The other man nodded. "He's levelling," he said.
"Now look, Hammond," said the lieutenant pointedly, "You're clean and we
know it. But hot papas don't go out for fun. Why was he trying to burn
you?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm as blank as any perceptive when it comes to reading
minds. I was hoping to collect him whole enough to ask questions, but he
forced my hand." I looked to where some of the clean-up squad were tucking
the corpse into a basket. "It was one of the few times I'd have happily
swapped my perception for the ability to read a mind."
The lieutenant nodded unhappily. "Mind telling me why you were wandering
around in this neighborhood? You don't belong here, you know."
"I was doing the job that most private eyes do. I was tailing a gent who
was playing games off the reservation."
"You've gone into this guy's wallet, of course?"