'Here's Morris,' St Claire answered, stretching the cord and handing the phone back to Vail.
'This is Martin Vail, Bobby. Who did Vulpes call?'
'Only made two calls, Mr Vail. He called and got the time and then he made a call and got a bad connection. That's it. Then he left.'
'Thanks,' Vail said with disgust, cradling the receiver. 'He only made two calls and one of them was a bad connection.'
'We drew a bad connection at Daisyland, too,' said Stenner. 'They have an enormous cleaning staff and a fairly regular turnover. Over eight hundred patients. Delivery people, visiting firemen, a constant flow of traffic. Trying to go back two years?' He shook his head. 'Impossible.'
'So the only leads we got left are Hutchinson and Tribble. Both of 'em as long as a shot gets,' St Claire grumbled.
'Flaherty ran both of them through the state payroll computer after you called,' said Stenner. 'There's no record either of them ever worked at Daisyland. St Louis isn't doing any better. Flaherty talked to his pal, Sergeant Nicholson, this afternoon. They haven't got the first clue. Not a fingerprint, no blood samples, nobody saw anything, nobody heard anything.'
'We're dealin' with a real pro here, Marty,' St Claire said.
'No, we're dealing with Stampler. He's calling every turn.'
'Maybe you're puttin' too much emphasis on Stampler,' St Claire said. 'Maybe it is just a copycat killer, saw the tapes in Arrington's office, knew how it was done, found out about the bishop's library…'
'It's Stampler,' Vail said flatly. 'I saw him, I talked to him. He's running it and he's going to keep running it.'
'So we just wait, that it?' Stenner said.
'That's it. Everybody on the staff covered?'
'Yes, sir,' said Stenner. 'They're either under surveillance or with their families. Flaherty's keeping an eye on Shana - a task he seems to be enjoying, as does she, I might add.'
'Y'know, I don't like to bring this up,' said St Claire, 'but it's gonna get right costly - all this surveillance, I mean, if we gotta keep it up for long.'
Vail glared at the back of his head.
'You got a better idea, Harve?'
'I don't even have an idea half as good.'
Grosso and Dobson sat two rows apart in the back of the theatre so they could keep Vulpes in view and get out quickly when he got up to leave. He sat through the entire picture. He stood up as the credits rolled and Grosso and Dobson slipped out.
Outside, Grosso grabbed for her cigarettes.
'Three hours without a smoke,' she said. 'I'm having a seizure. You better get lost.'
'Too late,' Dobson said. Grosso turned and was face-to-face with Vulpes. His eyes were like stones.
'Excuse me,' he said, 'can I trouble you for a light?' He put a cigarette between his lips.
'Sure.'
'Did you enjoy the film?'
'It's a great picture,' she said calmly.
He smiled. 'Thanks for the light,' he said, and walked off towards the mall exit.
'He made us,' Grosso growled to Dobson.
'How? Man, we were practically invisible.'
'I don't know how, but he made us. Not only that, but he wants us to know it. Shit, we're off the detail.'
'Well, he's probably on his way home. Let's tuck him in and let the electronics wizards take over. Stenner will decide what to do with us.'
'He's going to pull us off the case, Randy.'
'What case? Is this a case? Hell, nobody knows why we're even following this guy.'
'Stenner says he's dangerous.'
'That's it? We're following him because he's dangerous? Half the people in the city are dangerous, for Christ sakes.'
'He's spooky-looking,' Grosso said. 'Did ya see those eyes?'
'Oh, we're following him because he's spooky-looking and dangerous. I feel much better.'
On the train heading back to his room, Vulpes checked his watch.
