McCullough stood casually on the corner of the barren street, wrapped in a thick trench coat with his hat pulled low over his face. He puffed slowly on a long cigarette that dangled loosely from his lips. He didn’t know how long he had waited, but he wasn’t worried. He knew he wouldn’t be stood up.

The warmth of the summer night had begun to give way to a cool morning drizzle by the time the car arrived. It was long, and black as the night. A door swung slowly open, and a man stepped out. He was short and gaunt, with the fabric of his clothes hanging loosely off his body.

He didn’t say anything, instead merely gesturing for McCullough to enter. McCullough complied without hesitation, quickly sliding into the vehicle and placing himself beside another man. This man was a mass of swollen bulk, with his suit stretched tightly over his powerful frame. His face was hard and aged, bearing a stern expression of authority.

“Sean.” McCullough said, giving him a nod of recognition. “How’ve you been?”

Sean Donahue smiled broadly, though there didn’t seem to be any friendliness behind it. “It’s a good thing I love my job.” He replied. His voice was deep and coarse, a reflection of his years of experience on the streets. “Because I’ve had a lot of work lately. Not least of which has been trying to handle two nosey detectives, who don’t want to play ball. You’ve been hard on my employees.”

“That was only partially my doing; it’s the only way you can get Rat to talk.” McCullough replied. “As for Officer Jones, that was all Calligan’s doing.”

“Rat’s not going to be doing any talking anymore. We’re plugging that leak for good. As for Jonesy, he’s...a problem.”

“Listen Sean I told you, that was all Calligan’s doing. Ever since I told you I’d think about your offer, I’ve been very careful. In fact, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Donahue’s grin widened and a gleam entered his eye, but rather than being friendly, it instead seemed almost sadistic.

“You’ve come to accept my offer?” He inquired, almost genially.

“I want more money.” McCullough responded firmly, and Donahue burst into laughter.

“I like you Mac.” He said, clapping McCullough on the shoulder. “I offer to pay you enough money to buy off any politician in the country, and you ask for more. How much more?”

“Fifty percent.”

“That’s a lot of money. How are you going to make that worth my while?”

“It’s a lot easier, and cleaner, to have a detective feeding you info rather than offing them both and replacing them. Besides, Calligan and I are the best team in the entire department. If you want to be sure you can get to the bottom of this, why take a chance on second-rate detectives.”

Donahue nodded. “Typically if anyone asked for this kind of money from me, I’d string them up. But I like you, so I’ll make an exception. Though, one mistake and that exception ends. You’ll report to my men daily and tell them everything you know. If I find out you’ve been holding back on me, the goodwill that kept you from being targeted like your partner is over.”

McCullough smiled back. “You don’t have to worry about that. I know how to honor a deal.”

“Well, let’s just say that I’m not the most trusting soul. When everyone in your business is a crook or a criminal, trust isn’t a virtue.”

“I suppose that’s fair. I’m sure you always have someone who’s willing to betray you. That’s why you plug leaks like Rat and Jones.”

“And both will be handled in their due time. Though one sooner than the other.” Donahue grumbled.

“What do you mean?” McCullough inquired.

“The news of Jonesy’s betrayal was late getting to me. It would seem that having half the police department on your payroll only goes so far when friends are at stake. People really do have funny moral codes. By the time my men got over to have a chat with Jonesy, he was already gone. They’re combing the city for him right now, and when they find him, it won’t be pretty.” Donahue responded through gritted teeth.

“I thought you had eyes and ears all over this city.” McCullough replied.

“I do. The Syndicate’s behind this, I’m sure of it. There’s no other way he could disappear in my city like this. Still, there are only so many holes to hide him in this town. My men will find him sooner than he expects and make him talk.”

“If that happens you might not need me.” McCullough laughed and Donahue joined him.

“Haven’t you ever heard not to talk yourself out of a job, Mac.” He replied. “Though I’m sure I can find a use for you if that happens. I’ll probably have you keep an eye on that troublemaker of a partner you have.”

“The troublemaker who just did you a favor. It seems to me like the Syndicate’s been giving you the runaround for a while. Otherwise there would be even more bodies on the streets.”

“I suppose I do need to thank him. I think I’ll do it by trying not to kill him yet. As for the bodies, how would you tell? There are already so many of them. Anyways, I believe that’s the end of our business tonight.”

Donahue snapped his figures and the car jolted to a stop. McCullough reached for the door, but paused and turned to face Donahue.

“My payment?” He asked quizzically.

Donahue chuckled. “Do some work, and you’ll get it.”

McCullough sighed and got out of the vehicle. Pulling out a cigarette, he lit it up. As he slowly puffed on it, he watched as the black car drove away, vanishing into the night.