"They got honey nut Cheerios in here?" "Shit." "Yo, back the fuck up, motherfucker." "My man here saved my spot, yo." "So we'll have more time together." "Get us a couple of babies." "Ain't nobody see shit." "How's that for a message?" "Not bad." "Except the price in your head ain't for 4 figures." "It's for 5." "Shit." "For that kind of money, I should have done you my own self." "So who's doing the bounty?" "Who it is--a west-side player by the name of Marlow." "Marlow?" "Can't say I know the man." "He know you." "You can get me a phone call?" "I can do you one better than that." "Who you calling?" "Police." "The police?" "Man owe me a favor." "4x07 Unto Others" "...crime, violence, drugs, drug addiction, failing schools, all of these social problems in Baltimore city." "Over and over again." "And on june 8, when I had to write a column for the next day, some statistics had just come out from the FBI showing an up-tick in some of Baltimore's crime, and we also had a spate of 5 killings" "in a 2 or 3-day period." "And, you know, the idea of sitting down again and writing another column on this subject" "I don't know if it is important." "But here I am a citizen of Baltimore, and I take my citizenship as seriously as I take my credentials as a columnist." "I said, "what am I gonna say?" "What can I say about this?"" "If the killings continue, between 250 and 300 homicides a year..." "Top of the world." "Top of the world." "I knocked off an incumbent major, Tony." "That ain't easy." "National party has to take note of this." "Young and pretty as you are, I'm sure they've got ideas." "All you have to do now is run the city." "Tony, I gotta ask you something" "Why you didn't run again after the first term." "I mean, nobody had the" "The name you had, the organization." "Let me tell you a story, Tommy." "The first day I became mayor, they set me down at the desk," "Big chair and dark wood, lots of beautiful things." "I'm thinking, "how much better can it get?"" "There's a knock at the door in the corner of the room, and Pete comes walking in carrying this gorgeous sieve silver bowl, hand chased." "It was this big." ""It's from the unions," he says." "So I think it's a present, something to commemorate my first day as mayor." "And he walks over, puts it on a desk." "I look down at it." "It's disgusting." "I say, "what the hell is this?"" "He said, "what the hell's it look like?"" "I said, "it looks like shit." "Well, what do you want me to do with it?"" "He says, "eat it."" ""Eat it?"" "He says, "yeah." "You're the mayor." "You gotta eat it."" "So, ok." "It was my first day, and Pete knows more than I do." "So I go at it." "And just when I finish, there's a knock on the door." "And in walks Pete carrying another silver bowl, and this one's from the blacks." ""This, too?"" "And he nods." "I start eating." "And when I'm finished, there's another knock and another bowl." "This one's from the pollacks." "Then after that, one from the ministers." "And you know what, Tommy?" "That's what it is." "You're sitting eating shit all day long, day after day," "Year after year." "When I realized that," "I decided being a downtown lawyer and seeing my family every night made for a fine life." "Just a fine life." "Got that dark horse right here, man." "All jacked up for us." "Man, wasn't no..." "nigga ain't about to cop, is he?" "Spider, Spider, hold on, now." "Come on, man." "Why you ain't come past my gym no more?" "I been waiting on you for weeks now." "Talk to me, son." "Leave me the fuck alone." "What happened between me and your moms ain't got shit to do with you taking advantage of the gym." "Now, man, I'm just saying you one of my best, boy." "If I thought it was gonna hurt you, I" "Fuck you!" "Ain't nobody gonna hurt me." "Fuck you." "So step up and step off, unc." "I got customers backing up." "Dark horse." "Dark horse." "5, and 5 more." "Shit." "That's done." "...go to the cafeteria." "Principal Withers, please to the cafeteria." "Last card down." "Remember?" "Oh, yeah." "My bad." "Hey, guys." "You know I don't mind you coming up here most days to eat lunch, but I said you can't be gambling." "Yo, Mr. Pryzbo, quarter's only a, you know, reminder-- to remind me that I got 25 shells." "That's all." "Come on." "Let's see what you got." "Dang." "Flush." "But it don't beat your three 9s, right?" " Yeah, it do." " It do?" "It do." "It does." "Karim, you should have been more cautious with your bet." "Figure the odds." "Yo, it's our lunch break." "Don't be schooling us now." "Hold on." "Hold on." "Let him talk." "Well, for starters, you have to get a count on the