Part 14 (1/2)
”You know what the trick to forgery is?” I said as I took the memo and turned it upside down.
”Good handwriting?”
I shook my head. ”Gestalt.”
”Gestalt.”
”You see the signature as a shape, not a collection of singular letters.”
Carefully, under his overturned signature, I used a pen to copy the shape I saw above the pen point. When I finished, I turned it around, showed it to him.
He looked at it, opened his mouth, and raised his eyebrows. ”That's not bad. Wow.”
”And that's my first try, Ray. Think what I could do with practice.”
7.
I called Devin again, woke him up.
”Any luck with Ms. Diaz?”
”None. Chicks, man, you know?”
”I can't get Detectives Thomas or Stapleton to return my calls.”
”Stapleton was one of Doyle's golden boys, that's why.”
”Ah.”
”You could see Hoffa having coffee in a diner, and Stapleton wouldn't take your call.”
”Thomas?”
”She's less predictable. And she's working solo today.”
”Lucky me.”
”Yeah, well, you Micks. What can I say? Hang on. Let me find out where she is.”
I waited two or three minutes, and then he came back on the line. ”You owe me, or do I even have to mention that?”
”It's a given,” I said.
”It's always a given.” Devin sighed. ”Detective Thomas is working a death-by-stupidity in Back Bay. Go to the alley between Newbury and Comm Ave.”
”Cross blocks?”
”Dartmouth and Exeter. Don't f.u.c.k with her. She's hard-core, man. Eat you, spit you out, and never even break her stride.”