'They want to know what I'm doing there. And I say, `Who wants to know?' And they say, `We do,' and it go sort of like that for a while. And they say if I know what's good for me that I'll haul my black ass out of there.'
'That wasn't very sensitive,' I said.
'I told them that.'
'And?'
'Apparently they hadn't intended it to be sensitive. So, I figured since they looked a lot like two guys braced you a while ago that maybe I might have run into a whatchamacallit…'
'A clue,' I said.
'That's it,' Hawk said, 'a clue, and you being a great detective might know what to do with it. So I let them chase me away, and here I am.'
'It's the same two guys,' I said.
'I figure,' Hawk said. 'So whoever owns them not only don't want you nosing around, he don't want me.'
'He or she,' I said.
'That's right,' Hawk said. 'I was being insensitive.'
'I got threatened again yesterday myself,' I said.
'Astonishing,' Hawk said. 'And we so charming too.'
'The thing is it was on a matter that Ronan shouldn't have anything to do with.'
'You assuming the two stiffs I talked to work for Ronan.'
'Yes,' I said.
'Sonovagun,' he said. 'I thought so too, and I not even a great detective. Who threaten you yesterday?'
'Tall guy, sort of thin, strong looking, sharp dresser, drives a dark green Range Rover…'
'You got threatened by a guy who drives a Range Rover?'
'Embarrassing, isn't it? Said his name was Richard Gavin.'
Hawk shrugged.
'So many assholes,' he said. 'So little time.'
'So I try to find out a little about the alleged sexual harassment and get threatened,' I said. 'And I ask you to keep an eye on Ronan and you get threatened. And while I'm trying to look into the harassment charges, I find out that Sterling's big charity thing was a bust and nobody got any money. Except that I couldn't get in touch with anyone at a beneficiary group called Civil Streets. So I try to find out a little about Civil Streets because I just stumbled across it while I'm looking into the Sterling thing, and I'm a neat guy, and I like to be thorough, and because I don't know what else to look into, and I get threatened.'
Hawk was sitting in one of my office chairs with his feet up on my desk. He was wearing blue suede loafers that matched the blazer.
'I a great detective I might think there was some connection.'
'If you were a great detective you might explain to me why Brad Sterling isn't around.'
'Gone?'
'I went by there and his office is closed. Nobody knew where he was.'
'Secretary.'
'Nope. Door was shut and locked.'
'It appears,' Hawk said, 'that the plot be thickening.'
'Christ,' I said, 'maybe you are a great detective.'
'Want me to drift by his house, see if he there?'
'Haven't got his address,' I said.
'You ask Susan?'
'Yeah.'
Hawk nodded.
'Here's a trick,' Hawk said.
He picked up the white pages from the top of a file cabinet and riffled through it, and paused and ran his finger down a page and stopped. He shook his head.
'No Bradford Sterling.'
'What a shame!' I said. 'Watch this.'
I punched the speaker phone button and dialed a number and a voice said, 'Reilly Research.'
'Sean,' I said. 'Spenser. I need an address.'
'Full name,' the voice said, 'last name first.'