diamonds." "You know how many diamonds there are in a deck?" "13." "13." "That's right." "Cards is all about knowing the numbers." "The numbers you can calculate the odds." "Now, Michael had 4 diamonds showing." "Hold on." "Wait." "What about dice?" "I mean, does dice have odds, too?" "'Cause mostly that's what we play." "Dice?" "Yeah." "Sure." "So, can you show us the odds of dice?" "Yeah, man." "Yeah, man." "Teach us dice." " That'd be hard, man." " For real." "Here comes that jailhouse rick." "The Braddock case?" "I take it we now have permission to solve this fucking case," "Seeing as everyone's finished voting." "Solve away, you both Centurions!" "You don't have work to do?" "Not till I catch a fresh call." "No." "How much can you sell that one for?" "Mint condition, 300." "Fuck me." "I need a hobby." "That's right." "I bet he bucked on me." "I just thought he might have come back past once or twice." "Shawn's on a truant list, Mr. Cousins." "He hadn't been back since the last time you brought him in." "Well, if he does come back past," "Will you tell him I'm looking for him at home?" "And he can come home if he want." "I apologize for taking your time." "I see you up here undercover." "All right." "Don't worry, dawg." "I'll keep it close." "Mrs. Dolly, does the school have any kind of collection of board games?" "Parcheesi, Trouble, Monopoly?" "You're still teaching eighth-grade math, right?" "Trying." "Yeah." "The book room downstairs." "Stay on the curriculum, Mr. Pryzbylewski, or you'll have an area superintendent on our backs." "Remember this, yo?" "Not my case." "Them boys working the case ain't really in the mood to listen." "As you can see, I still got the lady lawyer marker," "And if I recall, police gun got fired a while back." "Only reason I'm even here is because of that gun." "As far as Eileen Nathan goes, she promised get out of jail free on a small felony or two." "This here... is a taxpayer murder with an eyeball witness." "The eyeball witness is lying, yo." "Come on." "When you ever know me to put my gun on anybody that wasn't in the gang?" "Old-Face Andre lying on me here." "The store owner." "Now, why would he lie?" "Andre working a package out the store." "Folk like that-- they tend to bear certain resentment toward folk like me." "If you didn't do this when you did others" "Shit." "I got files on two open doubles last year." "Shotgun shells at both scenes." "What about that stash-house gunfight?" "What about Stringer Bell and his muscle dead in the warehouse?" "If this one ain't on you, another dozen probably are." "And if this one goes to court, you can tell that jury how wrong it is." "Obviously I got along before I swear to them on the stand." "You leave me at courtside and I'm done." " You know that." " Yeah?" "So you ain't making friends." "I got a bounty on my head, man." "5 figures." "If I would have known I'd be sharing quarters with all these boys," "I probably wouldn't have robbed so many of them." "Oh, yeah." "The golden rule." "Well, since you feeling all biblical and righteous and all, you think on this." "Now, if Omar ain't killed that delivery lady, somebody else did." "But you giving him a free walk right now though, ain't you?" "A man got to have a code." "What's up?" "Just the dice." "Grab the dice from any game that has them." "We're using that third edition, right?" "I don't know." "We're using the third." "What are the new fifth editions doing sitting down here in a box?" "No way." "What's up, man?" "Got your big yellow." "What's up?" "Big yellow for you." "Look at you, all business and shit." "Big yellow bird." "Yo, who you bumping with?" "Ain't no bump." "They got their corner." "I got mine." "Ain't no thing." "You going up to gym today?" "I might see you later." "Well, maybe they with Marlow." "Ain't with no one." "They're just young'uns playing in this shit." "So what you want to do?" "I want to mix here and bring the police to our shop." "When they step off, you follow." "Bank 'em good." "What if they strut?" "Ain't no need to pop no one," "But they need a warning." "Make sure they know we for real." "Brokeback, man." "Brokeback right here." "Fresh from the street." "Brokeback." "Tried to bring out who was on me." "Led him to the train station." "How that work?" "Had the railroad police on me." "Couldn't smoke." "I was pulling the strings." "You need a name." "You get that, I can run it down for you." "I'll get a name." "Cameron still there?" "Steal that motherfucker." "No one speaks to it, then it's the feds sniffing you out." "It's only federals be rich enough to lose a camera and not go to crying