" Hello." " Hey, what are you doing?" "Hi." " Are you sleeping?" " No." " You're not happy to hear from me." " l'm glad you called." "I wanna see you." " What, now?" " Yes, now." " Where are you?" " Same place as before." "Peabody." " Are you sure you're not sleeping?" " No, I was up." "You liar." "Come on, get your ass over here." "Yeah, OK. I mean, yeah, what the hell." " Room 21 0." " Fine." " Sean, Seanie." " What?" "I have to go out and see a friend." "I'll be gone for an hour or two, OK?" "I put my cellphone on this slip of paper." "I'll put it on that top shelf, OK?" "What did I just say?" "You're going to see a friend and your number's on the shelf." "Attaboy." "The Kerry camp had an early opportunity to capitalise on the economy as an issue." "The pre-election polls show that a number of undecided voters thought Kerry offered a better chance for jobs." "Jobs may be a marginal issue in some of the Rust Belt battleground states." "But, ultimately, this was a referendum on the leadership of Bush on the war against terror..." "Bullshit." "Nothing mattered in the red states but the economy." "I've been saying that for months." "Hey, I'm not tossing you yet." "I got nothing on tomorrow." "Well, I'm tossing myself." "I gotta get home." "You know, not that this wasn't fun, but it might be nice to have dinner first, and a movie." " l got to Baltimore late." " No, next time." "We talk some, then fuck our brains out." "It's different for girls like me." "You need to be cuddled, McNulty?" "If we make a date, I don't feel I have to charge by the hour." "A date?" "I'll call you." "In the daytime." "I think we can agree that foreign policy..." "The US was reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor... ..wonders of wood carving..." "He wrapped himself in the American flag and never looked back." " That's a little harsh, don't you think?" " No, I don't." "I think it was great strategy by his handlers." "You don't think John Kerry, in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention," " wasn't trying to wrap himself in the flag?" " No, I don't think so." "He was defending the battleground states. .." ".. 1 942, the US 1 st Marine Division stormed the shore at Guadalcanal, seizing a nearly complete airfield at Lunga Point, which was renamed Henderson Field, and an anchorage at nearby Tulagi that came to be known as iron Bottom Sound" "because of the ships sunk there in battle." "The landings of the first day put nearly 1 1,000 Marines on the island." "Deep into it, I see." "Yeah, we gettin' there." "You lookin' correct." "Sunday morning." "I'm on my way to hear the Word." "Are you paying those guys out of pocket?" "Boiler's working and the pipes are OK." "I should have it cleaned out by tomorrow." "All you gonna need is the permits." " Permits?" " Yeah." "Permits." "Was that him?" "Shit. lf it ain't, we'd only be wasting a bullet." "Only problem is it being Sunday morning." " Who are you calling?" " Slim Charles." "You said to bring our beefing before the group." " You're warring with Marlo over corners." " Marlo ain't in the group." "Be that as it may, all this shoot-'em-up shit is bad for business." "We got cops on half the West Side corners." "I can't have my people standing on corners for fear they get mistaken for Barksdale people and catch a bullet." " l tried to talk to the young buck..." " You talk to Avon." "That's half the problem." " No doubt, exactly." " That's what I'm saying, man." "Nigger probably sleeping in." "Your man needs to reconcile himself to this new way of thinking." "You could remind him that, like everyone else, he benefiting from the wholesale price we got by throwing in together." " l mean, he know that." "Come on, Joe." " So now we're coming to him for help." "He need to just back off the young gun's corners." "It can't be about territory no more." "Old habits die hard." " Who this?" " lt's me." "We're on the house where the dude is..." " Talk, nigger." " Shit, man, I'm trying not to use names." "This Gerard, and we're on Omar, he gonna come out of the house." "I ain't trying to lose no niggers on them corners but it's a two-way street." "Go ahead, man." "Gerard and Sapper got their sights on Omar." "Slim ain't answering." " So?" " lt's church day, Sunday morning, you know?" " They sure it's him?" " Omar, yeah." "All right, do it." "Do it." "Gerard." "They right there, come on." "All right, here you go." "My goodness!" "My goodness!" "This time, I definitely hit him." "District-wide, it's 1 4%." "A drop like that in the Western felony rate is unheard