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“Enough. Before I got promoted, I was the senior lieutenant in Narcotics…no I wasn’t, Lieutenant Mikkles was. But I filled in for Captain Talley enough to know all about the Five Squad. Same thing—good, smart, hardworking, honest cops.”
Washington didn’t reply.
“Christ, Jason, the Narcotics Five Squad is—” He looked for a comparison, and found one: “—the Highway Patrol of Narcotics. The best, most experienced, hardworking people. A lot of pride, esprit de corps. They’re the ones who make the raids, take the doors, stick their necks out. Where did Wohl get the idea they’re dirty?”
“From me, I’m afraid,” Washington said.
Pekach looked at him in first surprise and then anger.
“I’m not saying they’re dirty,” Washington said. “I don’t know—”
“Take my word for it, Jason,” Pekach interrupted.
“What I told the Boss was that I believed Mrs. Kellog believed what she was saying.”
“She’s got an accusation to make, tell her to take it to Internal Affairs.”
“She’s not willing to do that. She doesn’t trust Internal Affairs.”
“I suppose both you and Wohl have considered that she might be trying to take the heat off her boyfriend?” Pekach challenged. “What’s his name? Milham?”
“That, of course, is a possibility.”
“What I think you should do—and if you don’t want to tell Wohl, by God, I will—is turn this over to Internal Affairs and mind our own business.”
Washington didn’t reply.
Pekach’s temper was now aroused.
“You know what Internal Affairs would find? Presuming that they didn’t see these wild accusations for what they are—a desperate woman trying to turn the heat off her boyfriend—and conducted an investigation, they’d find a record of good busts, busts that stood up in court, put people away, took God only knows how much drugs off the street.”
“We can’t go to Internal Affairs with this right now,” Washington said.
“Why not?” Pekach demanded, looking at him sharply. “Oh, is that what you’ve all been up to, that nobody’s talking about? Investigating Internal Affairs? Is that why you can’t take this to them?”
“You’re putting me on a spot, Captain,” Washington said. “I can’t answer that.”
“No, of course you can’t,” Pekach said sarcastically. “But let me tell you this, Jason: If anybody just happened to be investigating Internal Affairs, say, for example, the Mayor’s personal detective bureau, I’d say they have a much better chance of finding dirty cops there than anyone investigating the Narcotics Five Squad would find there.”
Washington was aware that his own temper was beginning to flare. He waited a moment.
“Captain, I do what the Boss tells me. He told me to have a long talk with you about the Narcotics Five Squad. That’s what I’m doing.”
“Oh, Christ, Jason, I know that. It just burns me up, is all, that the questions would be asked. I know those guys. I didn’t, I really didn’t, mean to jump on you.”
Washington didn’t reply.
“And I’ll tell you something else, just between us,” Pekach said. “I guess my nose is already a little out of joint. I’m supposed to be the Number Three man in Special Operations, and I don’t like not knowing what you and your people are up to. I know that’s not your doing, but…”
“Just between you and me, Captain Sabara doesn’t know either,” Washington said. “And also, just between you and me, I know that the decision to keep you and Sahara in the dark wasn’t made by Inspector Wohl, and he doesn’t like it any more than you do.”
“I figured it was probably something like that,” Pekach said. “But thank you for telling me.”
Washington shrugged.
“What else can I do for you, Jason?”
