'Un-huh. So I stick around outside there and I wait and, you know, O'Mara got that seven-to-midnight talk show, so about two-twenty in the morning here he come, lippity lop.'
'Lippity lop?'
'Authentic African argot,' Hawk said. 'I is trying to educate you.'
'Lippity lop.'
'Yeah, and in he goes right next door to Lance.'
'Now that I think of it, I wonder what name Darrin O'Mara was born with,' I said.
'I stuck around for maybe another hour and no sign of life so I moseyed on home.'
'Not lippity lop?'
'I mosey,' Hawk said.
'Of course.'
I picked up my phone and dialed Rita Fiore.
'Could a paralegal get me the owner's name at a couple addresses in the South End?' I said.
'If I tell him to,' Rita said. I asked Hawk the address.
'Both units?' he said.
'Both.'
He gave them to me and I told Rita.
'Who are you talking to?' Rita said.
'Hawk.'
'Hawk is right there with you?'
'Yes.'
'Oooh!' Rita said.
'Oooh?' I said. 'Among criminal lawyers you are generally considered the queen piranha. And I mention Hawk and you say `oooh!'?'
'I am still in touch with my girlish side,' Rita said. 'I'll call you back. Please tell Hawk kiss kiss for me.'
I hung up. Hawk was unwrapping a second sandwich.
'Wow,' I said. 'You look slimmer already. Rita says to tell you kiss kiss!'
Hawk smiled as if to himself.
'Have you and Rita ever ... ?'
Hawk looked at me blankly. I didn't pursue it, because the phone rang. I picked it up.
'So quick?' I said.
'So quick what?' Healy said.
'Sorry, I was expecting someone else.'
'I found the missing private eyes,' Healy said.
'In Tulsa?'
'Yep. Gavin arranged for them to get security jobs at Tulsa Kinergy. A Tulsa detective talked with them. They admit the jobs seem like a boondoggle.'
'They shed any light on anything else?'
'Not yet. Tulsa's going to talk with them some more, and let me know.'
'And you, grateful for my help, will, of course, let me know.'
'If I'm not so grateful I choke up,' Healy said and broke the connection.
'The missing private eyes,' I said to Hawk. 'Being overpaid and underworked at the Kinergy Tulsa facility.'
'Gavin arrange that?'
'I guess he made them an offer too good to refuse.'
'Wanted them out of town.'
'I assume,' I said. 'So we wouldn't find out he'd hired them to spy for him.'
'And he done that why?' Hawk said.
'My guess is he got wind of the wife-swapping sex stuff that was going on with O'Mara and was trying to find out what was going on so he could protect Cooper.'
'Maybe Gavin not so bad a guy,' Hawk said.
'Maybe.'