of." "God knows what happens when you let go of your secret." "What happens happens." "If they want to keep my experiment going, that's on them." "But me?" "I'm out of here, Dee, I'm gone." "And Hopkins came through." "I got an offer on that security job." " You're really gonna retire?" " Always planned to." "What?" "You started something." "You ain't gonna finish it?" " What do you mean?" " On a battlefield you can't do much." "But you managed a truce." "And making the game street legal takes the heart out of it." "Keep it going, we're gonna reach those people chasing dope and coke, maybe even some hoppers." "You might at that." "What happens when you turn your district over?" "Or people get wind of this and there's no one to defend it?" "What then?" " How's the contrast on that?" " Good for daylight." "On a Sunday?" "What the fuck, Lester?" "Could say the same of you." "Elena's at her mother's, what else am I gonna do?" "No life, no marriage, no kids." "No problem." "What's with the video?" "Gonna put it up across from Stringer's shop, catch him coming and going." " You need help?" " You're a known face." "I figure me and Prez do it on a Sunday, shop is closed, looking like working men." "I do believe there aren't five swinging dicks here can do what we do." "I'm not saying all chest-out and shit." "But I mean, think about it, there's maybe, what, 3,000 sworn?" "Hundred or so are bosses, so no clue there." "Few more hundred is sergeants and lieutenants, who just wanna be bosses." "Then there's 600 or 700 fucking housecats, you know, deskmen." "The patrol division?" "There's a bit of talent there but the way the city is right now, that's 1 ,500 guys chasing calls and clearing corners." "Nobody's knowing his post, nobody's building nothing, right?" "cid's the same, chasing quick clearances, keeping everything in the shallow end." "Who is there out there who can do what we can do?" "How many are there really?" "Don Worden, Ed Burns, Gary Childs out in the county," "John O'Neil and Steve Cleary at Woodlawn." "They bring it in, but there's not many." "There's not many." "We're good, Lester." "In this town, we're as good as it gets." " Natural police." " Fuck, yes, natural police." "Tell me something, Jimmy." "How exactly do you think it all ends?" " What do you mean?" " A parade?" "A golden watch?" "A shining Jimmy-McNulty-Day moment when you bring in a case so sweet everybody says, "Shit, he was right all along." "We should have listened to the man."" "The job will not save you, Jimmy." "It won't make you whole, it won't fill your ass up." " l don't know." "A good case..." " Ends." "They all end." "The handcuffs go click and it's over." "The next morning it's just you with yourself." "Until the next case." "Boy, you need something outside of this here." "Like what?" "Dollhouse miniatures?" "A life." "A life, Jimmy, you know what that is?" "It's the shit that happens while you're waiting for moments that never come." " On a Sunday morning?" " We called to ask." "And Shamrock said to go." "On a Sunday morning you try to hit a nigger when he taking his wrinkle-assed grandmoms to pray?" "And you don't hit the nigger, all you kill is grandma's crown?" "Omar was damn near in the cab." "Ain't enough to violate the Sunday morning truce." "No!" "I'm standing here holding a torn-up church crown of a bona fide coloured lady." "Do you know what a coloured lady is?" "Not your moms, for sure." "If they was that, y'all would have known better than that bullshit." "Y'all trifling with Avon Barksdale's reputation." "You know that?" " ls she all right?" " She got cut on her face from the glass and she's sore from where l fell on her." "You saved her ass?" "I damn near got that woman killed." "You should have seen me in Sinai Hospital, lying about why somebody wanna shoot me." "That woman think I work in a cafeteria." " Cafeteria?" " At the airport." " Why the airport?" " Cos she ain't never gonna go to dine there." "This ain't funny." "That woman raised me!" "All my life, once a month, I've been with her to church, telling myself there ain't nobody in this city that low down to disrespect a Sunday morning." "Y'all know I was gonna walk away, right?" "After Tosha, I was gonna leave them be." " Avon home now." " Barksdale got to go." "Stringer, too." "This thing got to end." "I swear to God, on a Sunday morning, they near shot her best crown off, yo." "I mean, no shame, them niggers, man!" "I'm out." "If you're back to dealing with Barksdale people, I'm out, yo." "I'm in it for the money." "It's easier out there than