Bloody River Blues

had said, “Your rectum, contract it.” And Buffett had said loudly, so that patients up and down the hall could hear, “Oh, you mean my asshole? ”
    The rest of the exam had gone like that.
    Now here was Pellam, sweating and wild-eyed and talking about getting people.
    “Look, you steal my gun, you give me a lecture about things you don’t know from, then you come in and you start rambling about some killing or another. What,” Buffett said evenly, “do you want from me?”
    Pellam leaned close. Buffett blinked at the nearness of his face, the pores he could see clearly, the way the dark hairs on the top of the man’s forehead disappeared smoothly into the skin.
    The look in Pellam’s eyes reminded him of young cops after their first firefight. Eager and energized but also quiet—ironically calmed by death. And because of that, scary. Extremely scary.
    Pellam said, “The man in the Lincoln killed my friend.”
    Buffett did not respond and Pellam told him about Stile’s death. “They got us mixed up. They saw him leave the camper on the bike and they killed him. They thought it was me.”
    “Look, Pellam, it’s crazy to drive a cycle in the city. Accidents happen. I could tell you the statistics.”
    “Hell with statistics. I want you to tell me how to do it.”
    “Do what?”
    “Arrest him. Can I shoot him if I have to?”
    The chanting and the poking and probing faded from the cop’s mind. Pellam and his calm, scary eyes had Buffett’s full attention. “Let me make a call.” He was on the phone for ten minutes as Pellam stared out the window. Pellam’s lips moved silently from time to time. Into the phone, the cop asked, “Any chance it’s related to the Pellam thing? . . . Uh-huh. Yeah, well, I know how you guys feel but I’m starting to think he’s okay . . . Yeah, Pellam, I mean. I’m not so sure he did see the guy in the Lincoln.”
    Pellam’s head turned.
    Buffett said, “Well, do what you gotta, I understand. But take it easy on him. It was his buddy got killed.”
    When he hung up the cop said, “They’re calling it an accident. Hit-and-run. The truck driver said the car clipped the cycle. The tag number’s from a stolen Dodge.”
    “There. Stolen.”
    “Most hit-and-runs involve stolen cars. That’s why they’re hit-and-runs.”
    Pellam leaned forward again. “Look, I know it was the guy with the mark on his face. He must’ve seen me go to Peterson’s office after Nina was attacked.”
    “I’ll have Gianno and Hagedorn look into it. They—”
    Pellam exploded, “Look into it? Look into it? All they do is hassle me . You don’t understand. I’m going out that door in five minutes and I’m going to find theguy who killed my friend and I’m going to get him. If you won’t help then the hell with you!”
    “Look, Pellam, if he did it then the guy’s a pro. He’s not going to let you just arrest him. You, by yourself, no backup? Are you crazy? Are you ready to waste him if you have to? You ever shot anybody before?” Buffett shook his head with a condescending smile.
    Pellam unzipped his jacket and pulled the Colt Peacemaker from his belt. The grin left the patrolman’s mouth and his uneasy eyes followed the gun as it went back into the waistband.
    “One thing you might want to remember,” Pellam said quietly. “The guy with the mark on his face? He’s probably the partner of the man I saw get out of the Lincoln and that makes him the one who shot you .”
    No, Buffett hadn’t thought about that. But he did now for a long moment. He said slowly, “I’m a cop. I can’t help you kill someone. I don’t care who it is.”
    “I’m not going to kill him. I’m going to arrest him.”
    Buffett’s tongue gingerly touched the corner of his lips. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
    “How do I make a citizen’s arrest? Do I have to get him to confess? Can I just arrest him, like in the movies? Do I have to read him his rights?”
    Buffett the cop considered. “Well, you don’t have probable cause. The truck driver didn’t get a look at the guy driving the Dodge. The procedure our guys’d use is to find a suspect, then bring him in and interview him. Not arrest him. Just talk to him. He doesn’t get a lawyer for that but he can get up and walk out any time he wants.”
    “Just talk to him?”
    “Try to find inconsistencies. Maybe he’ll mention people who’re supposed to be alibis, but we can squeeze them and get them to turn. It’s a