“Are you aware Abbie Upshaw is Len Priddy’s girlfriend?”
He could feel his focus sharpen. “Says who?”
“I saw them at the Palms a week ago. That’s how she was introduced. You can ask her yourself.”
“You saw her in my office.”
“Of course. I was looking for you when I ran into her.”
“And she’s in on the deal, whatever it is. With these pictures you’re talking about?”
“For starters, I think she took them. Len stashed them at her place. She was out of town last weekend, no doubt humping his bones. Pinky looked for the photographs at Len’s and when they didn’t turn up, he decided to try her place. He walked away with her home safe and when he drilled it, he hit pay dirt.”
“What’s his stake in this?”
“Len was using another set of photographs to keep him in line. Those are the ones he was after at the time. The shots of Len and Cappi were a bonus. Dumb luck on his part. He was hoping you’d forgive his two-thousand- dollar debt in exchange for them.”
Dante took a moment to assimilate the information. “Fair enough,” he said. “You tell Pinky to come see me and I’ll take care of him. You have a car?”
“I’m parked in the underground garage.”
Dante reached up and pressed a button on the console. “You can take us back now. We’ll drop the lady at her car.”
He took the elevator up. When the doors opened, he crossed the reception area and paused at Abbie’s desk. Beautiful girl, no doubt about it, with that long dark hair. Sometimes she wore it up, caught in an oversize tortoiseshell clip that looked like a set of spring-loaded teeth. Steady, responsible, a valuable employee. She was watching him carefully, trying to read his mood. Maybe it had occurred to her that he and the private eye might have crossed paths downstairs.
“I have a job for you,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact.
“For me?”
Her warm olive complexion had taken on a gray cast, and he knew if he reached out and touched her hand, her fingers would be cold. “I need two first-class seats on a flight from LAX to Manila. I’ll need a limousine to take us down to the airport.”
Her face went blank as the request sank in. A frown created two parallel creases between her eyes. If she did that often, they’d be permanent.
“Is this a problem?” he asked.
“I was wondering why you chose Manila.”
“I like the Philippines, okay?”
She licked her lips as though her mouth had gone dry. “When did you want to leave?”
“Thursday. Make it late so I can get in a full day’s work. I’ll be at the warehouse first thing. Have a limo pick us up at the house for the trip down to the airport.”
“You don’t want your driver to take you?”
“He’s entitled to three weeks’ paid vacation. I’m giving him the time off. Same with my bodyguard.”
She hesitated. “Lou Elle usually handles travel.”
“And now you do. Think you can manage it?”
“Yes, sir.”
He leaned down and pulled over the notepad where she recorded phone calls. He preferred a different system, one with automatic carbons so the top slip could be torn off and left on his desk. He jotted two names and a series of numbers on the lined page and pushed it back to her.
She glanced down. “Mrs. Vogelsang?”
“You have an opinion, you can keep it to yourself.”
“Won’t I need her birth date and passport number?”
He pointed. “What do you think that is?”
“Oh, sorry. What airline?”
“Surprise me. I want the itinerary in hand by the end of the day. Also, call the police department and ask to speak to Sergeant Detective Priddy. That’s
He crossed to the door and pushed into the inner corridor without looking back, but he could picture her dismay. What would she do with Len Priddy in the office? Admit she was in bed with a vice cop? Pretend she didn’t know the guy?
He stopped in Lou Elle’s office and found her tapping on her computer keys, her glasses low on her nose.
“Sorry to interrupt. I’ve asked Abbie to book some airline tickets. I don’t want you to think she’s treading on your turf.”
“Appreciate the information. Anything else?”
“That’s what I like about you. All business.”
“That’s what you pay me for.”
“Who do we know at St. Terry’s?”
“Medical records or administration?”
“You tell me. I need everything they got on these two.” Again, he jotted information on a scratch pad, tore off the leaf, and passed it to her. He continued writing while Lou Elle read the note he’d given her. “Pierpont? That’s a good one.”
“I didn’t name the guy. His mother did. Set up an account in his name. A hundred grand for starters. We’ll see how it goes from there. You make sure he’s taken care of regardless.”
Her gaze came up to his. “Regardless of what?”
“Life’s a crapshoot. You never know what’s coming down the pike.”
“Is this deductible?”
He smiled. “Good question. Talk to Saul and see if he can make it work,” he said. “As long as you’re at it, there’s something else you need to set up. A little switcheroo.” He handed her the second piece of scratch paper.
She glanced at it. “Ooo, for me?”
“I thought you and your hubby could use the time away.”
She folded the note in half and slipped it under her desk calendar. “Thanks. Very sporting of you. I’ll let Saul know about the rest of it since it’s his department.”
He said, “Everything is Saul’s department.”
“Understood.”
He spent the rest of the morning taking care of odds and ends. When Abbie buzzed him at noon, he’d almost forgotten what he wanted until she told him Sergeant Priddy was in the lobby. “Give me a few minutes and then bring him in. It won’t hurt him to cool his heels.”
“Would you like coffee?”
“Why not? Make the guy feel welcome.”
He took his finger off the intercom. No reason to chafe about Abbie’s deception. People did you in. People turned on you in a heartbeat. Pop always told him it was like that. His advice was to play the hand you’re dealt. No point wishing things were different just because the truth cut you as clean as a razor blade.
He got up from his desk and crossed to the wall safe, ran the combination, and opened it. He put his Sig Sauer in the inner pocket of his sport coat. When he sat down again, he buzzed Abbie and told her she could bring Priddy in. A few minutes passed before the two arrived. If he’d had a surveillance camera in the lobby, he might have been entertained by their shenanigans.
She tapped on his door and as she opened it, he reached forward and pressed a button on the answering machine. She and Priddy had apparently decided to play it cool. She kept her expression bland and indifferent, and Len made a point of ignoring her. Dante got up and shook Len’s hand, inviting him to take a seat. He’d never liked the guy’s looks. Something smarmy going on. His hair was a slick gray, combed back from his face, which was big and square. His skin was crepey, with an unbecoming puffiness along his jaw. He had bags under his eyes and his
