"Hit the floor, man." Jerome grinned. He said, "Tell me something. How much these paid informants get paid?"

"Depends on how good the information is. We get tips all the time. A guy has a grudge, wants to pay somebody back and names him as a perp. Guy writes from jail. 'Get me out of here and I'll give you the guy did Bobo.' It's our junk mail. The pay for information we need comes out of what's called Crime Stoppers. It's a program."

"What I want to know," Jerome said, "is how much that comes to."

"A reward's offered, you're into big money. I know of a C.I. who identified the guy who raped and murdered a teenage girl, and collected ten thousand. Crime Stoppers pays a grand for information leading to an arrest."

"Is that right?" Jerome said. "What's this C.I.?"

"Confidential Informant-and when I say confidential, I mean we won't even reveal a C.I.'s name in a court of law."

"I'm getting paid for giving up Tyrell?"

"That one's different, since we have a few more eyeball witnesses and you're not gonna testify. But we have other cases, Jerome, you might be of help with. We've got one, three Mexicanos shot in the back of the head, one of 'em dismembered with a chain saw."

"Cool," Jerome said.

"You don't care for Mexicans?"

"Motherfuckers say they gonna deliver? They gonna rip you off and shoot you they get the chance."

"We're looking for a guy named Orlando," Delsa said, "we think could give us some information."

"I mighta heard the name's all."

"Had a place off Michigan Avenue, behind the old ballpark."

Jerome said, "Yeah, Orlando," nodding his head.

"Also, I mentioned Nashelle's half-brother Reggie Banks? We got a tip he dumped Tyrell's gun for him."