about it." "You steal that bitch and someone comes knocking, it's local." "Steal that bitch." "See what comes." "Hey, you know the boy used to be with me running these carts?" "Go by the name of Sharad." "I'm looking for him." "Some good news." "So if you spot him, you know, tell him to come see me." "That's $9.00 for two. 10 for 3." "That's 10 even, too." "That's a good product." "Ain't none of that alley shit." "People walking in front of the camera waving," "Waving "hello." Them Chinese made that shit." "No?" "Much obliged." "It's a good deal." "Good deal." "Hey, remember to holler at my boy if you see him." "All right." "All right." "Here we go." "Bubbles depot for my people." "Bubbles take care of your troubles." "Ain't no trouble yet." "All right." "All right." "All right." "Take it easy, ok." "I know you remember me." "All right." "Be cool with it." "Be cool with it." "Give it up, nigger." "That's what I'm gonna say to you every time we meet." "Money or pills." "Don't care which." "All right." "All right." "Cool." "I'm getting it." "See?" "Back down, yo." "He's in a hole." "Motherfucker bad for business, man." "You don't take care your neighborhood store?" "Officer?" "Officer." "How you doing, officer." "Can you help me out please?" "I just got robbed." "Thank you, man." "They all saw it." "Everybody was here witnessing everything." "Took your money?" "Yeah, man." "Same guy every day, you know." "He just went--He went down the alley towards Pacing street." "You cut him off on Lafayette" "You can't sell on the street without a license." "And these movies-- it's copyright infringement." "Come on, man." "That's a hefty fine." "That's my 10" "Are you gonna rob me, too?" "That's what you're gonna do?" "You rob me also?" "Baltimore's finest right here." "Thank you." "Everybody gather up." "All right?" "Everybody take 5 and gather up." "Mike, get in here, too." "I want everybody that use the gym to hear this now." "Most of y'all know I came home after being in a long time." "And some of y'all-- shit." "All of y'all probably seen me welcoming the attentions of some of the ladies who come past." "Easy." "Now, I realize that some of these ladies is your relations." "I ain't mean to disrespect y'all or have any feelings hurt." "All y'all come in here to learn a sport and better yourselves." "Ain't no need for me to get in the way of that." "All right." "And if your witness is in the game and Omar jacked him up good" " What the fuck is this?" " Hey, Crutch, I'm just asking." "That dick shop kin to you or what?" "Hey, Vernon, man, you ran the sheet on that old face, right?" "Yeah." "He was an asshole." "So what?" "So what?" "What's the history?" "Motherfucker, do we come behind your casework talking This kind of shit?" " Do we?" " Come on." "No." "Fuck you, Bunk." " Fuck you." " Fuck you." "Soon as he comes out the gym, yo, bank his ass, man." "Make sure that nigger's shook." "You thought I wouldn't handle it." "You need some proof." "I don't know about all this beefin', man." "What, you scared, nigger?" "We need to pump your ass up some more." "Game on." "You coming round the way tomorrow?" "I think you should stay off that spot." "Bitch, I'm talking to you!" "Man, fuck you." "Fuck!" "Fists don't work for you, nigger." "Y'all got to take this shit out of front of my door." "Naman, go inside." "Man, fuck you." "Hey, I feel you, man." "Ain't no beef here though." "All right?" "Go inside, man." "Yo, what happened to your boy?" " Fuck happened to you?" " Ain't nothing." "You need to see how the other nigger look." "Who is that?" "Ain't nothing." "I can handle that fool." "You ain't have to step, too." "Oh, shit, no." "You had everything under control." "Look at your face." "Course, I recognize the other boy was high as all hell." "And anything can jump off when it's like that, you know." "Yeah, and he'd have been on his ass if you ain't mixed in." "What's going on?" "He into something?" "Ain't none of my business." "Yours either." "Seriously, you guys ran a hell of a campaign." "No let-up." "Lot of heart." " I'll second that." " Yeah." "I liked to shit when you trotted out that witness story during the debate." "What about the fucking last-Minute fliers and me and the Slum Lord doing a tango on the courthouse steps?" "Wait." "Parker, who was behind that?" "I didn't see no Royce authority line." "Well?" "Tommy, enough of the bullshit." "Hmm?" "What the hell are we waiting for?" "Bring your ass around here and try out the big chair." "Come on." "Come on around here." "I'm not even mayor-elect." "General election's still a few weeks away." "You don't beat