“Well, that could be any of about six of them, then. That’s what they tell the cops. They probably thought you were a narc or a fed or something.”
“I see.”
“It’s not total paranoia. They’ve been busted before—it’s always bullshit. I raised bail for a couple of them once.”
Andrew realized that Kurt thought he was offended at being mistaken for a cop, but he got that. He was weird—visibly weird. Out of place wherever he was.
“So they owe me. Let me talk to them some more.”
“Thanks, Kurt. I appreciate it.”
“Well, you’re doing all the heavy lifting these days. It’s the least I can do.”
Alan clapped a hand on his shoulder. “None of this would exist without you, you know.” He waved his hand to take in the room, the Korean kids, the whole Market. “I saw a bunch of people at the Greek’s with laptops, showing them around to each other and drinking beers. In the park, with PDAs. I see people sitting on their porches, typing in the twilight. Crouched in doorways. Eating a bagel in the morning on a bench. People are finding it, and it’s thanks to you.”
Kurt smiled a shy smile. “You’re just trying to cheer me up,” he said.
“Course I am,” Andy said. “You deserve to be full of cheer.”