“He’s shoring up support with the old geezers,” she said. “Gotcha. I think I better talk to our Narcotics guys. They may have something on the kid.”
“Is this really your area, Erin? Chasing small-time drug dealers isn’t precisely what the city’s paying you to do.”
“You’re right,” she said. “But what else am I supposed to do? I have to figure out the poisonings, and that means working out all the angles. We’ve got two dead so far, and I’m hoping we’ll close this thing before any more bodies pile up.”
“So Lorenzo was poisoned?”
“Looks that way.”
“That’s an unusual way for a lad in the game to throw in his cards.”
“Murder is murder.”
“True enough. You know, Erin, if you’re not terribly busy, there’s plenty of room on this couch beside me, and I’ve a bottle of Glen D that’s nearly full.”
“Thanks, but I’m still on duty.”
“It’s my job to tempt you into all manner of unwise behavior.”
“And you’re good at it,” she chuckled. “I’ll look you up at the end of my shift, okay? Save some of that bottle for me.”
“Your name’s on it. Best of luck, darling.”
* * *
Then it was back to the waiting game. Some cops swore by coffee, gallons of the stuff, but Erin knew better. When you didn’t want to leave the scene, even for a five-minute bathroom break, you wanted to go easy on the fluid intake. The boys in blue could use empty water bottles in an emergency, but the women had it tougher. Staying awake wasn’t the main problem anyway. Distraction was the number one enemy. She couldn’t let herself drift away with her thoughts. At least it was winter, so the car didn’t overheat. It was gradually getting colder inside, but that wasn’t as much of a problem, particularly for Rolf. If they’d been pulling this job in summer, she’d have had to keep the engine running for the air conditioning.
Why had she volunteered for this lousy assignment? Erin couldn’t stand being in an office all day. She and Rolf had both needed to get out a little, even if it meant sitting curbside for a few hours. Sometimes it was just a lose-lose situation.
She keyed her radio and called the other car. “Hey, guys. O’Reilly here.”
“Malinowski and Bauer,” the reply came back. “Give us good news.”
“You want good news?” she asked. “All is forgiven. Jesus died for our sins. Especially yours.”
“Bauer’s Jewish,” Malinowski replied.
“So was Jesus.”
He laughed. “What’s up on your side of the street?”
“I got nothing. Just making sure you Patrol boys are still alive.”
“Still breathing. Bauer needs a breath mint.”
“So does Rolf.”
“Want to trade partners?”
“Not on your life.”
“Stay sharp, O’Reilly.”
“You too, Malinowski.”
The apartment door opened. Erin’s head snapped up. Paulie Bianchi stepped outside. His hands were empty, but he was wearing a backpack over a light jacket.
The radio link was still open. “Guys!” she called. “I got the kid coming out.”
“Copy that.” Malinowski dropped his bantering tone. “You want us to roll to you?”
“Negative. You might spook him, and we still need eyes on the building. I got this.” Erin didn’t start the car. Paulie was on foot, walking quickly down the sidewalk. She didn’t know where he was going, but driving slowly down the street behind him would be the most obvious thing she could do. On the other hand, he’d seen her before and would know her face. She’d stand out, especially if she took Rolf with her. She did a quick risk assessment and decided to tail him the old-fashioned way.
“Malinowski?”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m leaving my vehicle and trailing Bianchi on foot, with my K-9.”
“Copy that, O’Reilly. You need us, we’ll be there. Be careful.”
Erin waited until Bianchi was past her and looking the other way. Then she got out of the Charger and popped Rolf’s compartment. The Shepherd hit the pavement ready for action, but he was disciplined. He stuck next to Erin’s leg, not pulling on the leash. They started after the kid, hanging back about thirty feet, blending into the usual Manhattan pedestrian traffic.
Paulie wasn’t a big kid, and Erin was only five foot six, so it was tricky keeping him in sight. But she didn’t want to be spotted, so it was a tradeoff. She had to keep looking to the sides, making sure he didn’t hop in a taxi or go into a storefront. It would’ve been easier if Rolf had his scent, but she didn’t have any of Paulie’s stuff for him to sniff.
She almost missed him, but she caught a sight of Paulie out of the corner of her eye as he went down into a subway entrance. “Great,” she muttered. She’d been down on subways ever since she’d nearly been killed in a gunfight with Neo-Nazis in one the previous autumn. But she wasn’t going to let bad memories stand in her way. She steered Rolf to the stairs. Paulie was moving fast and was already most of the way down. Erin sped up. Rolf trotted briskly beside her.
New York provided MetroCards to all its first responders, free of charge. Most cops didn’t bother using them more than a few times a month, but there were definitely times it came in handy. Erin swiped her card a few seconds behind Paulie. They got onto the platform just as the train pulled in. Paulie hurried across the concrete and through the doors as soon as they opened. He turned as he climbed aboard. He and Erin made eye contact.
“Shit,” Erin said, and saw Paulie’s lips mouth the same word in almost perfect unison. Then she and Rolf were running across the platform. The doors were still open. Paulie was backing away. Then, as Erin and Rolf lunged onto the train, Paulie turned and sprinted down the length of the train car.
“Stop! NYPD!” Erin shouted. She hadn’t been sure until that moment, but now
