‘The mink coat.’
James laughed again. ‘Neat,’ he said, ‘if she’s right.’
Five more minutes in that goddamn doorway, I woulda been in intensive care.’
Eliza followed the tall woman in the mink coat along Foster to Salem to Congress. The woman entered a drugstore and went straight to the prescription counter in -the rear.
Eliza crossed the street, looking at the posters in front of a theatre, her back to the store. ‘This is E.G., you reading me?’ she said into the walkie-talkie.
‘Gotcha,’ George answered.
‘Salem and Congress, across from the Rexall drugstore. Get in close.’
‘On the way.’
Ellen Delaney got a package, signed the slip and came out. She started up Congress again, then suddenly veered across the street to Eliza’s side, flagged a cab, jumped in and headed back down Congress in the opposite direction.
‘Oh, shit!’ Eliza said to herself.
The green Olds appeared seconds later and she jumped in. ‘U-turn! She’s in the Yellow Cab heading back that way,’ she yelled.
James swung the Olds in a tight turn, cut in front of a truck, almost went up on the curb, and screeched off after the taxi. ‘Is she on to us?’ he asked.
‘Nah,’ said Eliza, ‘she’s just seen too many James Bond movies,’
‘They’re headin’ for the tunnel,’ James said.
‘Shit, Caldwell wouldn’t be caught dead in North Boston,’ George answered.
‘That’s probably what he hopes everybody thinks,’ Eliza said. They followed the cab through the tunnel and out into the north side. It moved slowly, weaving through the trucks and vans that choked the narrow streets of the market section.
‘That slowed her down,’ James said.
The cab turned into a quiet street of restored town houses and stopped. The woman got out, looked around and went inside one of the houses.
‘He’s in there. Betcha a week’s salary.’
‘Instinct again, Gunn?’ George said sceptically.
‘Guessing,’ she said. ‘We’ve been on her for — what, four days now? Caldwell’s a diabetic. I’m betting she just picked up his insulin for the week.’
‘Wanna cruise down past the place?’ James asked.
‘Let’s just cool it and see what happens. I don’t see her Mercedes anywhere.’
‘Lemme see the glasses a minute,’ George said, and began to appraise the street. He focused on the house she had entered.
‘It’s got a garage built in,’ he said.
‘So much for the missing Mercedes.’
‘Where’s the equipment’?’ Eliza asked.
‘Back seat on the floor, in case we need it fast.’
‘Good.’
‘If he’s in there, he’s not coming Out,’ George said. ‘We’re dealing with a sports freak, George, he jogs five miles a day,’ Eliza said. ‘How long can he stay holed up without coming up for air?’
‘If he’s in there,’ George said.
‘Yeah,’ said James, ‘and if he is, what’s to say he hasn’t been jogging every morning? Nobody’s looking for him over here.’
‘Well,’ George said, ‘at least it’s someplace new. We sure know all her other haunts.’
‘I got that feeling,’ Eliza said.
Fifteen minutes passed. Twenty. Thirty. Nothing. George casually checked out the street again through the binoculars.
James said, ‘Mooney’s gonna have all our asses if we don’t come up with something, soon. Four days following this maybe girl friend around.’
‘She’s his girl friend. No maybe about it.’
‘She’s probably got the flu, picked up some nose drops,’ James said.
‘Maybe not,’ George said. ‘Lookee here.’
The garage door was slowly rising.
‘Take it,’ Eliza said. ‘Block the driveway so she can’t get out.’
James threw the Olds in reverse and backed crazily down the street. He screeched to a stop in front of the driveway just as the Mercedes started out. Eliza was out of the car on the run.