Crawford in a city where we outnumber republicans 9:1, you don't deserve the fucking job." "Now, get on around here." "If I lose the general election, I'll just blame Norman here." "He's taking over from Terri D'Agostino." "She did good for you." "Yeah, she did." "The national noticed." "She's back a DCCC looking to target red-state delegations." "After what she pulled off, I hope she got a win bonus." "Hell, yeah." "They gave her my share, too." "Wouldn't you know it?" "Tommy, whatever you need going forward," "For the general election, for the transition" "I want to hit the ground running, so I'm gonna need to learn the agencies, the budgets, the problems, all of it." "Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to look at." "See to it." "It's a hell of a goddamn job." "Halfway glad to get out." "I'm gonna miss it." "Braddock case running you in circles?" "Whole day was a waste of time." "Why not talk to Wardell himself?" "Ask him if he killed the witness against him." "If he read the newspapers, he already knows he's a suspect." "Will he take a polygraph?" "Call his lawyer." "Tell him they're about to shift the narcotics case off to the federal court because a state witness was murdered." "Tell him if his client doesn't cooperate, he's looking at mandatory minimums and no parole." "The feds don't want drug cases anymore, especially not a case that's gonna fall apart without a key witness." "Bluff." "What have you got to lose?" "Maybe he blows the box." "Maybe he passes." "But he talks a bit either way," "And you, detective, get to listen." "The fuck am I looking at here?" "Birds, I think." "You see that there?" "I think that's a wing flapping." "Shit." "Fuck!" "Fuck it anyway, man." "Mr. Bond?" "Hey." "Call me Rupert." "Thanks for coming over." "Try to get a running start." " Meeting with my unit chiefs." " No problem." "Congratulations on the election result." "You'll be coming in with quite a mandate." "Maybe so." "So, how can I help you with the transition?" "There's not a lot of high-end narcotics cases" "In the pipeline." "And major crimes" "We'll cut it for political reasons." "Once the polls put me up there with Demper, people started whispering in my ear." "And I also heard about your subpoenas." "Andy Crotchick, Clay Davis." "Sir, I didn't intend-- to go after a couple of Royce's money men 4 weeks before a primary election?" "Yeah." "I think you're wasted in narcotics." "Let me guess." "How about V.C.U. As unit chief?" " What?" " Violent Crimes Unit." "How about you take that over for me?" "Karkenny ran on a platform of dropping the murder rate," "So V.C.U. Is where the sparks are gonna fly, right?" "You're putting me in charge of all homicide prosecutions?" "What about Eileen Nathan?" "She's moving up to second deputy." "I came in here ready to get bounced down to misdemeanors or worse." "Why would you think that?" "The subpoenas and the fact that Demper" "Demper lost the election." "I won." "And I admire your courage if not your loyalty." "Lester." "Excuse me?" "Forgive me." "V.C.U. is great." "I'm more than ready to work murders for you, Mr. Bunt." "Good." "Rupert." "But now she's told police sex was consensual on Paul and Monell only." " So" " So, Randy" "He'll be back tomorrow." "And the thing with the police?" "It's out of my hands" "Turn it down, ladies." "Quenice, lose the gum." "Ok." "Settle down." "Mr. Pryzbo!" "What Nicky doing with a computer?" "We're gonna have a computer in the class for a special project." " And another thing" " Dang." "They all new and shit." "Leave the old ones on your desks." "And put your names on the box on the inside cover of the new ones." "Ok." "Did anyone have any trouble with the homework?" "Charlene?" "I didn't get it." "Didn't get what?" "None of it." "Michael?" "That's great." "Good job." "Calvin, is this your work?" "'Cause it looks like someone else's." "No." "I do my work." "Ok." "Next time, try to remember not to copy quenice's name at the top." "All right." "Did everybody get a new textbook?" "Great." "Ok." "Well, for now at least, you can get those out of sight." "Naman, why aren't you in uniform?" "Why did you decide not to wear it?" "I ain't in my right class, so ain't no need for a uniform." "Interesting." "Why you always write down everything we say?" "Trying to get inside our heads or something?" "You trying to get into mine?" "Chandra, do you think this is a beauty salon or a classroom?" "Darnell, why didn't you wear your uniform?" "I meant to." "I did." "Yeah, but after, like, a quart of vodka," "It be hard and all what color shirt you supposed to be wearing." "And you find