Part 19 (1/2)
They smiled at each other for a moment, and then Wohl said, ”Harris was at Colombia Street-”
”I talked to Tony this morning,” Was.h.i.+ngton said, interrupting him.
”Okay,” Wohl said. ”Did I mention last night that a Narcotics sergeant named Dolan thought Matt Payne was involved at the parking garage?”
”Tony told me,” Was.h.i.+ngton said.
Then that, Wohl thought a little angrily, must be all over the Department.
”Well, I don't think he's dirty, but he did find the girl, and DeZego's body. If you want to talk to him, he should be here any minute.”
”He called the hospital while I was there,” Was.h.i.+ngton said. ”I told him I'd see him here.”
”You were at the hospital?” Wohl asked.
Was.h.i.+ngton nodded.
”I don't know why I got out of bed so early to talk to you,” Wohl said.
”Early to bed, early to rise, et cetera, et cetera,” Was.h.i.+ngton said. ”You going to need Payne this morning, Inspector?”
”Not if you want him for anything. If I have to say this, Jason, just tell me what you think you need.”
”I thought I'd take him to Hahneman and then to the parking garage,” Was.h.i.+ngton said. ”I didn't get in to see the girl. That needed permission of a doctor who won't be in until eight.”
Wohl's eyebrows rose questioningly.
”They're giving me the runaround,” Was.h.i.+ngton went on. ”I didn't push it. Incidentally, they've got a couple of Wackenhut Security guys down there guarding her room. One of them is a retired sergeant from Northwest detectives.”
”I'm not surprised. The victim, according to the paper-have you seen the papers?”
Was.h.i.+ngton nodded.
”Is the Nesfoods Heiress,” Wohl concluded.
”Which is something I should keep in mind, right?” Was.h.i.+ngton laughed.
”Right,” Wohl said. ”There's coffee, Jason, while you're waiting for Payne.”
”Thank you,” Was.h.i.+ngton said, and went to the coffee-brewing machine.
Wohl picked up one of the telephones on his desk.
”When Officer Payne comes in, don't let him get away,” he said, and then, ”Okay. Tell him to wait.” He turned to Was.h.i.+ngton. '' Payne's outside.''
”I think he might get some answers I couldn't,” Was.h.i.+ngton said. ”Is that all right with you?”
There was a just perceptible hesitation before Wohl replied, ”Like I said, whatever you want, Jason.”
”You know what I'm asking,” Was.h.i.+ngton said.
”Yeah. I think we have to give him the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. I think he knows he's a cop.”
”Yeah, so do I. And I really think he might be useful. I don't have a h.e.l.l of a lot of experience with Nesfoods Heiresses.”
”Don't let them worry you,” Wohl said. ”Dave Pekach seems to do very well with heiresses.”
”How about that?” Was.h.i.+ngton laughed. ”Is that as serious as I hear?”
”Take a look at his watch,” Wohl said. ”He had a birthday.”
”What's he got?”
”A gold Omega with about nine dials,” Wohl said. ”It does everything but chime. Maybe it does that too.”
”Well, good for him,” Was.h.i.+ngton said. He put down his coffee cup and stood up and shot his cuffs.
”I'll keep you up-to-date,” he said. ”Thanks for the coffee.”
”Let me know if I can help,” Wohl said.
”I will. Count on it,” Was.h.i.+ngton said.
He walked out of Peter Wohl's office. Matt Payne was leaning over the desk of Wohl's administrative sergeant.
”Still have your driver's license, Matthew?” Was.h.i.+ngton said.
”Yes, sir.”
”The next time you say 'Yes, sir' to me, I will spill something greasy on that very nice sport coat,” Was.h.i.+ngton said. ”Come on, hotshot, take me for a drive.” He saw the look on Matt's face and added, ”I fixed it with the boss.”
”Frankly,” H. Russell Dotson, M.D., a short, plump man in a faintly striped dark blue suit that Jason Was.h.i.+ngton thought was very nice, indeed, said, ”I'm very reluctant to permit you to see Miss Detweiler-”
”I understand your concern, Doctor,” Was.h.i.+ngton said. ”May I say two things?”
Dotson nodded impatiently.
”Time is often critically important in cases like this-”
”I know why you think you should see her,” Dr. Dotson interrupted. If the interruption annoyed Was.h.i.+ngton, it didn't show on his face or in his voice.
”And we really do understand your concern about unduly upsetting your patient, and with that in mind I arranged for Officer Payne to come with me and actually speak with Miss Detweiler. Officer Payne is a close friend-”
”So that is who you are! Matt Payne, right? Brewster Payne's boy?”
”Yes, sir,” Matt said politely.
”I thought I recognized you. And you're a policeman?”