Part 14 (1/2)
She put her hand up and laid it for a moment on his cheek. Then she ran across the street and got in the Porsche.
Matt got in Wohl's Jaguar and drove north to Vine Street, then left to North Broad, and then turned right onto Broad Street. There was not much traffic, and understandably reasoning that he was not going to get ticketed for speeding while driving Inspector Wohl's car to a crime scene, he stepped hard on the gas.
A minute or two later there was the growl of a siren behind him, and he pulled toward the right. An Oldsmobile, its red lights flas.h.i.+ng from their concealed position under the grill, raced past him. After a moment he realized that the car belonged to Chief Inspector Dennis V. Coughlin. He wondered if Denny Coughlin, or Sergeant Tom Lenihan, who was driving, had recognized him or Wohl's car or both.
Just south of Temple University he saw that Captain Pekach was right; he would have no trouble finding Colombia and Clarion. There were two RPCs, warning lights flas.h.i.+ng, on Broad Street and Colombia, and two uniformed cops in the street.
When he signaled to turn right, one of them emphatically signaled for him to continue up Broad Street. Matt stopped.
”I'm Payne. Special Operations. I'm to meet Inspector Wohl here.”
The cop looked at him doubtfully but waved him on.
Clarion is the second street in from Broad. There was barely room for Matt to make it past all the police cars, marked and unmarked, lining both sides of Colombia. There was a black Cadillac limousine nearly blocking the intersection of Clarion and Colombia. Matt had seen it before. It was the mayoral limousine.
Then he saw two familiar faces, Officer Jesus Martinez and the Highway sergeant who had almost made him p.i.s.s his pants on the roof of the Penn Services Parking Garage by suggesting that the price for moving a f.u.c.king muscle would be having his f.u.c.king brains blown out, and who had seemed wholly prepared to make good the threat.
They were directing traffic. The sergeant first began-impatiently, even angrily-to gesture for him to turn right, south, on Clarion, and then he apparently recognized Wohl's car, for he signaled him to park it on the sidewalk.
Matt got out of the car and looked around for Wohl. He was standing with Police Commissioner Thaddeus Czernick, Chief Inspector Dennis V. Coughlin, half a dozen uniformed senior supervisors, none of whom looked familiar, two other men in civilian clothing, and His Honor, Mayor Jerry Carlucci.
Twenty feet away, Matt saw Sergeant Tom Lenihan standing with three men Matt supposed were both policemen and probably drivers. He walked over to them.
And then he saw the body. It was in the gutter, facedown, curled up beside a 22nd District RPC. There were a half dozen detectives, or crime-lab technicians, around it, two of them on their hands and knees with powerful, square-bodied searchlights, one of them holding a measuring tape, the others doing something Matt didn't quite understand.
”h.e.l.lo, Matt,” Tom Lenihan said, offering his hand. ”I thought that was you in Wohl's Jag.”
”Sergeant,” Matt said politely.
”This is Matt Payne, Special Operations-” Lenihan said, beginning the introductions, but he stopped when Mayor Carlucci's angry voice filled the street.
”I don't give a good G.o.dd.a.m.n if Matt Lowenstein, or anyone else, likes it or not,” the mayor said. ”The way it's going to be, Tad, is that Special Operations is going to take this job and get whatever sons of b.i.t.c.hes shot this poor b.a.s.t.a.r.d in cold blood. And you're going to see personally that the Department gives Wohl everything he thinks he needs to get the job done. Clear?”
”Yes, sir,” Commissioner Czernick said.
”And now, Commissioner, I think that you and I and Chief Coughlin should go express our condolences to Officer Magnella's family, don't you?”
”Yes, sir,” Commissioner Czernick and Chief Coughlin said, almost in unison.
The mayor marched toward the small knot of drivers, heading for his limousine. He smiled absently, perhaps automatically, at them, and then spotted Matt Payne. The expression on his face changed. He walked up to Matt.
”Were you at the Union League tonight?”
”I didn't quite make it there, Mr. Mayor,” Matt said.
”Yeah, and I know why,” the mayor said. He turned to Commissioner Czernick. ”And while I'm at it, Tad, I want you to a.s.sign Wohl to get to the bottom of what happened to Detweiler's daughter and that mafioso sc.u.mbag DeZego on the roof of the parking garage tonight.”
Commissioner Czernick looked as if he were about to speak.
”You don't have anything to say about anyone not going to like that, do you, Commissioner?” the mayor asked icily.
”No, sir,” Commissioner Czernick said.
”You hear that, Peter?” the mayor called.
”Yes, sir,” Peter Wohl replied.
”Keep up the good work, Payne,” the mayor said, then walked quickly to his limousine.
EIGHT.
Staff Inspector Peter Wohl walked to where Officer Payne was standing. Matt saw Captain Pekach step out of the shadows and follow him.
”What did the mayor say to you?” Wohl asked.
”He asked me if I'd been at the Union League,” Matt replied, ”and then he turned and told the Commissioner he wanted us to handle what happened at the Penn Services Parking Garage.”
Wohl shook his head.
”I had a strange feeling I should have driven myself up here,” Wohl said to Pekach. ”Jesus Christ!”
Matt added, chuckling, ”And then he told me to keep up the good work.”
”I'm beginning to wonder if I can afford you and all your good work, hotshot,” Wohl said, and then he saw the look on Matt's face. ”Relax. Only kidding.”
”You think he might think it over and change his mind?” Captain Pekach asked.
”No. That would mean he made a mistake. We all know the mayor never makes a mistake. Where's Mike?”
”At home.”
”And Jason Was.h.i.+ngton? You know where he is?”
”At the sh.o.r.e. He's got a place outside Atlantic City.”
”When's he coming back?”
”Day after tomorrow.”
”Get on the radio, Dave. Get word to Mike Sabara to meet me here. And get me a number on Was.h.i.+ngton. He'll have to come back tomorrow. What about Tony Harris?”
”He's probably at home this time of night.”
”Get him over here-now,” Wohl ordered. ”Have Lucci tell him he and Was.h.i.+ngton have this job.”
”Yes, sir,” David Pekach said.