that funny, Naman." "Man, fuck you." "Darnell has a drinking problem, and Naman, we believe, suffers from conduct-disorder issues." "Fuck you." "Yeah." "He's got a mouth on him." "Yeah." "Chandra, is it necessary to comb your hair in class?" "Fuck you, cheese-face bitch!" "Chandra, I should tell you" "You ain't telling' nobody nothing." "You know, I was wondering why she was in the class." " She seemed so" " Chandra, listen to me." "Oppositional defiant personality." "Get the fuck out of my face, bitch." "I'm sorry you're having a bad day," "But you're gonna have to take a little walk with Miss Mason." "Come back when you've pulled it all back together again." "Yeah." "It's bye-Bye time for my girl Chandra." "Yeah." "You think?" "Then to reiterate, this is a polygraph examination," "Non-admissible, and the answers to all questions are regarded as a proffer with a limited grant of immunity." "Agreed." "Ok." "To begin, please answer yes to a series of questions" "Regardless of whether or not that answer is correct." "Is your name Anthony Wardell?" "Yeah." "And you're from Baltimore, Maryland?" "Right now I'm over at city jail, but I'm from east side." "So your answer is?" "Yeah, I'm from Baltimore." "Are you female?" "Fuck is wrong with" "My bad." "Yeah, I'm a bitch." " Hey, sweet thing." " Chandra." "We're working on our short essay." " If you" " Diamonds are a girl's best friend." "Need to get down to lay down." "Naman, if you don't stop, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave class." "See you sad-ass motherfuckers in about 3 days." "You're leaving class, not school." "What about now, bitch?" "Huh?" "That's not necessary, Naman." "Oh, you gonna suspend me?" "We're gonna have a little talk." "Man, fuck y'all." "I know the rules." "You gotta suspend me." "School gotta have rules." "He right." "You gotta have rules." "* that shit out." "The point is I can call it like you want." "You want him to pass?" "He passed." "You want him to come up inconclusive, He's inconclusive." "The fuck kind of science is that?" "Come on." "Did he blow the box or not?" "I'm here for you, detective." "You know what we use the polygraph for?" "Leverage." "To get him in here and fuck with him." "No wonder this shit's inadmissible." "Let me guess." "They're out in the hall and Stotowski is telling them that he can make it go any way they want." "If you think that's how we play it, then why let your client" "Because you know there's not much case left now that your witness is dead." "I don't need to expose him to a federal charge If I can avoid it." "And because even if Stotowski bends it for our ears," "He's let you know that Mr. Wardell here did not blow the box." "Yo, I wouldn't kill me." "Even if it flips on me, I ain't gonna do shit to the man." "Why not?" "My moms and his-- they're, like, cousins." "Came up together in the latrope, you know." "I've been knowing him since, like, head start and shit." "But he was gonna testify." "What I'm looking at on the first conviction on this kind of wave?" "7, 8?" "Shit." "I'll be out in 3 1/2." "You think I'm gonna kill my mom's cousin's boy for 3 1/2?" "I know that man helped get himself elected claiming that" "I did me like that, but please." "Bum-ass motherfucker was gonna testify against me, and I swear to God I feel bad he's dead." "I do." "Hey, Eileen, been looking all over for you." "Omar Little." "From bird's trial a couple years ago." "The stickup boy." "He's in city jail on felony murder." "Store robbery west side." "When I gave him the card," "I told him it was for a light felony at best." "Yeah, of course, but... he needs to get right out of BCDC and put in protective custody somewhere else." "I'm sharing his address with about 800 other guys who have seen the business end of his shotgun." "Why do you care?" "I'm pretty sure that he's being set up on this one." "Really?" "How does that play with the rest of the guys in the squad room?" "Look, all I'm asking is that you move him to some county detention center at least until I have a chance to work back up on this thing." "Now, this card ought to buy him that much." "Is hartford county detention center quiet enough?" "Go pick up a writ in my office and tell Mr. Little my debt's paid." "The fact is that homicides are off 14% in the West for this year." "But I'm not gonna stand here and take credit for that when all other UCR felonies are up." "Why not, Major?" "A Wise man once told me years ago when I wasn't even a Sergeant that you should never take credit when the crime rate drops unless you want to take the blame when it rises." "Atten-Hut." "Mayor-elect