Kane.'
Aaron quickly filled him in. A personnel officer in the L.A. sheriff's office remembered Kane well. Kane had worked for the department for six years, first as an investigator and then as an intelligence operative in the Industrial Espionage Division. Near the end of his tenure there'd been some trouble. Kane was suspected of acting as a double agent, feeding sensitive information back to targeted people.
There was no proof, but when two undercover informants were killed, Kane was transferred to a routine job.
'That double-agent stuff bothers me,' Aaron said. 'You'd think Cavanaugh over at Sonoron would have checked him out.' 'Maybe Cavanaugh did,'
Janek said. 'Maybe Kane's just the type he wanted.'
In the middle of the meal, Aaron laid a brown eight-by-ten envelope on the table, then pushed it slowly toward Janek. Janek looked at it, but didn't pick it up.
'What's that?'
'Some stuff I dug up. On my own time.'
'What kind of stuff?'
'It has to do with another matter.'
Janek stared at him. Aaron was embarrassed. 'What's it about?' Janek asked, casually.
'Look, we're friends, right?'
'You're probably the closest friend I've got.'
'So, when you're friends with someone-real friends you should feel free to be open about stuff even when you know it's going to hurt.'
'Is the stuff in this envelope going to hurt?'
Aaron nodded. 'Probably.' He paused. 'It's about Sarah and Roy Gilette, that accountant she's been living with.'
Janek felt himself go tense. 'They don't live together. They go out together. Occasionally he stays over. They're not kids. They're entitled to get it on like everybody else.'
Aaron shook his head. 'That's not how it is, Frank. He doesn't just stay over. He's moved in. His mail's delivered there. His driver's license lists him there. So do his tax returns. He doesn't live any other place.'
Janek groaned. He'd suspected as much; now, he realized, he'd refused to face the fact because the thought of Gilette living with Sarah in his old house was too upsetting to deal with. Maybe that was why he'd decided not to help Sarah with the roof-if she and Gilette were cohabiting why should he pay the bill?
'I want you to know something, Frank.' Aaron looked solemn. 'It was not my pleasure to gather this information. But it wasn't hard to do and I felt you ought to have it. So now, if you'll allow me, I'll fill you in on what's been going down.'
Janek nodded.
'This is going to be fairly painful, so I'm going to give it to you quick. First, Sarah no longer works at Saks. Gilette's got her on the payroll at his firm, where she pulls down forty K. Between the two of them, they're knocking down over a hundred seventy per and probably more with bonuses.'
Janek winced.
'Two months ago they went to Hawaii for a two-week vacation. It wasn't one of those package deals. It was deluxe all the way. Credit-card records show they flew first class. Then they stayed at the Kahala Hilton. That's minimum three-seventy-five per night. Hear what I'm saying, Frank?'
'Yeah, I hear-goddammit!' He felt like vomiting his lunch.
'I could go on. They left one hell of a trail. It's all there in the envelope. You can follow it yourself.'
'Not necessary. I get the picture.' Aaron, he knew, was one of the best paper-trail detectives in the Department. Whatever he'd found would be accurate.
'As I said-this was not a pleasant task.'
'I appreciate that.' 'Any thoughts about what you're going to do?'
'Yeah,' said Janek, stretching, 'I've got a few thoughts. They're flashing through my mind right now. There's this tough female attorney I met recently who seems like she likes to kick butt. Her name's Henrietta Rampersad. I'm thinking maybe I can induce her to take a swipe at Sarah's.'
Aaron grinned. 'I like the sound of that, Frank. Take no prisoners.
Yeah, I like that a lot.'
That afternoon when he passed through the outer room of Special Squad, Ray Galindez approached, asked if he could speak to him privately.
'Sure,' Janek said, motioning him into his office.
Ray stood solemnly before the desk, then he touched a corner of his mustache.
'I feel a little awkward asking this. I want to make it easy for you to say no.'
'Maybe the best move is just to ask, Ray. If it's about a transfer, you know that won't be a problem.'
Ray grinned. 'It's not about a transfer, Frank. It's about being godfather to my child. Grecia and I talked it over last night. We'd be honored if you'd agree to stand with us at the christening.'
Janek was moved. He immediately stood up. 'I'm the one who'll be honored.'
'We had the test. It's going to be a girl.'
'God, that's so great.' He hugged Ray. 'As if I'd even dream of saying no!'
At nine that night he was watching an old Bogart movie when his telephone rang loud. He must have moved the volume knob by accident.
He nearly jumped as he fumbled for the receiver.
It was Sue. Even before she explained why she'd called, he knew something was wrong. She was over at Kirstin Reese's studio. She'd arrived to find the door unlocked and Kirstin's body on the floor. 'She doesn't look too good,' Sue said. 'I mean-' Sue paused. 'She's dead.'
When he arrived he found three police cars in front. Also, the med examiner's car, a meat wagon and a Crime Scene van. A small crowd had gathered on the street. People in adjoining tenements stood at their windows staring down. Ninth Avenue traffic, bound for Jersey via the Lincoln Tunnel, was snarled, with trucks and cars honking helplessly, trying to squeeze their way through the bottleneck.
Janek made his way up the narrow stairs, particularly ripe with the smell of fish. Near the top he heard Stiegel's rusty voice. As he drew closer, he found the old cop in a heated argument with Sue.
'I'm the one put you on to her. Next thing-'
'You didn't put us on to shit, Stiegel. You didn't even know her name!'
'So, how'd you find her?'
'I'm a detective, asshole!'
When they saw Janek, they broke it off.
'She was cut bad, Frank,' Sue said. 'Then shot in the head.'
'It's gotta be the same guy cut her before,' Stiegel said.
Sue turned on Stiegel. 'You haven't been listening. It wasn't a guy who cut her. She told us who it was. It was the woman who runs the bad girls.'
Stiegel turned to Janek, eyes pink. 'You kept that to yourselves! '
'We didn't think you'd be interested,' Sue said.
'Interested! Bad girls is my case!'
'That why you took such great notes?'
Janek studied Stiegel. He was drunk and about to get violent. 'Take it easy,' he said as soothingly as he could. Then to Sue: 'Did you call him?'
Sue nodded. 'Out of courtesy. Now I'm sorry I did.'
Stiegel stared at her. 'You don't like me, do you, Missy?' 'What do you think?' Sue asked.
It was time to separate them. Janek put his hand on Stiegel's shoulder.
'Come on, Detective-I'll walk you downstairs. '
Stiegel's eyes glassed over. Then, docile, he allowed Janek to escort him to the street.
'I'm overworked, Lieutenant. I told you the other night. I couldn't give priority to this… specially when the girl wouldn't talk. Then, out of the blue, your Missy Detective c@ills-I mean, Jesus! What the hell was I supposed to think?'