that." "Just you and me, then, like it was." "No, yo, this one about me." " And nobody else." " Hey, I'm with you." "Not on this one, you ain't." "OK, we are a step and a half away from being up on a wire on these people." "All we need is to show the disposable phones are being used in a drug conspiracy." "McNulty and Greggs, you're on that angle." "walk either an undercover or a wired Cl up to a Barksdale crew." "Lester, you and Prez start typing affidavits." "When the probable cause comes in, we need to get the application in." "Detective, you're on Bernard." "When he goes out for cellphones, we're right behind." "The faster we get the new numbers, the faster we're on those phones." "When Caroline comes back, she's gonna be on the mini-cam." "From here on, we keep a log on any movement by Stringer and we keep an eye out for Mr Barksdale." "Get a line on where he spends his days." "I'm off to do battle with the wireless company." " Are they a problem?" " Have been since the things were invented." "OK." "Remember that with this wire, everything is a race against the clock." "Anything we get up on is only temporary." " Did you reach Bubbles?" " He'll be at Mount Clare." " Lee, where's the DNR log?" " What?" "The log." "Never mind, I got it right here." "All Stringer, all the time." " Theresa D'Agostino." " Can you hold?" "Yeah, I'll hold." "She's not here." "You wanna leave a message?" "No, I left one already." " A boxing gym?" " For kids." "An athletic club." "Gyms, reducing salons, public baths are permitted only in properties zoned B2, B3, B4 or B5." "Signed and sealed by a registered architect." " Floor framing plan, including load criteria." " Piping layouts." "Six copies of your fire protection plan with emergency exits noted." "..Health Department since it's a health service." "A licence from the State Athletic Commission." " Mid-size or full?" " Mid-size." "You should upgrade to one of them Escalades." "They got the XM radio an' all." "If we gonna be in that damn car all damn day, it's worth it, Bernard." " You ticklish, Bubs?" " The chills, Kima." "You do that to me." "Here's the buy money, Bubs." " Remember, this is all on tape." " l hear you." "On Vincent Street they don't even hide the ground stash any more." "You see when they're low, then ask for 30 so they have to call for a re-up." "That's important." "We want him to use his burner." " All right. I get to keep the 30." " 30 would kill you." "You get to keep the money we hand you once you come back." " l was just asking." " Just telling." " lt can't be done." " Excuse me?" "The activation information you want is not accessible until it goes to billing and that can take a week or more." "But more than that, we have dozens of law enforcement inquiries every month." "We get to them in order." "The current turnaround's 30 days." " 30 days?" " Let me understand something." "Your company is in business selling disposable cellphones to people who don't give any information at the time of purchase?" "Correct." "They buy these phones and they use them anonymously," " pre-paying for their minutes." " Yes." "And while they're using these phones anonymously, law enforcement can't monitor them because you need a month to react to a court order for a wiretap?" "We do the best we can." "This is bullshit." "You know these phones are effective for drug trafficking." "Our prepaid inventory is there for young people, students, people who can't afford a permanent plan." "What student can't afford a cellphone?" "They can afford the fucking college." "I resent the suggestion." "Just so I'm clear, you're saying that even if by some miracle we are able to get up on a drug dealer's cellphone in time to catch him talking, you're gonna take a month to activate our tap." "If you have a problem, your office can contact our general counsel." "How about the State's attorney calls a press conference on the courthouse steps to declare that Bay Wireless is in league with violent drug traffickers, preventing their arrest by law enforcement?" "Four to five days turnaround." "Best we can do." "I swear, I felt like a damn balloon with air rushing out my ass going from desk to desk." "This is our new man?" " Frank Reid." " Dennis Wise." "Reverend, Dennis spent all day trying for permits." " On the new gym?" " Yeah." "You use my name?" "You use anybody's name?" "Hell, there was a time I'd have used a Smith  Wesson." "I'm just saying, how do regular folk get it done in this town?" "Doreen, ring Delegate Watkins, please." " Yellow tops, yellow tops." " Obliged, man." "Keeping