lieutenant.”
“ ‘Only’ a lieutenant? Is that what you mean?”
“All right, if you want to put it that way. You don’t think race had anything to do with you having been a policeman twenty-three years before being promoted to lieutenant?”
“Mr. Mayor, I’ve spent most of my career in Homicide…'”
“You’ve been described to me as one of the best homicide investigators anywhere.”
Washington ignored the compliment, and continued:
“… where, because of the extraordinary amount of overtime required, most detectives make as much as inspectors and some as much as chief inspectors. I was a little late reaching my present rank because I never took the examination until I had assurance, in writing, that should I pass and be promoted, I would not be transferred from Homicide.”
Aware that his temper was rising, the mayor said, “I wasn’t aware that you could make deals like that.”
“They aren’t common.”
“Frankly, the more you reject the idea, the more it appeals to me. I need someone who will tell me how things are, rather than what they think I want to hear. And I was under the impression that police officers serve where their superiors decide they can be of the most value.”
“That’s true, of course,” Washington had replied. “But it is also true that police officers my age with twenty years or more of service can retire at any time they so desire.”
The mayor suddenly saw the headline in the Bulletin: ACE HOMICIDE LIEUTENANT RETIRES RATHER THAN BECOME MAYOR’S DRIVER.
“Well, I’m disappointed, of course,” the mayor had said. “But I will certainly respect your wishes. You will be available, won’t you, if I need an expert to explain something to me?”
“I’m at your service, Mr. Mayor,” Washington had said.
Mayor Martin now looked across his desk and asked, “And what does Lieutenant Washington have to say about why these people haven’t been arrested? It’s been two days, Commissioner.”
Mariani replied, “I talked to him last night, Mr. Mayor. He says he’s doing everything he can think of to do, and that something’s bound to turn up. Right now, we don’t even know who the doers are.”
“There were no witnesses?”
“There were witnesses, sir. Mickey O’Hara of the Bulletin even took a picture of the doers as they left the restaurant. He was one of the first to reach the scene. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very good photograph.”
“We have a picture of these people?” the mayor asked, incredulously.
“Not a very good picture, Mr. Mayor.”
“I can see the story in the Bulletin,” the mayor said, unpleasantly. “Even with a photo provided by the Bulletin, police are unable to identify, much less arrest-”
'O’Hara wouldn’t write a story like that,” Mariani said. “He understands our problem.”
“You have more faith in the press than I do, obviously,” the mayor said. “And none of the witnesses can come up with a description of these people?”
“We put police artists on the job immediately, Mr. Mayor. The result of that has been a number of pictures none of which look like any other picture. Everybody saw something else.”
“The bottom line, then, is that you don’t have a clue as to who these people are.”
“We’re doing our best, sir.”
“That’s really not good enough, Commissioner,” the mayor said. “I need something for the press, and I need it by three this afternoon.”
“What would you like me to say, sir?”
“How about forming a task force?”
“We have one in everything but name now, sir. A cop has been killed. Washington can have anything he asks for. It’s just going to take some time, I’m afraid.”
“A cop and a single mother of three,” the mayor said. “We don’t want to forget her, do we?”
“We’re not forgetting her, sir. But when a police officer is killed, it sort of mobilizes the entire department.”
“Just for the record, Commissioner, the entire police department should be mobilized whenever any of our citizens is brutally murdered.”
“Yes, sir. Of course.”
“What about Special Operations, Commissioner?”
“Sir?”
“Supposing I announce this afternoon that I have ordered that the Special Operations Division take over the investigation? ”
“Sir, it’s a homicide,” the Commissioner said.
“You don’t think it’s a good idea, I gather?”
“Mr. Mayor, it won’t accomplish anything that’s not already been done. If I call Inspector Wohl…”
“Who is?”
“The commanding officer of Special Operations, sir.”
“Okay.”
“If I call him right now and give him the job, he’ll say ‘Yes, sir,’ and then he’ll call Lieutenant Washington and ask him how he can help. I don’t know this for a fact, but I’ll bet Wohl has already done that.”
“Let’s do it anyway,” the mayor said. “Make it official. And tell this Inspector… Wohl, you said?”
“Yes, sir.”
“To light a fire under Washington.”
“Yes, sir. Sir, Inspector Wohl was once a homicide detective….'”
“So much the better.”
“A rookie homicide detective. Jason Washington, as a very experienced, very good, homicide detective, was charged with bringing Detective Wohl up to homicide speed-”
“Commissioner,” the mayor interrupted somewhat sharply, “I’m getting the feeling you’re dragging your feet, for reasons I can’t imagine. So I repeat, call this Inspector Wohl and tell him he is now in charge of this investigation task force, and I expect results.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll do so immediately.”
“There’s one more thing,” the mayor said. “The cardinal called me at home last night.”
“Yes, sir?”
“About the visit of Stan Colt. The cardinal said that Colt being here may raise a half million dollars or more for West Catholic High School.”
“It probably will, sir.”
“The cardinal wants to make sure Mr. Colt’s visit goes smoothly. And in this case, I want what the cardinal wants.”
“So do I, Mr. Mayor. After the cardinal called me about Mr. Colt coming here, I gave Mr. Colt ‘Visiting Dignitary’ status for his trip. He will be under the care of the Dignitary Protection Unit.”
“So he told me,” the mayor replied. “What he called me about was the assignment to Colt’s visit of a particular detective. Apparently this detective made a very good impression on Monsignor Schneider-who’s doing the nuts and bolts of Colt’s visit for the cardinal-when they met at some sort of preliminary meeting. I’d like this done.”
“Certainly, sir. You have the detective’s name?”
“Payne,” the mayor said. And then he read the commissioner’s face. “You know him? Is there going to be some problem with this?”
“We published the sergeant’s examination ratings yesterday, ” the commissioner said. “Detective Payne ranked number one.”
“In other words, he’s a very bright detective?”
“And a very good one.”
“And now he’s a sergeant?”
