Part 12 (2/2)
”I really don't know much about this, Inspector,” Mikkles said.
”They want Officer Payne and the girl at Homicide to make a statement. Would it be all right with you if I took them there?”
”I don't see any problem with that,” Lieutenant Mikkles said.
”What about if I asked Captain Pekach to meet with Sergeant Dolan to ask him what he thinks he's got going here? Would you have any problem with that?”
”Sure. Why not?”
Wohl walked to the interview-room door, opened it, went inside, and closed it after him.
Amanda Spencer, sitting in a steel chair that was bolted to the floor, looked at him warily.
He smiled at her.
”Well, I don't think you did it,” he said.
She smiled, a little hesitantly.
”My name is Peter Wohl,” he said. ”I'm Matt's boss.”
”h.e.l.lo,” she said.
”The people who work in Narcotics spend their lives surrounded by the sc.u.m of the earth,” Wohl said. ”Sometimes-and I suppose it's understandable-they seem to forget that there are some nice people left in the world. What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry about this, but I understand why it happened.''
”They were just doing their jobs, I suppose,” Amanda said. ”I mean, there was a shooting-”
”Well, I'm relieved that you understand.”
”Can I go now?”
”There's bad news and good news about that,” Wohl said. ”The bad news is that you still have to make a statement at Homicide. That's in the Police Department Administration Building. I'll get you through that as quickly as possible, but it has to be done.”
”That's the good news?” she asked almost lightheartedly.
”No. The good news is that you get to ride down there in my car. I drive a Jaguar XK-120. It's a much nicer car than that piece of German junk your boyfriend drives.”
”I have this strange feeling you're not kidding,” Amanda said.
”Do I look like a kidder?”
”Yes, you do,” Amanda said, laughing. ”What kind of a cop are you, anyway?”
”Depending on who you ask, you can get a very wide range of responses to that question. Are you ready to go?”
”That's the understatement of the year,” she said.
He held the door open for her, and she walked out of the interview room.
”Just a moment, please,” he said, and walked to Lieutenant Mikkles.
”Your men tell me they found nothing in Officer Payne's car. Is there any reason he can't have it back?”
”No, I don't suppose there is.”
”Try 'No, sir,' Mikkles,” Captain Pekach said, flaring.
”No, sir,” Mikkles said.
”Do you think it would be a good idea, Lieutenant, if you went with Officer Payne to reclaim his car?” Wohl asked evenly.
”Yes, sir. I'll do that.”
”Ask him to meet me in Homicide, please. Tell him I'm driving the young lady.”
”Yes, sir,” Mikkles repeated.
Wohl waited until Mikkles had left the room before speaking to Pekach.
”Run down Sergeant Dolan and find out what he thinks he has,” Wohl said. ”And then meet us at Homicide. When you're in your car, get word to Lucci where I am.”
”Yes, sir.”
”And before I forget: On your way out, if that young cop is still out there, talk to him and see if you think he'd be useful to us in Special Operations. He struck me as pretty bright.''
It was quarter after eleven before Homicide had finished taking the statements of Officer Matthew Payne and Miss Amanda Spencer, and Captain Pekach had not yet returned from meeting with Sergeant Dolan.
Wohl, who was ninety-five percent convinced that what had happened was that Dolan, for any number of reasons-ranging from a fight with his wife to resentment about a cop wearing formal clothes and driving a Porsche to plain stupidity-had gone off the deep end, but he was reluctant to turn Payne and, for that matter, the girl, loose until he heard from Pekach.
He walked to where they were sitting, on folding chairs against the interior wall.
”Am I the only undernourished person in the room? Did you two get dinner?”
”I'm not especially hungry,” Payne said.
”I'm starved,” Amanda said. ”I haven't had a thing to eat since lunch.”
”They serve marvelous hoagies at the 12th Street Market this time of night,” Wohl said.
”I just got hungry,” Matt Payne said.
”I'd like to know how Penny is,” Amanda said.
”I checked a little while ago,” Wohl said. ”She's listed as 'critical but stable.'”
”What does that mean?”
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