“Well,” she said. “Annoying
“And sometimes helpful,” I said.
She looked at Healy. He nodded.
“I find it’s better to work with him than fight him,” Healy said.
“You’ve told us everything you know,” she said to me.
“Yep.”
“It’s not very much,” she said.
“I don’t know very much,” I said.
She smiled slightly.
“In this case?” she said. “Or are you speaking more generally.”
“Probably both,” I said.
“Modest, too,” she said.
“I have much to be modest about,” I said.
“Certainly true,” she said, “since I’ve known you. You have any questions for us?”
“You really blonde?” I said.
“With a name like Quaggliosi?” she said.
“I thought maybe it was your married name.”
“My husband’s name is Henderson. Henderson, Lake, Taylor, and Caldwell, attorneys at law. He makes money; I do good.”
“So you’re not really blonde,” I said.
“You’ll never know,” she said. “But thanks for asking.”
5
Healy drove me back to my office.
“They didn’t improvise that bomb on the spur of the moment,” he said.
“No,” I said.
“They planned to kill him all along,” Healy said.
“Or at least before they left for the exchange,” I said.
“Why?” Healy said.
“You don’t know, either?” I said.
“No.”
“You’re a captain,” I said.
“I know,” Healy said. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Homicide commander,” I said.
“I know,” Healy said. “Why blow up the picture?”
“It’s a painting,” I said.
“Sure,” Healy said. “Why blow up the picture?”
“Maybe it’s not the painting,” I said. “Enough of it left to tell?”
“Crime scene people will let us know,” Healy said. “But I doubt it.”
“He gave them the money and came down the hill with it,” I said.
“When he was up there they could have pointed a gun at him and told him to take it,” Healy said.
“True. Maybe he was in on it,” I said.
“And once they got the money,” Healy said, “they aced him so he couldn’t tell anyone?”
“One less split of the ransom,” I said.
Healy grinned.
“A positive side effect,” he said. “How much was the ransom?”
“Didn’t tell me.”
Healy nodded.
“Who supplied the dough?” he said.
“Hammond Museum, I assume.”