it close, you know?" "You tell a friend, OK?" "Too hot for them black Ts." " What are you hawking?" " Body bags." "All right, let me get 30 pills." "30?" "Where the fuck did your raggedy ass come up with 300 in cash?" "I've been selling T-shirts for weeks." "I'm in a cash business." "You want my money or no?" "Yeah, we out." "All right." " Shouldn't be long." " A bulk purchase justify a discount, right?" " 250 or so?" " 275." " And two whiteys." " That'll work." " That'll work." " Bubs just made another 25." " Theresa D'Agostino." " She's not in." " Can I take a message?" " No, I'll call back." " How's that working?" " What?" " Your new ho." " So far, so good." " You got the receipts?" " A few blew out the damn window." "You waiting for Avon?" "I hear you shot the crown off an old lady's head." "Good, y'all made it." "We're putting in some work." "Come on upstairs so we can talk." " Back with numbers." " How many?" "24 Trac phones." "Two each from Mondo Marts and four from Frederick and eight each from two stops in West Virginia." "Those bumper beepers?" "They work great, man." " He went out l-70 this time." " Can you blame him?" "The scenery's better." "24?" "Gonna have a lot of DNRs." "But with any luck one of these phones leads to young Mr Bodie Broadus." "You wanna call Pearlman?" "Who's hungry?" " How about Chinese?" " Sounds good to me." " You guys call it in and I'll go." " You type and I'll go with him." " Make mine sweet and sour." " Lo mein for me." "Get rolling?" "Charles is gonna give you all the details on it." " Who that?" " East Side niggers." "They're willing to soldier up for us." "Milton put me up on them." "We're gonna be back where we were, String." "We just gotta get this boy Marlo and then we spread out like we do." "Them co-op boys ain't too happy about that." "They say they got cops on corners where they wouldn't have otherwise." "Man, fuck them niggers." "I mean, Prop Joe said he'd mediate, go to Marlo, talk on it." "If he take a gun, maybe it could work." "Tell me, did you tell them niggers they could pop off at Omar's grandma?" "Man, Sham came to me in the middle of the meeting and said they got their sights on Omar." "They say nothing about no grandma, no church hat." " l hear the cocksucker's name, I say go." " On a Sunday morning?" "I hear that name, I ain't thinking about a church day." "The Sunday truce has been around as long as the game itself." "You can do some shit and be like "What the fuck?" but just never on no Sunday." "I mean, the stories are getting bigger and bigger." "Fatface Rick heard that our people shot Omar granny in the ass on purpose and pulled they dicks out and pissed on her crown." "No, I mean, I heard the same bullshit." "Prop Joe gave me an eartul." "But good help is hard to find." "Why do you think I pay East Side niggers for shit?" "Yeah." "Yo, are we still off them corners?" "Yeah, gotta be. we're gonna be off them corners till we take care of Marlo." "Maybe we should put a couple more crews on them free zones them cops got, take the profit where we can." " You trust that shit?" " l mean, so far." "They ain't gonna get nobody higher than a crew chief taking charge, right?" "What you gonna do with them two niggers downstairs?" "I'm gonna make them buy the lady a new hat." "What are we waiting for?" "Sweet and sour?" "You do the cookie first?" "What's the difference?" ""A new friend makes himself known."" ""Himself?"" "If it was "herself," then you'd have a fortune." "Shit, I'm married with lawn furniture, man." "The technology's out of control but that's nothing new." "The way these guys are using disposables, we cannot get a working wire up in time." " By the time we get papers served..." " They're dumping phones." "It takes a week to process the paperwork." "They're only half-scared of us, but a visit from the Feds?" " You have profile enough to push them." " l don't know." "If you've got them down to five days, you're doing as well as we can." "The Bureau's a little busy with counter-terrorism." "Our US Attorney only touches himself for political corruption." "Ghetto drug stuff just doesn't rate, I'm sorry to say." "This shit always smells best in the car going home." "Unit 1 3. in the alley in the rear, East Side, 800 North Montford." " That's five blocks, up and over." " Go." "What's the cross street?" "Shots fired." "Sounded like it was west of Milton." "I'm police!" "He's 10-7, call it in." "A Glock." "I saw the gun as he turned." "It's Derrick." "Jesus Christ." "You killed Derrick. lt's Waggoner." "You fucking killed