“You don’t know where he is?”
“No, but if I hear from him, I’ll pass along the message.”
Stone clicked the phone off and went back up to Herbie.
“You know a Melanie Porter?”
Herbie reacted to the name. Stone couldn’t put his finger on the emotion, but it was a clear response.
“What about her?”
“You know her?”
“Barely. She’s my client’s sister.”
“She called me, looking for you.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing. I wanted to check with you to make sure she’s legit, not some reporter or cop trying to ferret you out. No one knows you’re staying here. You’re ducking a warrant, if you’ll recall.”
“She’s fine. Tell her whatever you want.”
“She seemed concerned.”
“So am I.”
Stone went back down and sat at his desk, thinking. He’d managed to put his finger on Herbie’s reaction. Embarrassment. Then guilt. He liked the girl. The thought of her flustered him.
Stone took out his cell phone and called Melanie Porter back. “Hello, Melanie? I managed to locate Herb Fisher. Would you like to see him?”
54
Tommy Taperelli’s secretary knocked on the door. “Detective Kelly’s here to see you.”
Taperelli frowned. “Are you kidding me?”
“No, sir. He doesn’t have an appointment, but he’s most insistent.”
“Is there anyone else in the outer office?”
“No.”
“Good. Show him in.”
Taperelli scowled as Kelly came in. “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here. A lawyer stood up in court and accused you of being on my payroll. It’s not the brightest time to pay me a call.”
“You expect me to just sit there and take it?”
“I expect you to respect the conventions. You don’t call on me, I don’t call on you. No one puts anyone’s job in jeopardy. You want to end your career in a police corruption scandal? Kind of a cushy job to be throwing out the window. Of course, some of those minimum security prisons are quite nice. I’m sure you’ll be very comfortable.”
“No one saw me come in.”
“That you know of. With that asshole lawyer making allegations in court, who knows who might be lurking around. A cop, or maybe a pain-in-the-ass reporter, which would almost be worse, some investigative journalist trying to make a name for himself. They’ll stick to you like glue.”
“I’m a cop, I know when I’m being watched. No one saw me.”
“What’s so all-fired important you had to see me in person?”
“I could use a little help. I’m on the witness stand all alone with people sniping at me. I’m giving all the right answers, but the questions are getting harder, and they’re asking about you. The judge knocked that down, but it doesn’t matter, it means they’re on the right track. It’s a little late to do something, but, lo and behold, the kid’s lawyer disappears. The lawyer simply doesn’t show up. The judge issues a bench warrant, and the lawyer still doesn’t show up.”
“So?”
“Did you kill the lawyer?”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake!”
“Did you?”
“No, I didn’t kill the fucking lawyer. Jesus Christ, if I did kill the lawyer, would you want to know?”
“No.”
“But you’re here asking.”
“I gotta know how deep the shit is I’m getting in.”
“I had nothing to do with the lawyer disappearing.”
“Yeah, well, I’m still on the stand. Now they’ll be asking about that.”
“It’s got nothing to do with you.”
“Oh, like that’s going to satisfy them.”
“It’s got nothing to do with me. I don’t know what happened, but it wasn’t us.”
“Of course not.”
“I mean it. I had nothing to do with it, I know nothing about it. The same goes for you. You answer the questions that way, no one can touch you. Now get out of here before someone comes in. I don’t want you meeting anyone in the waiting room.”
When Detective Kelly was gone, Taperelli started thinking. He had nothing to do with Herbie’s disappearance. He could say that with complete assurance. But he couldn’t be so sure that it had nothing to do with Detective Kelly. He was handling this case for Jules Kenworth because he was Jules Kenworth’s right-hand man. But if Kenworth didn’t think he was doing the job adequately, Kenworth wasn’t above getting someone else.
Taperelli called Mookie. “Did you find the girl?”
“Her name is Melanie Porter. According to her doorman, she works at Cornell Hospital. We followed her there earlier. Chico’s sitting on her now.”
“He won’t lose her?”
“Not a chance. He’s got a thing for girls in scrubs.”
“She’s a nurse?”
“An intern. Which is like a nurse, only different. It doesn’t matter. They all wear scrubs.”
“Just be careful you aren’t seen. And don’t lose her!”
“Don’t worry. We’ll grab her the minute she comes out the door.”
Fred Flicker, Stone’s factotum, was an unprepossessing man who doubled as a driver and bodyguard, though he seldom had to resort to weapons. A former member of the Royal Marines, Fred could barrel through larger opponents as if they weren’t even there. Driving Stone’s custom-made, armor-plated Bentley, he was invulnerable. Stone might as well have been riding in a tank.
Stone called Fred into his office. “I need you to pick up an intern at Cornell Hospital.”
“Oh?”
“A young lady by the name of Melanie Porter. She’s a friend of our house guest. Given the manner in which Herbie’s fiancée met her untimely end, I’d like you to be on your guard. Herbie likes this woman. I don’t want to overlook the obvious.”
Stone didn’t add that this particular girl was also the sister of the man Herbie was defending, but it was certainly on his mind.
55
Dino put a rush on the Yvette Walker investigation so all reports came straight to him. It didn’t take long to get results. The crime scene unit had lifted prints from the empty cash box in Herbie’s walk-in closet. They ran the prints and got a match: Donald Dressler, aka Donnie Dressler, aka Iggy Dressler, aka Simon Covington, aka Lonnie LeBlanc, a small-time con man with multiple arrests and convictions, who only managed to stay out of jail by ratting on his friends.
Dino didn’t bother to go through channels. He checked the lead out himself. The doorman at Herbie’s building had no trouble picking Donnie out from the row of photos Dino lined up on his desk.
“I recognize him. Food delivery guy. Took up a pizza.”
“What time was this?”
The doorman grimaced. “That’s tough. We get deliveries all night. Early as five, late as midnight.”
“Can you do a little better than that?”
“Not much. I really don’t remember.”
“Is there a security camera in the lobby?”
“Yes, there is.”
The security camera footage showed the delivery boy with the pizza approaching the desk at 8:05. Donnie’s features were discernible in the picture.
Dino went down to the courthouse and hunted up ADA Monahan. She was surprised to see him.
“Wow. A personal visit from the commissioner. Am I in trouble or something?”
“Why would you think that?”
“To rate such special attention. Or could it be that I’m prosecuting a friend of yours?”
“Well, you certainly charged one. I doubt if you’ll wind up prosecuting him.”
“Is that a veiled threat?”
“This is a courtesy call to let you know what the department is doing. We wouldn’t want you to be uninformed.”