is on deck." "Please, back to what you're doing." "I'm just a councilman here to observe." "At ease, gentlemen." "Major Daniels, continue your presentation." "In any event, rather than allow my post cars to patrol the grand deputy, I put two-man cars in the post with the worst drug corners:" "Edmonson avenue, Poplar grove, Fayette and Baltimore streets," "North avenue." "Now, if nothing else, a two-Man car is more aggressive, and that helps push it away from the most volatile corners, which may be having an effect." "Just pushing it?" "I'm not devoting my resources to cheap street arrests, commissioner." "Instead, I'm trying to bring every officer I can to bear on making quality felony cases." "I could do more, but, well, it's my opinion that not enough of the troops I have are sufficiently trained to properly investigate such cases." "Major, you just insulted your command." "Respectfully, sir, too many of my people have spent years chasing street-Level arrests while they grab bodies and make stats." "But that doesn't teach you how to write a proper warrant or testify properly as to probable cause or use and not get used by an informant." "I wish it were otherwise." "But if I'm chasing felony cases," "I can only bring a minority of my officers to bear." "You got all of it already." "That's right." "Make a nigger work." "You like that shit." "Ain't that right, motherfucker?" "You can't hide, son." "Don't care where it is." "In a nigger's ass crack, I'll still find you." "Damn." "Fucked that man up." "Yeah, boy." "All right." "So we starting a little later than I wanted." "Yo, but you said you was gonna peep out of school after lunch." "I tried." "They won't put me out." " Shit." "Ain't no school gonna hold me if I want to go." "It's this new class they put me in." "It's so fucked up, yo, they working all backwards and shit." "All right." "Let's get to this." "Yo, Bobby." "You working the stash." "Yo, yo, why aren't where we was yesterday?" "The spot was right." "This is good here?" "Fuck is wrong with you?" "He was on the strip yesterday." "This ain't shit." "Yo, if you don't want to sell my shit, then fuck you, Kinnard." "I keep my money." "This spot just as good as the other." "Shit..." "Do you know how much that video camera cost?" "4,200, which makes our adventure with fuzzy dunlop" "Look like a fucking walk in the park." "To get the camera from I.S.D.," "I had to get authorization from your supervisor, right?" "Still, you lost it doing police work." "Your Lieutenant will understand." "Mello?" "You know what that asshole understands?" "Burning motherfuckers for petty shit like this." " Help me, Carv." " This is not my problem." "Don't fuck me, Carv." "Don't fuck me now." "You know what this is?" "This is one of those enabling relationships." "Enable me, Carv." "Enable me-- to find my fucking camera." " You're seeing pigeons?" " Last night we did." "Me and Sander ran the west side looking at every pigeon coop we could find." "This morning, nothing in the monitor." "You check the pawn shops?" "Every one." "I fucking know this asshole Marlow has my camera." "Oh, fuck me." " What?" " You just reminded me." "I had to brief this kid last week who said he knew something about a murder that Marlow's people did." "I meant to call Bunk on it." "Bunk caught the case?" "No." "Actually, he had a warrant for the guy who supposedly got killed." "I rode around with him on it a while back." "What about me?" "I got problems here, man." "The only thing you can do is get some wood on Marlow Stanfield or his people." "Scare him enough to send the camera back." "What do you have on Marlow?" "I know he's a drug dealer." "I can't prove it or nothing, but I know." "Detective pitts, pick up 2594." "Pitts..." "Ok, listen." "How about I let you debrief the kid first?" "See what he can give you." "This gets the camera home?" "Maybe not, but you talk to the runt, and maybe he gives you some shit on marlow." "Maybe even gives you a murder or two." "and before you call homicide on it, you walk it back to Mello like the cat with the mouse in its teeth." "You bring him the murder, he probably forgives the camera." "Loomin, line 5." "Loomin, pick up the fucking phone." "Looking for detective Moreland?" "Could you have him call Sergeant Carver at the western, please?" "Carver?" "Western?" "Wait a minute." "Got it." "Fuck that Bunk." "Thoughts on your cabinet?" "Lots of them." "But top of the list, Irvin Burrell's ass is gone." "I told Royce to dump him more than a year ago." "But Clarence didn't want to piss off the ministers until after the primary." "Primary's over." "He can