Matt happened to be looking at Washington, whose expressive eyebrows rose in surprise.
“You sent her?” challenged the lieutenant from Northwest Detectives who had been standing with Smith and others when they first had gone outside.
“Yes, sir.”
“You gave one of my detectives orders?”
“Not now,” Lowenstein said, sharply, then turned his attention to Detective Lassiter. “You’re sure the victim’s mother understands about the door?”
“Yes, sir. I told her how that works,” Olivia said. “She seemed to understand. She even calmed the brother down about it. All she wants is for us to catch the doer.”
“What’s in the envelope?”
“A picture of the victim, sir,” Olivia said, and handed it to him. “I borrowed it from the mother.”
Lowenstein looked at it, then handed it to Coughlin.
“It’ll come in handy,” Lowenstein said. “You know about the doers’ camera?”
“No, sir.”
“You ever been on television, Detective?” Lowenstein asked.
“No, sir.”
“Well, unless I’m mistaken, when Commissioner Coughlin goes outside in a couple of minutes, to tell the press why the officers couldn’t take the door, he’s going to want you to go with him, to repeat what you just said about the mother understanding. Could you handle that?”
“I’d rather not-”
“That’s not what I asked,” Lowenstein snapped.
“Yes, sir, I can handle that.”
“I haven’t said I’m going outside to talk to the press,” Coughlin said.
“Oh, excuse me, Commissioner, I thought you had.”
“I just had a brilliant idea, Chief Lowenstein,” Coughlin said. “Since you’re so good at it, I’ll reassign you to Public Relations.”
“Unless we do something, we’ll all look as stupid as the mayor thinks we are,” Lowenstein replied, unabashed. “You got a better idea, Denny?”
“No,” Coughlin said. “As a matter of fact, I was trying to think of a way to thank you that wouldn’t go directly to your head.”
“You’re welcome,” Lowenstein said. “Can I make another suggestion?”
“How can I stop you?”
“Detective Lassiter has dealt very well with the mother and the brother. We don’t know that possible problem has gone away permanently…”
“And you want to detail her to Homicide for this job so she can sit on them?” Coughlin asked.
“That, too, but what I was thinking was that you could say, ‘Detective Lassiter, who has been detailed to Homicide for this investigation, has spoken to Miss Williamson’s brother and her mother. They have found no fault with police procedures, isn’t that right, Detective?’ ”
“I don’t know,” Coughlin said, doubtfully.
“You have any problems with Northwest detailing Detective Lassiter to Homicide for this job, Captain Quaire?” Lowenstein asked.
“No, sir,” Quaire said.
“Lieutenant Washington?”
“No, sir.”
“You, Lieutenant?”
“No, sir,” the lieutenant from Northwest Detectives said.
“Okay, done,” Lowenstein said.
He gestured toward the kitchen door.
“You’re on, Commissioner,” he said.
Coughlin exhaled audibly, straightened his shoulders, and marched through it. Captain Frank Hollaran and Detective Lassiter followed him.
“There’s a TV in the living room,” D’Amata said. “There’s a Channel Six Live camera out there.”
D’Amata got it turned on and tuned to Channel Six by the time Coughlin, Hollaran, and Lassiter appeared on the screen as they came out of the walkway between the two buildings.
Coughlin marched to the massed press, with Olivia Lassiter following him. When he stopped, just inside the crime scene tape, she moved to his side.
There were shouted questions from a dozen reporters, to which Coughlin, his arms folded on his stomach, paid no attention whatever. Finally, almost in confusion, the questions died out.
“I’m Deputy Commissioner Coughlin,” he said, finally. “I will take a few questions, one at a time.”
Most of the reporters raised their hands; several shouted questions.
Coughlin pointed at one of the reporters who had raised her hand.
“If you can get these gentlemen to behave, I’ll take your question.”
One of the reporters who had been shouting a question said, disgustedly, “Oh, for Christ’s sake!”
Another voice, female, very clearly answered her colleague with, “Why don’t you shut the fuck up, you asshole? Some of us have deadlines.”
Coughlin pointed to a reporter holding a microphone with a Channel Six Live sign on it.
“I don’t want to tell you your business,” he said, very politely, “but I really hope someone bleeped that question before it got on the air.”
That brought laughter. When it died down, he pointed to the reporter he had selected before.
“Commissioner, what’s happened here?”
“A murder,” Coughlin said, “of a young woman named Cheryl Williamson.”
“Not a rape and murder?”
“We don’t know that yet. The medical examiner will make that determination.”
“Is it true that somebody called 911, the cops came, and then refused to enter the apartment, while the murderer was inside?”
“A few minutes before two this morning, Miss Williamson’s neighbor called 911, reporting that her mirror had fallen off the wall. Two patrol cars-not just one-of the Thirty-fifth District responded, and were here in just under four minutes. They listened to what the neighbor said, that she suspected that something had happened in Miss Williamson’s apartment that had caused her mirror to fall off the wall. The officers rang Miss Williamson’s doorbell and knocked at the door. They did that at both the front and rear doors. And they looked for signs of a forced entry and found none. There were no lights on in the apartment, and they could hear no sounds. They concluded there was no one in the apartment.”
“And left?”
“And left.”
“Why didn’t they go in the apartment?”
“Because that would be against the law,” Coughlin said. “Without sufficient cause, police have no right to break into anyone’s home.”
“The neighbor said, you said, that she thought something had happened in the apartment. That’s not sufficient cause?”
“If there had been any sound, even any lights burning, any indication of forced entry, I’m sure they would have entered the apartment. There wasn’t, and they didn’t.”
“And how do you think her family will react to that explanation? ”
“This is Detective Lassiter,” Coughlin said. “She can answer that better than I can.”
“I’ve spoken to Miss Williamson’s mother and brother,” Olivia said. “They both told me they understand why the police did not break into the apartment. Mrs. Williamson said all that she wants is for the police to find whoever did this to her daughter before the same sort of thing happens to someone else.”
“And what exactly did this guy do to her?”
“At this point, we don’t even know it was a guy,” Olivia said. “We just started the investigation. Commissioner, may I be excused?”
