Book "Dick Mullen and the Mistaken Identity"

Why is my gut in such bad shape?

Could it be an underlying condition aggravated by years of greasy meals scarfed down between shifts? Or the litres upon litres of hard liquor guzzled on an empty stomach?

No point in worrying about it just now. Why don't you get back to the story?

Don't you sass me. Get on with the story.

Your partner. (Look at Kim.)

The lieutenant gives you a quizzical expression in return. You go back to the story...

No one. Just your own two eyes.

That's exactly what Dick Mullen says in "The Dame Who Did It."

Unfortunately, your eyes might not be up to the task. Speaking of... should you maybe consider getting corrective lenses? Your nose is like two centimetres from the page.

No way. I'm no binoclard.

Whatever you say, Detective Hyperopia. Why don't you get back to the story?

Uh, I'll think about it. Better get on with the story first.

Your partner. Kim will be there for me.

Will you be there for him, though, when push comes to shove? Time will tell. In the meantime, let's get on with the story...

I'm not sure I'm happy with this, but maybe the story will turn it around.

How does Mullen expect to solve the murder if he's sleeping with witnesses!

The man's a prosecutor's nightmare. Solving a murder counts for nothing if all the evidence gets thrown out in court over police misconduct.

That's just Dick Mullen's modus operandi. He might bend the rules, but he closes cases no one else can.

What was that about an art collector?

Torvald the Art Collector is a strung-out mess. Frankly, it's hard to imagine him holding a pistol steady enough to actually hit someone, let alone plug them three times in the chest the way old Spillane got did...

That said, Torvald and Spillane have a long history, and while interrogating him, Mullen discovers that Torvald was once involved with Deanna Deneuve. Could it be that this is all over a sordid love triangle?

Tell me about the corrupt police captain.

Outwardly, the old police captain is a real law-and-order crypto-fascist, a barrel-chested man who's beaten his share of suspects to pulp. But he's also dirty, and increasingly paranoid that someone's going to expose his role in the drug ring...

He would certainly have the motive and the means, but the captain walks with a noticeable limp from an old war injury. Is it possible he was able to conceal it long enough to commit the murder?

I want to hear about the politician's son.

A typical privileged twat. In all likelihood, he's just in over his head. He does bear a personal grudge against Spillane though, a former prosecutor who nearly brought down his father's administration...

The kid doesn't exactly have Dick Mullen's manly build, but he is the correct height, and while interrogating him at his home, Mullen did notice a certain overcoat that looks suspiciously like his own...

I feel like I've read this before. (Close the book.)

Sounds like my kind of woman.

She's any man's kind of woman, according to this book.

Are you s-s-sure about that? Something about her gives you a bad feeling. What kind of secret is she hiding?

You couldn't handle a woman like that. Look at yourself. You couldn't even handle your --

STOP. Don't say it!

Don't say what?

Nothing. Forget it. Go back to your story.

No way Mullen did it. (Keep reading.)

Keep reading.

Give it time. You'll fall off the wagon sooner or later.

You're right. I should just quit. (Close the book.)

In your hand, you hold "Dick Mullen and the Mistaken Identity." The brittle paperback feels fragile to the touch.