do it now." "You think Clarence Royce is gonna do you that favor?" "He's already thinking about taking a poke at Elisha and running for the seventh district congressional seat." "He's gonna need every black minister in town to lay hands upon him." "Fine." "I'll do it myself." "No, you won't." "Royce can fire a black police commissioner, but the newly elected white mayor cannot." "Same brothers who voted for you be at your throat." "What if I got a black commissioner to replace the son of a bitch?" "Under Burrell, the only black deputy is Cawthorne," "And he's 70." "After that, it's just Majors and Lieutenants." "We go outside." "Nationwide search." "Deputy chiefs in New York or L.A." "make more than their police commissioner." "If you're talented and black, why would you be in Baltimore?" "I have often asked myself that very question on a number of occasions." "So I'm stuck with Burrell." "Fuck." "Have a seat." "Don't keep him late." "He's gotta be at school in the morning." "Did he say he was suspended?" "They're letting me back in tomorrow." "Miss Ander want me to be home by 9:00." "And don't forget to send him on to Bunk after you're done." "Look after him." "He's a good kid." "You hungry?" "Yeah." "Let's eat." "Hey, kid, let me ask you right off the Bat." "You know what a police surveillance camera looks like?" "Councilman, you sure you don't want to ride with Lieutenant Grace?" "I mean, she'll be in command of the ship." "What's the point of a ride-along with bosses?" "I need to see what the troops see, right?" "Fine." "I love the idea of a mayor who knows what we're up against." "Officers McFarley and Ginter," "This is the mayor-elect, and he'll be riding with you in sector 3." " How you doing?" " Hey." "Don't let him get captured." "Obviously I didn't know nothing about it in the beginning." "Little Kevin-- he just told me to tell Lex to go to the playground behind Fulton." "'Cause his girl was up there." "And Lex got killed?" " Yeah." " When did he get killed?" "So you actually weren't there to see him killed?" "I told you." "Little Kevin-- he just told me to tell Lex to go up to the playground and see this girl Patrice." "Then later, Kevin come up to me and tell me" "Chris and Snoop killed the dude." "What's Kevin's last name?" " I don't know." " You don't have his name?" "Little Kevin all I know." "So let me get this straight." "He told the guy to go somewhere, and then you heard he was killed, but you don't know where he was killed, and you don't even know if anyone ever found the body?" "How do you Lex is really dead?" "Everybody know it." " Who is everybody?" " Everybody from around the way." "Yo, listen." "People be saying that Chris and Snoop be turning niggers into zombies for Marlow, but I know that ain't true." "When you dead, you dead as all." "Zombies, huh?" "You know what this is?" "This is bullshit." " You're bullshitting me." " No, sir." "You were right there when this Lex fellow got dropped, Weren't you?" " No." " Yes, you were." "You're an eyeball witness who can get me Snoop and Chris both." " I told you" " Look, kid." "If you were there, you can say so." "We can do a lot for you." "Maybe help you out with this problem you got at the school." "I ain't got a problem no more." "I'm good with that." " Come on." "You were there, right?" " Herc." "Just say you were there!" "So how do you like being mayor so far?" "I still gotta win the general election in May." "Inauguration's not till December." "So what do I know?" "Well, you can't do any worse than Royce." "City's going to shit." "Yeah." "Well, what do you guys suggest I do first?" "An air strike." "White phosphorus." "Drop that shit on everything between here and north avenue." "Seriously." "That shit works." "My brother's a marine, right?" "They use W.P. over there in Fallujah." "Signal 13, shots fired 200 north Calhoun." "Bang." "There it is." "Now you're gonna see some shit, Mr. Mayor." "Pardon my French." "You know what's fucked up?" "No one hears the gunshot." "On the canvas, no one even claims to hear the shot." "So, look." "Our next move is to work back on wardell's visiting list." "If the Sergeant asks, I'm on the street." "Fuck is that, 13 on Calhoun street?" "I don't know, but they 1032-ed 10 minutes ago, sir." "You're not dropping me off at my crib, are you?" "I mean, you can leave me, like, a block or two off from here." "I can walk the rest of the way." "Don't want to be seen with the police, huh?" "Yeah." "All right, boss." "Pull over right here." "Fuck was Carv thinking?" "This kid can't give me a murder." "We go right at Marlow." "Fuck the back door when we