'Sterling, formerly Silverman, Brad, I assume Bradford.'
'Location?'
'Greater Boston.'
'Home or business.'
'Home.'
'Please hold.'
Some Klezmer Muzak came on. 'Klezmer Muzak?' Hawk said.
'Sean thinks it's funny,' I said.
'He sounds like a funny guy,' Hawk said.
The Klezmer stopped and the voice came back and read out the phone number and an address in Brighton.
'Brighton?' I said.
'Brighton.'
I said thank you and the line went dead. I killed the speaker phone.
'Chatty bastard,' Hawk said.
'He's a computer geek,' I said. 'He thinks it makes him seem businesslike.'
I turned the speaker phone back on and called the number in Brighton. After four rings a machine answered.
'Hi, Brad Sterling. Sorry I'm not here right now, but your call is important to me, so please leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can.'
I hung up.
'Why would he have an unlisted number?' I said.
'Everybody got unlisted numbers,' Hawk said. 'It's one of the ways you know you a Yuppie.'
'I suppose you're in the promotion business you don't want people calling you at home,' I said. 'You in on this deal?'
'Uh huh.'
'There's nothing in it for either one of us.'
'Susan might like it,' Hawk said.
'Not so far,' I said.
'But she might,' Hawk said. 'Later on.'
'Maybe,' I said.
'Besides,' Hawk said, 'I made two hundred thousand last week in Miami, so I can afford to take a few days, and I don't much like people threatening me.'
I did not ask him what he had done in Miami to earn the money.
'Okay,' I said. 'Let's go over and burgle Sterling's apartment.'
'What you looking for?'
'I have no idea,' I said.
'It's a start,' Hawk said.
chapter twenty
STERLING'S APARTMENT WAS a second-floor walk-up on a middle-class street off Commonwealth Avenue, before you got to Washington Street, just this side of Brookline. Hawk was not impressed.
'Maybe Brad ain't as rich as he say.'
We'd come properly equipped, which is a definite advantage for B&E, the pry bar and other things in a red Nike gym bag. It took us about ninety seconds to jimmy the door quietly enough so that nobody stuck their head out into the hall and said 'hey'; and neatly enough so that when we closed it behind us the break-in wasn't obvious.
It was one room and sparsely furnished. Narrow bed, clean sheets, neatly made, table and chair, bureau, bath off one side, no kitchen. A long hook swung out from the back of the door for suits and sport coats to hang on, and a single window looked out on the air shaft. Hawk was even less impressed.
'Maybe Brad a lot less rich than he say.'
'Maybe he simply prefers Thoreauvian simplicity,' I said.
'Sure,' Hawk said. 'That probably it.'
'Lucky Susan's not still married to him,' I said.
'She don't prefer Thoreauvian simplicity,' Hawk said.
'No.'
