What’s this?”

“The sixty you paid for my car. You can have it back.”

Holman wondered what in hell Perry was doing with the money laid out like that, the three Jacksons staring up at him.

“You’re giving back the money?”

“Yeah. Here it is. Take the goddamned money back.”

Holman still didn’t move for the money. He looked at Perry. The old man looked worried, but angry, too.

Holman said, “Why are you giving this back?”

“Those wetbacks said to give it back, so you tell’m I did.”

“The guys who brought back your car?”

“When they come in here to give me the keys, those gangbanging motherfuckers. I was doing you a favor, man, renting out that car, I wasn’t trying to rip you off. Those bastards said I should give back your cash else they’d fuck me up good, so here, you take it.”

Holman stared at the money but didn’t touch it.

“We had a deal, fair and square. You keep it.”

“No, uh-uh, you gotta take it back. I don’t want that kind of trouble in my house.”

“That’s your money, Perry. I’ll straighten it out with those guys.”

He would have to talk to Chee in the morning.

“I don’t appreciate two hoodlums comin’ in here like that.”

“I didn’t have anything to do with it. We had a deal, fair and square. I wouldn’t send two goons to shake you down for sixty bucks.”

“Well, I don’t appreciate it, is all. I’m just telling you. If you thought I was ripping you off, you should’ve said so.”

Holman knew the harm had been done. Perry didn’t believe him and probably would always be afraid of him.

“Keep the money, Perry. I’m sorry this happened.”

Holman left the sixty dollars on Perry’s desk and went up to his room. The clunky old window unit had the place like a deep freeze. He looked at Richie’s picture on the bureau, eight years old and smiling. He still had a bad feeling in his stomach that Pollard’s pep talk hadn’t been able to shake.

He turned off the air conditioner, then went downstairs again, hoping to catch Perry still at his desk.

Perry was locking the front door, but stopped when he saw Holman.

Perry said, “That sixty is still on the desk.”

“Then put it in your goddamned pocket. I wouldn’t have you shaken down. My son was a police officer. What would he think if I did something like that?”

“I guess he’d think it was pretty damned low.”

“I guess he would. You keep that sixty. It’s yours.”

Holman went back upstairs and climbed into bed, telling himself that Richie sure as hell would think it was low, shaking an old man for sixty damned dollars.

But saying it didn’t make it so, and sleep did not come.

POLLARD HAD NEVER been good in the morning. Every morning for as long as she could remember-months, maybe years-she woke feeling depleted, and dreading the pain of beginning her day. She drank two cups of black coffee just to give herself a pulse.

But when Pollard woke that morning, she jumped her alarm by more than an hour and immediately went to the little desk she had shared with Marty. She had stayed up the night before until almost two, comparing numbers and call times between Fowler’s and Richard Holman’s phone bills, and searching the Internet for information about Marchenko and Parsons. She had reread and organized the material Holman had given her, but was frustrated by not having the complete LAPD reports. She hoped Holman would get them from his daughter-in-law soon. Pollard admired Holman’s commitment to his son. She felt a sudden sense of satisfaction that she had spoken on his behalf to the Assistant U.S. Attorney all those years ago. Leeds had been pissed for a month and a couple of the more cynical agents had told her she was an asshole, but Pollard thought the guy had earned a break, and she felt even more strongly about it now. Holman had been a career criminal, but the evidence suggested he was basically a decent guy.