Part 35 (2/2)
Lopez grabbed my arm. His grip was hard. ”Tell him what? No, wait, never mind. Whatever you think you have to tell Max, you and I have things we need to talk about first.”
”You're right.” My thoughts were scattered. I was still in shock from seeing him beheaded. I had to pull myself together. Focusing on the single most important thing we needed to discuss, I said, ”You're in danger.”
”Yeah, of getting suspended.” He released my arm.
I looked at him in surprise. ”Because of the note that I gave Danny?”
”The one with your phone number? And Max's land line? Yeah, I found it near the body.”
I gazed at him in confusion. How could he and his double both both have found it? have found it?
He continued, ”At the time, I was . . . upset.”
”Upset,” I repeated faintly.
He rubbed a hand over his face, looking tired. ”But you know, it's been such a h.e.l.l of a day since then, I kind of forgot about it.”
”What?” I didn't understand. The doppelgangster had been furious.
With a weary, resigned expression, he reached into his pocket and pulled out . . .
”Photos?” I said.
”Surveillance photos.” His voice was flat, tired, a little cold. ”We look at most of them digitally. These are just a few that I printed out for myself tonight. Call me sentimental.”
They were four-by-six color prints with a matte finish. He laid them out slowly on the table for me to look at, one by one.
The photos had all been taken at night on a city street. The composition wasn't good, and neither was the lighting. There was a dark car outside what looked like the entrance to a church, a couple of men, a gumata gumata with big hair and s.h.i.+ny clothes that were a little too small for . . . with big hair and s.h.i.+ny clothes that were a little too small for . . .
”Oh, my, G.o.d!” I blurted. ”I didn't realize how that blouse gapped when I moved.”
Even with the bad lighting, you could see a glimpse of my bra in one of the shots. I looked up at Lopez to explain that I'd put together that costume on short notice.
Our eyes met, and I realized that probably wasn't important just now.
I gasped as another thought occurred to me.
”You've got me under surveillance?” I demanded.
”No,” he said with forced patience. ”We've got capos in the major crime families under surveillance, Esther.”
”Oh. Right.” And I was so naive, this hadn't occurred to me when I met with Danny ”the Doctor” Dapezzo in Little Italy last night. ”Of course.”
He put another photo on the table. It showed me handing a small piece of paper to Danny. The next photo Lopez laid down was a shot of me, Max, and Nelli leaving St. Monica's together last night.
Lopez said, ”What in the name G.o.d did you think you were doing?”
”Napoli's going to want to question me again, isn't he?” I said in resignation.
”No, he thinks these are pictures of Danny's daughter.”
”What?”
Lopez shrugged. ”There's definitely a resemblance. Well, when you're dressed like that, I mean.” After a moment he added, ”She hasn't got your cheekbones. And your shape's a little different. But since it was dark and the pictures aren't that good, Napoli didn't notice.”
”But you did.” Of course.
”I look at you a lot more than he does.”
”You have to tell him,” I said quietly.
”No, I don't think so.”
I shook my head. ”I don't want to be the cause of you doing something you think is wrong.”
”Too late now,” he muttered.
”You can still fix this.”
”Well, I know this will sound unconvincing if I wind up having to explain it later to someone, so I hope I don't . . . but we're already wasting time on one dead end, thanks to the Falcone kid's story, and I don't think we should waste any time on another.”
”So it was was Angelo who claimed credit for the hit?” Angelo who claimed credit for the hit?”
”Yeah. And, like I figured, it's all over the news now. You haven't seen it?” When I shook my head, he continued, ”Something like this makes it harder for the DA to prosecute a case after the cops find and arrest the real killer. So we can't afford not not to treat Angelo seriously, even though he's full of s.h.i.+t. We have to take him apart so well that he can't be used to help a slick defense lawyer create reasonable doubt with a jury.” to treat Angelo seriously, even though he's full of s.h.i.+t. We have to take him apart so well that he can't be used to help a slick defense lawyer create reasonable doubt with a jury.”
”Take him apart?”
”Prove he didn't kill Danny,” Lopez said. ”And prove he had his reasons-however dumb, warped, and shortsighted-for lying and saying that he did.”
”I see.”
”And that takes time. So I don't want to waste any more time or stretch the team any thinner by giving Napoli a crazy old bookseller and well-meaning actress to chew on.”
”Oh.”
”Did you have anything to do with killing Danny Dapezzo?”
”No!” Caught off guard, I was startled and indignant.
”But you knew him?” His voice was clipped.
”Briefly.”
”How briefly?” briefly?”
”I met him the night before he died.” I added in surprise, ”Last night, I mean.” It already seemed like a long time ago. night, I mean.” It already seemed like a long time ago.
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