Waggoner!" " Greggs." " Prez shot another cop." " What?" " lt was an accident in an alley a while ago." " No." " l'll call you back." " You here for Barksdale?" " l'm here for peace." " There's shit going on." " Barksdale ain't sent you?" "No, Stringer knows I'm here." "If I bring something respectful back, they most likely to show the same." "Tell the boy he can come in with the co-op." "If he takes our package, which is better than the best he putting out there now, he'll keep his corners, guaranteed." "He might listen, but the boy's got ideas." "He thinking Avon weak right now." "Have you ever known Avon Barksdale to back down?" "A plain-clothes man in a dark alley with his gun out and shots fired." "No one wants to burn anybody but there's a racial component to consider." " The appearance..." " Has he seen a lawyer?" " Lieutenant." " What?" "You can't compel a statement out of him until you read him his rights." "I'm his commanding officer." "I just want to know if he's all right." "OK, OK, there's just... lt's a legal question at this point." "Can I get you anything?" "You should call the union, Roland." "Talk to a lawyer before you say anything further." "I'm not saying anyone's gonna charge anything criminally." "Everyone knows you had no intention of..." "But administratively, you need to be careful because of the racial thing." "You see that, right?" "There's gonna be people in the department who see this that way." " You see that, right?" " l wasn't scared, I wasn't angry." "I didn't give a shit he was black or whatever..." "Or maybe I did." "How the fuck do you know if that's in your head or not?" "But you saw the gun." "Yeah." "Yeah, he turned toward me and..." "Cos you shouted, right?" "You shouted "police" and he turned, right?" "No, I don't think so." "I don't think I said anything." "I don't think he did." "I was a couple steps in the alley and he turned and I saw the gun." "That's all." " Did he have kids?" "A wife?" " l don't know." "They won't say." "They won't talk to me about him." "Call the FOP." "Get a lawyer, Roland." "No, sir." "I'm done." "Let the lawyer talk for you." "Lieutenant..." "Tell Lester l'm sorry." "Call the union." "He wants a lawyer in there with him." "Whenever he's done here, send someone home with him." "For tonight at least, he's a suicide watch." "Lieutenant." "You'll back him?" "What I mean is, if this thing should turn into some kind of a black-white thing, you're his unit commander, he can count on you, right?" "You all right?" "Lo mein." "What a clustertuck." " How many years on for Waggoner?" " Six and a half." "Two commendations, 16th on the current sergeants list." "Pretty much the exact opposite of that goof in there." "You know what's in that guy's jacket?" "Mothertucker flaked out, shot up his own radio car." "They were gonna charge him with false report until Valchek weighed in." "You know he married Valchek's daughter?" "Fucking goof had nine lives behind that shit." "Eight up, and the rest still to be activated whenever the cellular company gets to our subpoenas." "You did good, detective." "So we're looking for what?" "Looking for one of these phones to give us a signature on Bodie." "Calls to his girlfriend, his grandmother." "The numbers we pulled off the burners." "We see that, we know it's his phone." "We know it's his phone, we know he used it to sell drugs." "We know all that." "Then we get a tap up and pray like hell he doesn't throw it away any time soon." "Prez would love this." "I ain't gonna lie to y'all, I don't know about nothing except the boxing part." "That's all I was thinking." " Were you a pug?" " Yeah, I was, but I got sidetracked, though." "Reverend Reid seems to think you'd be quite a draw for some of these corner kids that we got." "They didn't think so downtown?" "Well, the fact is, you're looking to put your gym in the Fourth District." "Your council person would be Eunetta Perkins." "Do you know Miss Perkins?" "Well, few of us do any more." "Well, since we can't rely on Miss Perkins, Miss Daniels here will go with you." "She's here because constituent service is the life of a council person." " She needs a taste of that." " At least I hope I do." "If you don't mind me asking, why are you doing this?" "Do you know who Reverend Reid is?" "Well, the voters in my district do." "This came today?" " This is fucked up." " l give you $250,000 to have them tell me my paperwork is insufficient to certify me as a developer?" " You could call it fucked up." " We touched the right people." "Let me get with them, clear this mess up." " Get