"Just stop-" he cuts him off, drawing a line through the air with his hand.

"Stop talking about how much you deserve it. One person can't breathe in my ear that you had no choice while the other person tells me you oughta be punished for it. The two things don't line up." And he thinks he understands now what the mayor's people meant.

"So either you do, or you don't. And if I need to talk to her, I won't do it with her as a suspect," because even if she was guilty, she might be too high up the ladder for him to do more than watch her burn when stronger hands take hold. If that ever finally fucking happens. "-And I don't want you there."

He gestures. "Come on, we got another place to hit up."