Harry Gibraltar was taken into surgery at River Regional Hospital to remove a bullet lodged between the bone and cartilage in his knee. He was extremely lucky, the surgeon told him, because the bullet missed a major artery, as well as the bone in his kneecap. He would walk with a limp for a few months, but there was a strong chance that he would recover fully.
When Harry awoke in his hospital room after surgery, Detective Rebecca Little was waiting at his bedside.
“They send a lady out here to investigate?” Harry muttered dismissively. “Is this some sort of affirmative action thing?”
Rebecca refused to take the bait. She pretended she didn’t hear him.
“Mr. Gibraltar, I need to ask you some questions about the shooting and the robbery. Can you tell me what happened, exactly?”
“Sure. I was coming back from dinner to the office. I saw the back room was open, so I went in, and there were two young black guys who looked like they were strung out on meth or something. I keep a shotgun for protection, but one of them tagged me from behind before I could do anything. They took my gun and a little money I had lying around and that was it.”
“So it was two young black guys? Had you seen them before?”
“Of course not.”
“Don’t you think it’s kind of strange for a couple of tweakers to rob a retirement home?” Rebecca said. “Most places like it don’t have cash on hand or any kind of valuables that are easy to sell on the street.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is this doesn’t seem random. It seems like they had some inside information. Like maybe they knew you had money. Maybe they knew you like I know you: as an associate of Lester Cummings, running gambling schemes across the city.”
Harry swallowed hard. His face betrayed fear and the realization that he had underestimated this woman detective. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Sounds like you’re trying to accuse me of something. I ain’t saying nothing without a lawyer.”
“Thanks for your time, Mr. Gibraltar. Please accept my wishes for a quick recovery.” Rebecca left the room.