with them?" " l'm on it, String." "You got the light bulb franchise, right?" "Now..." "You talking about 30,000." "I'm talking about 250,000." "Now, you need to call Mr Goose, Mr Faucet, whoever, because I gave you money to run." "It ain't like no drug deal, String." "You don't put your money on the street and have it come right back." " lt don't?" " Patience, my man." "Sometimes the one hand don't know what the other is all about." "You know what I see?" "I see one hand in my pocket while the other has grabbed your dick." "Fucking Prez." "I don't even feel like working." " Sanny!" " Welcome to the Western." "That thing with Pryzbylewski?" "Jesus Christ!" "So fucking sad, man." " So you're humping a wagon?" " Fuck, yes." " How's that working out for you?" " l love this fucking gig." "It's the best thing Rawls ever did for me." "No stress, no struggle, eight-hour shifts." "I take nothing home. I couldn't be happier." "All those years knocking my head against a wall on homicide, and for what?" "The same pension with twice the heartburn." "I'm glad you landed on your feet." " Hello." " You called my office?" " Yeah, I did, several times." " Really, why?" " Why do you think?" " A sleepover." "You want dinner first?" " How about tonight?" " Georgia Brown's near 1 5th Street." "That'll work." "You want me to make a reservation?" " l can always get a table." " Whatever." " Let's shoot for 7.30." " l'll see you then." "You in?" "What do you think?" "Nice colours." " You got a platform?" " Schools." " Thought I'd be the education mayor." " Good luck, Tony." " l mean it." " Thanks, man." " When do you announce?" " Next month, I think." "You know, get out there early, start raising money." "I thought I'd make some rounds before then, feel people out." " Watkins?" " He seems to like me." "You think Odell Watkins is gonna split from the Mayor's camp?" "What you could do is feel him out on an issue or two." "That way it's more subtle." "You gotta charm the guy first." "Talk to him, then see if he's willing to throw sunshine on your ass." " l like that." "We should do that." " We?" "I was thinking maybe you would ticket your white ass up with me." "Run for council president." "Me an emerging black leader, handsome, well-spoken." "You, the great white hope, the new voice of civic reform." " We could give Royce a run." " What makes you think I'm interested?" "What the hell else have you got going?" "Think about it." "Look at 'em, like roaches when you turn the lights on." " What's it look like?" " Head and torso." " You got two casings over here." " Hold the call." "So much for "no violence in Hamsterdam"." "Herc." " Help them move the body." " What?" " Just up the block." " Have you lost your fucking mind?" "Before the ambo gets here." " Why?" " lf homicide gets here, if they canvass, they're gonna get wind of this shit." " Good." " Herc, come on." "No way, man." "No way." "Fuck those stripes." "Fuck 'em." "Toke, Gil, help me move this guy out of Hamsterdam." "I'll be first officer at the scene." "It's my responsibility." "Don't forget the casings." " Make sure you call me." " l will." "Thank you." " Take care." " All right." "Yes!" "760 to KGA." "Go ahead, 7 60." "Have 700 10-1 1 me on Vincent Street below Fayette." "You say you worked with this guy?" ""Three shots, no warnings." ls he scared of black people?" "Shit." " The shit's gone too far." " You're telling me." "Yeah, I need the number to the newspaper, the Sun." "Yeah, the number for the reporters, the newsroom, yeah." " So you ain't gonna say nothing on it?" " What is there to say?" " Avon, this is blood, family." " l know it." "And I'm telling you that someone may have done this to us." " The cop's just saying that shit." " To mess with your head." "Why?" "That cop don't know me for shit." "What am I to him?" "He know you gonna wanna think that Dee, he wouldn't do what he did." "I do think it!" "Was it some beef he had?" "Someone on the inside?" "Someone who didn't want you to know and so they made it look like it did?" "Nobody did nothing." " The cop said..." " He's lying." "He paid to lie." "Avon, you are my brother." "I need to know this more than anything." "Dee did not roll on us." "He came to the edge but he turned around and walked away." "And I know he was willing to do what he had to for his family." "For us." "But I need to know that you know that, that you saw him that way." "What?" "What you trying to say?" " lf something happened..." " What the fuck are you even thinking?" "That I could do that to my own kin?" "is that what you fucking