can go in the front, you know." "Next I want a detective at university in case the guy that comes out makes any kind of declaration." "Right, and have someone in the room with him." "Officer Leach has been transported down to you by a Sergeant." "Service weapon's with detective Hollister," "On the way to ballistics." "No." "No." "Looks like a clean shoot." "I've got spent shells from two suspect weapons." "Different calibers." "Both recovered." "Right." "Yeah." "I know." "No." "I'm not out here at the scene." "But call the P.I.O. and have him issue a statement from downtown." "Tell the S.A.O. That if they want to have someone out here to survey the scene, they need to move now 'cause crime lab is finishing up, and the O.C.M.E. van is here waiting." "Yeah." "I'm getting *." "Isn't that the Destern District Commander?" "Yeah." "That's Daniels." "He's the duty officer tonight." "Seems to know his business." "He ain't as bad as some." "Police." "Baltimore police." "Ok." "There's still 85 eligible from September who need an October day." "That'll work, ma'am." "I'm counting on you fellows to get it done before the end of the month." "I can keep you on salary till then." "You know what?" "This ain't for me." "Look." "I thank you for the opportunity, ma'am," "But it ain't so much just to bring a man for a day or two." "I mean, if you had something where I was working with these kids... anyway, thanks again." " David." " Hey." "Thought you was at ida wells." "Language-Arts position opened up here," "So I came over last year." " Hey." "What's up, coach?" " Hey." "You come over for some of your boys today?" "Some kind of program?" "Nah." "Something else." "Didn't work out really." "Be well." "You mind if I give him a go?" " Sure." " Fuck you!" "Ok." "But you still in this room." "Fuck you!" "You know you're not going back with the others till you learn to behave." "Fuck you." "Look." "Until you show you can handle it," "You're not going back to your regular class." "Fuck you." "Look." "And you damn sure ain't going home" "'Cause there ain't no more getting suspended." "Mr. Colver, sir?" "Fuck you." "'Cause I ain't feel like it." "That's why." "This is bullshit." "And I ain't reading no motherfucking book either." "I don't even know nothing about the damn book." "And you always getting on my ass and shit about some book." "Fuck you, you cheese-face bitch." "Albert, Albert, settle down now." "This gonna be harder than we thought, man." "It's fascinating, isn't it?" "All right." "Class..." "This ain't no different than the other class." " Clinically speaking." " Except your fat ass is up in here." "Yo, your point's full." "I'm hot." "Come and get it." "All right." "I'll cover that." " Me, too." " I bet on my boy Randy?" "You about to get your money taken." "Come on." "Bet." "Thank you." "Pay up, sucker." "Randy, what are you doing?" "Didn't we go over this?" "How many ways can you make a four." "Not enough for his black ass." "Look who's talking." "Yo, he just come today, so he miss the whole thing about the odds." "Right." "Give me." "There's only 3 ways to make a four." "And to make a seven-- 6." "That's good." "So what should have been your play?" "Should have bet against him." "Good to have you back, Mr. Wagstaff." "Come on, roll 'em, man." "Trick them into thinking they aren't learning, and they do." "Been looking all over for you." "You found me." "Look, I been thinking, Sharad... we're going about our thing all wrong." "You know, look." "I made the mistake." "I thinking I knew you better than you knew yourself." "This corner--This corner mess will bring you down fast." "You know." "I think you need to come home." "Right?" "You come by tonight, and we work this shit out together." "All right?" "I been thinking about it." "Step right now." "I don't get paid till 8:00." "8:00, huh?" "You all right?" "Just a little tired." "That's all." "So I'm gonna see you tonight." "Right, Sharad?" "You want to help me take a statement?" "Braddock case is down." "Room two." "You veteran crime fighters got a name for this, right?" "Murder weapon or some shit like that?" "No fucking way." "Slug from autopsy matches two more" "I pulled from that smokehound's backyard." "Block into the side alley from where Braddock fell." "Our guy's dead from a stray." "He was shooting at 40s and Clorox bottles blocks away" "Using potatoes for a silencer." "Bite me." "That's ridiculous." "So our guy's dead because a bullet misses a bleach bottle." "And this fuck Karkenny gets to be the mayor behind the stupidity." "I fucking love this town." "I do." "Nice pull, Greggs." "Soft eyes." "Sharad!"