Tiny had driven in more funeral processions than he could remember.

He was a formidable businessman who hadn't gotten his fine suits and rings by being a pushover. He not only didn't let that little piece of lawbreaking banged-up blue Dodge shit through, but Tiny got on his two-way radio. He raised his lead car on the air.

"Flip," he said to his number-two man in the company.

"Coming at ya, boss."

"Put the brakes on up there," Tiny told him.

"You sure?"

"Always am," said Tiny.

This stopped the entire line of black cars with lights burning. The Dart could not get across the Boulevard now, and Song was momentarily confused. He stopped,

too, long enough for a cop to yank open his door and get the crabby old man out of the car.

"Flip," Tiny was back on the air.

"Move along." He chuckled.

W Hammer was not amused as she applied lipstick after lunch and listened to her two female deputy chiefs bickering like rival siblings.

"I'm in charge of patrol," Goode announced inside the Carpe Diem, as if the restaurant's name applied to her.

"And he's not riding with us.

God only knows what will end up in the newspaper. You're so hot on him, let him ride with your people. "

Hammer got out her compact and glanced at her watch.

"Investigations doesn't have ride-alongs. Ever," West replied.

"It's against department policy and always has been."

"And what you're proposing isn't?" Goode demanded.

"Ride-alongs, volunteers, have been riding with patrol for as long as I've been here," West reminded her in a strained voice.

Hammer got out her wallet, and studied the bill. Tm wondering if there's some personal agenda here," Goode went on.

West knew exactly what the bitch was implying. It had been duly noted around the department that Andy Brazil was rather good to look at, and West had never been famous for dating. The current theory circulating was that she had found a boy toy because she couldn't get a man. Long ago, she had learned to ignore such gossip.

"The bigger issue," Goode was saying, 'is that volunteers don't routinely ride with a deputy chief who hasn't made an arrest or written a ticket in fifty years.

He's probably not even safe out there with someone like you. "

"We've handled some situations a lot better than patrol did," West let her know.

Hammer had heard enough.

"Here's what we're going to do," she spoke.

"Virginia, I'm going to approve your riding patrol with him. It's an interesting idea. We might learn something new. I probably should have done the same thing a long time ago."

She put money on the table. West and Goode did the same. Hammer nailed Goode with a look.

"You'll do everything you can to help," Hammer said to her.

Goode was cold as she got up and turned to West for one last remark.

"Hope there's no problem. Remember, your rank is unclassified."

"As is yours," Hammer said to Goode.

"I can fire you without cause.

Just like that. " She snapped her fingers. She wished Goode had gone into some other profession. Maybe undertaking.