Chapter 14

“Did you find out what they’re planning to do?”

“Damn straight. They’re going to wait until five o’clock tomorrow afternoon, then issue a warrant for Philip’s arrest.”

“What brought that on? Did he say?”

“Some ass-kisser in the department got wind of Philip’s sexual orientation and decided to curry favor by telling Wetherbee about it, with embellishments, no doubt. As you might suppose, the very hint of a ‘queer’ angle to the case was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. They’re going to railroad this through any way they can. Word is out that the police aren’t even doing any more serious investigating—they think they’ve got a patsy.”

“The bastards,” Charles said. “A late Friday arrest would mean no chance of an arraignment and bail hearing before Tuesday morning, what with the holiday weekend.”

“Yup. Our boy Wetherbee thinks he’s got a sitting faggot for a target and wants him in the cooler all weekend so they can grill him.”