‘It looks that way, doesn’t it?’
‘How many people?’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t discuss it with anyone. Harriet specifically...’
‘Well, if it’s in the squadroom and she’s telling you to keep it a secret, then I guess it has to be a small party.’
‘Yeah.’
‘The reason I’m asking all these questions...’
‘Mm?’
‘…is not because I’m a mastermind detective trying to figure out why anyone in her right mind would throw a party in a grubby squadroom, but only because I’m standing here half-naked wondering how long the damn party will last.’
‘Why? Do you have other plans?’
‘I’m thinking of making some,’ Annie said. ‘So the hooker outfit won’t be a total waste.’
He went to her. He took her in his arms.
‘I don’t have to leave here till seven-thirty,’ he said.
‘Great. That gives us what? Half an hour?’
‘Hookers can do it in ten minutes,’ he said.
‘Oh, but I’m not a real hooker, sir,’ she said, and clasped her hands together and rolled her eyes.
‘I’ll break away as soon as I can,’ Hawes said.
‘That may be too late,’ Annie said. ‘There’s a captain at the Seven-Two who’s been making eyes at me.’
‘What’s his name? I’ll go shoot him.’
‘Big talker,’ Annie said. ‘Gonna shoot a captain, can’t even take off a lady’s purple silk panties.’
* * * *
Genero got to the squadroom earlier than any of the others.
This was not because he was normally a punctual person but because he didn’t want to keep his coat on and look like a jackass. The pajamas he’d bought the lieutenant were hidden under his coat. If he took off the coat, everybody would see that he’d brought a present, and if none of the other guys had presents, he would look like a jackass. On the other hand, if he kept his coat on in the heated squadroom, everybody would still think he was a jackass. So what he did, he got to the squadroom at a little before seven-thirty, and he went directly to the supply closet without taking off his coat, and he put the present on top of a wooden box that had some kind of meter on its face.
That was the second time he came close to becoming a hero.
The timer inside the box silently moved into the 7:30-to-7:45 p.m. sector.
‘Hey, guys,’ Genero said, taking off his coat and hanging it on the rack. ‘How’s it going?’
None of the four-to-midnight detectives answered him.
Parker was wondering if the lieutenant’s wife had been dumb enough to invite this jackass to her party.
* * * *
Eileen Burke was crying.
Kling looked at the bedside clock, thinking he had to get out of here soon because of the snow. It was snowing like the arctic tundra out there, and the clock read seven thirty-two. Knowing this city, traffic would be stalled for miles—and the squadroom was all the way uptown.
But Eileen was crying.
‘Come on, honey,’ he said.
She was wearing what she’d worn to work that morning. Gray suit, black shoes with French heels, a white blouse. She had stopped wearing earrings ever since the rape. She had always considered earrings her lucky charm. Her luck had run out on the night of the cutting and the rape, and she had stopped wearing them.
They were in her apartment. He had rushed there the moment she called.
‘You don’t understand,’ she said.
‘I do,’ he said.
‘I was scared,’ she said. ‘I turned it down because I was scared.’
‘You had every right to be scared,’ he said.
‘I’m a cop!’ she said.
‘They shouldn’t have asked you in the first place. A gang of...’
‘That only makes it worse,’ she said. ‘A gang, Bert. A goddamn gang that’s running around raping women!’
‘They can’t expect you to handle a gang,’ he said. ‘Setting up a decoy for a gang is like...’
‘There’ll be backups,’ she said. ‘Four of them.’
‘A lot of hell good they’ll do if you’re jumped by a dozen guys. Who the hell requested this anyway?’
‘Captain Jordan.’
‘Where?’
‘The Seventh.’
‘I’ll go see him, I’ll talk to him person...’
‘No, you won’t!’ Eileen said. ‘It’s bad enough as it is! Chickening out in front of four hairbags who...’
‘What four? Are you talking about the backups?’
‘From the Seventh Squad. I don’t remember their names. All I remember is their eyes. What was in their eyes.’
‘Let one of them go out in drag,’ Kling said angrily. ‘Let him face a gang of...’
‘Their eyes said, “She’s scared.”’
‘You should have been scared.’
‘No,’ she said.
‘Yes.’
‘No. I’m a cop. Any other decoy cop wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. You got a gang out there? Piece of cake. When?’
‘That’s not true, and you know it.’
‘It’s true.’
‘Any woman who’d agree to go out there alone against a dozen men...’
‘Eight.’
‘What?’
‘It’s only eight.’
‘Terrific. Eight guys dragging a woman into the bushes...’
‘They’re working the subways.’
‘Better yet. You’ll end up on the fucking tracks with another scar on your...’
He stopped all at once. “I’m sorry,’ he said.
She was silent for a long time.
Then she said, ‘That’s the point, isn’t it? I’m afraid I’ll get hurt again.’
‘You don’t have to prove anything,’ he said.
‘I’ll call Jordan,’ she said, sighing. ‘I’ll tell him I’ve thought it over, and...’
‘No.’
‘Bert...’
‘Why, damn it!’ he said, and took her in his arms. Eileen,’ he said, ‘I love you. If anything ever happened to you...’
‘Who told you to start up with a cop?’ she said.
‘You did the right thing. I’d have turned it down, too.’
‘You wouldn’t have.’
‘I would’ve’
They were both silent.
‘I love you, too,’ she said.
He held her close.