chapter 25

joe not so

Chief drove carefully in the direction of that park they’d picked out on the map, trying not to draw any attention to their giant rolling pumpkin. He was barely going a few miles over the speed limit (because going the exact speed limit was suspicious) when a black sedan with tinted windows appeared in the rearview mirror.

Joe was playing with the power windows and door locks, completely oblivious. Two men were in the car. What did they want? Why were they following them? Joe locked and unlocked the doors for the hundredth time. 

“Joe, stop that,” Chief ordered, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. “We’ve got company.” 

“That’s great, Chief! Let’s invite them to Aldo’s, he’s got the best pizza in town!” 

Chief didn’t bother replying. How Joe had gotten a job anywhere much less on an elite, highly trained squad was mind boggling. Chief’s sole comfort was the fact that at least he hadn’t had any say in the appointment;

Joe had just showed up one day with a note from the Boss that said, “Give him nothing important to do.” That was it—no background info, no explanation. Chief had assumed that the Boss was doing somebody a favor so that he could lean on the guy later when he needed him. That’s how the Boss operated. 

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