think?" "What the fuck is in your head?" "I didn't do nothing to Dee." "I ain't had shit to do with it." "To do with what?" " To do with what?" " Whatever happened." "Whatever it is that happened, Brianna." "You think I don't know my business?" "I can see the body was moved from the block." "I can get him to you tomorrow morning." "Just let me see if I can find him." "What did he say?" "They found a blood trail going back up the block." " So maybe..." " Smeared, with drag marks." " They found a third casing at the other end." " Shit." "So what's the deal?" "We turn this into a dunker by tomorrow or he starts typing a report for lsd." " Fuck me." " No, fuck me!" "Look, you didn't move that body, Sergeant." "I moved the body." "You understand?" "I respect that you did what you did on behalf of what I'm trying to do here, but the responsibility is mine." "So what do we do?" "He said he wasn't gonna commit any new resources though he has it on the agenda of the Coordinating Council," " for what that's worth." " Poor Clarence." "He's looking tired." "So we're looking for help." "If the city could get a few hundred thousand, we could afford to protect these folks." " l know this is an easier sell with the Mayor..." " Could you convince him?" " He barely listens." " Jesus, tell me about it!" "Three years as a councilman is a long time to be ignored." "I'm saying the rules got broke." "My people kept their promises." "They did what they said and they were as good as their word." "Y'all..." "Y'all ain't kept up your end of it." " Wasn't my people." " l ain't making those distinctions." "Somebody used a gun up in the free zone, and against the promises made." "I can't justify this shit if I got dead bodies up there." "So, what I'm saying is this, come tomorrow, if I don't have a shooter in bracelets, this whole Hamsterdam affair is over, it's finished." "I'm gonna take my people back up on the corners and we gonna fuck y'all." "Yeah, it was good while it lasted, huh?" "You had cash and you ain't never needed no bail money." "And hell, I had clean corners." "But all that gonna be gone tomorrow unless y'all bring me my shooter." "You think that will work?" "Do you?" "That's good food." " How did you know this place?" " lt was big when Clinton was in." "This and the Red Sage." "Now it's all steakhouses and cigar bars." "So you live here but spend a lot of time in Baltimore?" "I have work up there." "And alumni stuff with St Mary's on the Hill." "I went to UM Law so I still have connections there." " l grew up in Homeland." " Yeah?" "Lauraville for me." "Where did you go to college?" "Loyola." "Only one year." "My girlfriend got pregnant, so..." " So?" " So..." "So you became a cop in Baltimore." " How's that going?" " lt's pretty good." "You know." "I do a lot of high-end drug stuff." "Wiretaps." "Prolonged investigations of violent offenders." "There's not a lot of guys in the department can do that kind of thing." "I don't know, you gotta love it." "Thrill of the chase and all that." " So, you do what in politics?" " l do political campaigns." " You mean like a campaign manager?" " More of a strategist really." "Not so much the day-to-day stuff but the strategy of how a candidate can win." "A consultant of sorts." " Are you strategising for anyone in Baltimore?" " l shouldn't say." " He hasn't officially announced anything yet." " ls he any good?" " lf you're for him, I'll throw him a vote." " Who did you vote for?" "What, you mean Bush and whatshisname?" "Kerry." " You didn't vote for president?" " l thought about it and..." "Bush seemed way over his head, I know, but he wasn't gonna win in Maryland." "Besides, these guys, it doesn't matter who you got." "None of them has a clue what goes on." "Where I'm working every day, the only way any of them will even find West Baltimore is if..." "Air Force One crash-lands into Monroe Street on its way back to Andrews." "It just never connects." "Not to what I see, anyway." "That's just me, though." "The man Colvin say he want the boy locked up or the free zone shuts down tomorrow." "All she wrote for Hamsterdam." " Colvin?" " From the Western." " Sham, who is this kid?" " Some young boy from Tuckie's crew." "is he connected?" "Kin to anybody?" " He only been on for a few months." " What did he use the whistle for?" "Some nigger in one of Ghost Kane crews laughed at his shoes." "Do it." "I'll be out in a minute." "No, he needs to put those in the departmental mail." "Yeah." "What do you need?" " To turn myself in." " For what?" " l shot a boy." " Yeah?" "English"