“When I talked to you at the gallery Saturday,” Brown said, “you told me Gerry Ferguson was in possession of a certain piece of a photograph. When you said this, were you...”
“Just a second,” Petitpas interrupted. “Have you talked to my client before this?”
“I talked to him, yes.”
“Did you advise him of his rights?”
“I was conducting a field investigation,” Brown said wearily.
“He didn’t tell me he was a cop,” Kahn said.
“Is that true?” Petitpas asked.
“It’s true.”
“It may be significant.”
“Not necessarily,” Brown said, and smiled. The other detectives smiled with him. They were thinking of thousands of social agency reports in triplicate where, for example, a young man would be described as having been arrested at the age of fourteen for possession of narcotics, at sixteen for possession with intent to sell, and at eighteen for smuggling in twelve kilos of heroin in a brown paper bag, all of which damning criminal history would be followed by the words, typewritten in upper case,
NOT NECESSARILY SIGNIFICANT.
“Go on,” Petitpas said.
“I wanted to ask your client whether he knew for certain that Miss Ferguson had a piece of that photograph.”
“I knew for certain,” Kahn said.
“Miss Ferguson told us the piece was in the gallery safe,” Carella said. “Was that your impression as well?”
“It was my impression.”
“As you know, however, when we opened the safe, we did not find the photograph.”
“I know that.”
“Where did you think it was then?” Hawes asked.
“I don’t understand your question.”
“When you found out it wasn’t in the safe, when we opened the safe yesterday and the picture wasn’t in it, where did you think it might be?”
“I had no idea.”
“Did you think it was in Miss Ferguson’s apartment?” Meyer asked.
“He has already told you he had no idea where it was,” Petitpas said. “You’re asking him to speculate...”
“Let’s save it for the courtroom, counselor,” Carella said. “There’s nothing out of line here so far, and you know it. A woman’s been killed. If your client can satisfy us on certain points, he’ll walk out of here in ten minutes. If not...”
“Yes, Mr. Canella?”
“Carella. If not, I think you’re as well aware of the possibilities as we are.”
“Are you threatening him with a murder charge?”
“Did anyone mention a murder charge?”
“The implication was clear.”
“So was Detective Meyer’s question. Mr. Kahn, did you or did you not think the photograph might be in Miss Ferguson’s apartment?”
“May I answer that?” Kahn asked his lawyer.
“Yes, go ahead, go ahead,” Petitpas said, annoyed.
“I guess I thought it could have been there, yes.”
“Did you go there looking for it?” Brown asked.
“That’s it, I’m afraid,” Petitpas said. “I feel I must advise my client at this point that it would not be to his benefit to answer any further questions.”
“Do you want us to book him, counselor, is that it?”
“You may do as you wish. I know I don’t have to remind you that murder is a serious...”
“Oh, man, what bullshit,” Brown said. “Why don’t you just play ball with us, Petitpas? Has your man got something to hide?”
“I’ve got nothing to hide, Anatole,” Kahn said.
“Then let him answer the goddamn questions,” Carella said.
“I can answer the questions,” Kahn said, and looked at Petitpas.
“Very well, go ahead,” Petitpas said.
“I didn’t kill her, Anatole.”
“Go ahead, go ahead.”
“I really didn’t. I have nothing to hide.”
“Okay, counselor?”
“I have already indicated that he may answer your questions.”
“Thank you. Did you go to Gerry Ferguson’s apartment last night?”
“No.”
“Or any time yesterday?”
“No.”
“Did you see her yesterday?”
“Yes, at the gallery. I left before she did. This was sometime after you’d opened the safe.”
“Sometime after you knew the picture wasn’t in the safe?”
“That’s right, yes.”
“And sometime after you thought it might be in Miss Ferguson’s apartment?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s talk about the list, Mr. Kahn.”
“What?”
“The list.”
“What list?”
“The torn list of names you keep in a little cash box in the bottom drawer of your office desk.”
“I... I don’t know what you mean,” Kahn said.
“Four people on that list have already been killed, Mr. Kahn.”
“What list does he mean, Bram?” Petitpas asked.
“I don’t know.”
“It’s a list of names, Mr. Petitpas,” Brown said, “presumably of people who possess or once possessed portions of a photograph alleging to show the location of certain monies stolen from the National Savings and Loan Association six years ago. Does that clearly identify the nature of the list, Mr. Kahn?”
Petitpas stared at his client. Kahn stared back at him.
“Well, answer it,” Petitpas said.
“It clearly identifies the nature of the list, yes,” Kahn said.
“Then the list does exist?”
“It exists.”
“And a torn portion of it is indeed in your cash box?”
“It is, yes, but how...?”
“Never mind how. Where’d you get that list?”
“Gerry gave it to me for safekeeping.”
“Where’d she get it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Mr. Kahn, try to help us,” Meyer said gently.
“I didn’t kill her,” Kahn said.
“Somebody did,” Carella said.
“It wasn’t me.”
“We’re not suggesting it was.”
“All right. As long as you know.”
“Who gave her the list?”
“Carmine.”
“Bonamico?”
“Yes. Carmine Bonamico. He gave half of the list to his wife, and half to Geraldine.”
“Why Geraldine?”
“They were having a thing.”
“They were lovers?”
“Yes.”
“Did he also give her a piece of the photograph?”
“No. She got that from her brother-in-law, Lou D’Amore. There were four men on the holdup. Bonamico cut the picture into eight parts, a wiggly line across the middle horizontally, three wiggly lines vertically, eight pieces in all. He gave two pieces to each of the men, and kept two for himself. He asked the men to distribute the pieces to people they could trust. It was an insurance policy, so to speak. The beneficiaries were the people who held sections of the photograph. The trustees were Alice Bonamico and Gerry Ferguson, the only two people who could put together the list and collect the photograph segments and uncover the loot.”
“Who told you all this?”
“Gerry.”
“How’d she know?”
“Pillow talk. Bonamico told her everything. I don’t think his wife knew who had the other half of the list. But Gerry sure as hell knew.”
“So Gerry was in possession of half of the list as well as one piece of the photograph.”