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“Sit the fuck down, Nolan” Halpern looked annoyed “Have you talked to your father about this?”

“What? No, of course not,” I stae desk

“Why not?”

“Why would I?”

“So he can talk some sense into you before you flush your career down the toilet” He and my father were old friends, but I was still surprised that he’d bring up my dad

“With all due respect, sir, I’m an adult I can make my own decisions”

“See some pretty piss-poor ones at the moment It would make sense to seek counsel from a decorated senior officer – who just happens to be your father – before doing so drastic”

I changed the subject, since I was getting really annoyed at the idea that I had to ask“Sir, did you know Day?”

“Of course I know he’s gay Everyone knows that He runs his nightclub like his own personal gay whorehouse” Halpern stared at me like I was si me this?”

“I was just wondering if nay, too”

“You were selected because you’re one of the youngest officers at this station, so you’d have a shot at blending in with the crowd at that nightclub” He narrowed his piercing dark eyes at et into Teplov’s pants?”

I squirmed uncomfortably and didn’t answer Instead I said, “I felt kind of blindsided, since his sexual orientation wasn’t in his file”

“Of course it is! All pertinent data was outlined clearly for you in the written report you were given Didn’t you read it?”

“Yes sir, I read it And it didn’t say anything about the fact that he’s gay Whichthrown into a shark tank while wearing salmon underpants”

Despite himself, Halpern’s lip twitched He wasn’t about to let h to knohat that twitch meant

He swiveled around in his big chair and pulled open a drawer behind him, then plucked out a file He tossed it on his desk and folded back the cover, then located a thick sheaf of papers, held together with a binder clip He held up the papers and said, “You were given a copy of this report on Teplov You were told to memorize it”

“Yes sir And that’s what I did”