'Narcotics brought him and his girlfriend here. I don't know why,' Wohl said. 'That's why I'm here.'
'Give me a minute to park the car, Inspector,' Captain Pekach said, 'and I'll come with you. Or would I be in the way?'
'I didn't send for you, Dave, but I'm glad to see you,' Wohl said.
He held out his badge and photo identification to Officer Wise.
'Oh, that's all right, Inspector,' Officer Wise said, waving it away. 'Sorry to bother you.'
Officer Wise decided that his chances of being transferred to Special Operations had just dropped from slim to zero. He had put this encounter all together now. The young guy in the silly cap and skyblue pants was Peter Wohl, who although 'only' a staff inspector, was the Special Operations division commander.
'No bother,' Wohl said as Pekach got back in his car and drove it toward a work shed near the gasoline pump.
'Inspector, I'm sorry about this,' Officer Wise said.
'Never be sorry for doing your job,' Wohl said. 'And don't worry, you're not the only one who doesn't think I look like a cop. I get that from my father all the time.'
A moment later Captain Pekach walked up to them again.
'They're searching a silver Porsche back there,' he said, pointing to the work shed.
'Are they really?' Wohl said. 'Dave, while I go ask what they're looking for, why don't you go inside and nose around.'
'You going to come in, or should I come back when I find out?'
'I'll come in,' Wohl said, and walked to the work shed.
Both doors of the Porsche, and the hoods over the rear engine compartment and the in-front trunk, were open when Wohl walked up to the car. Two Narcotics officers in plain-clothes looked up at Wohl. He flashed his badge.
'What are you looking for?' Wohl asked.
'Sergeant Dolan brought it in. He says they probably got rid of it by now but to check, anyway.'
'Got rid of what?'
'Probably cocaine,' one of the Narcotics cops said.
'You've got a search warrant?'
'No. The owner's a cop. We have permission.'
'What makes you think it's dirty?' Wohl asked.
'Sergeant Dolan thinks he-and it-is,' the cop replied. 'How else would a cop get the dough for a car like this?'
'Maybe he's lucky at cards,' Wohl said. 'You find anything?'
The cop shook his head no, then said, 'Dolan said we probably wouldn't.'
Wohl smiled at them and then walked to the Narcotics Building.
He found Officer Matthew Payne, his black bow tie untied and his top collar button open, sitting on one of a row of folding chairs in a room on the first floor.
Payne stood up when he saw Wohl, but Wohl waved him back into his seat and walked down the room to a door marked NO ADMITTANCE and pushed it open.
Captain Pekach and a tall, very thin, bald-headed man in his fifties were inside.
'Inspector,' Pekach said, 'you know Lieutenant Mikkles, don't you?'
'Sure do,' Wohl said. 'How are you, Mick?'
Mikkles shook Wohl's hand but didn't say anything.
'Sergeant Dolan's not here,' Pekach went on. 'He went to the medical examiner's office. They found a plastic bag full of a white crystalline powder on DeZego. He went to check it out.'
'Where's the girl?' Wohl asked.
Lieutenant Mikkles pointed to a steel door with INTERVIEW ROOM painted on it.
'You charging her with anything, Mick? Or Officer Payne?'
'We don't have enough to charge either one of them,' Mikkles said.
'Just Sergeant Dolan'sfeelingthat they're dirty, right?'
'I really don't know much about this, Inspector,' Mikkles said.
'They want Officer Payne and the girl at Homicide to make a statement. Would it be all right with you if I took them there?'
'I don't see any problem with that,' Lieutenant Mikkles said.
'What about if I asked Captain Pekach to meet with Sergeant Dolan to ask him what he thinks he's got going here? Would you have any problem with that?'
'Sure. Why not?'
Wohl walked to the interview-room door, opened it, went inside, and closed it after him.
Amanda Spencer, sitting in a steel chair that was bolted to the floor, looked at him warily.
He smiled at her.
'Well,I don't think you did it,' he said.
She smiled, a little hesitantly.
'My name is Peter Wohl,' he said. 'I'm Matt's boss.'
'Hello,' she said.
'The people who work in Narcotics spend their lives surrounded by the scum of the earth,' Wohl said. 'Sometimes-and I suppose it's understandable-they seem to forget that there are some nice people left in the world. What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry about this, but I understand why it happened.'
'They were just doing their jobs, I suppose,' Amanda said. 'I mean, there was a shooting-'
'Well, I'm relieved that you understand.'
'Can I go now?'
'There's bad news and good news about that,' Wohl said. 'The bad news is that you still have to make a statement at Homicide. That's in the Police Department Administration Building. I'll get you through that as quickly as possible, but it has to be done.'
'That's the good news?' she asked almost lightheartedly.
'No. The good news is that you get to ride down there in my car. I drive a Jaguar XK-120. It's amuch nicer car than that piece of German junk your boyfriend drives.'
'I have this strange feeling you're not kidding,' Amanda said.
'Do I look like a kidder?'
'Yes, you do,' Amanda said, laughing. 'What kind of a cop are you, anyway?'
'Depending on who you ask, you can get a very wide range of responses to that question. Are you ready to go?'
'That's the understatement of the year,' she said.
He held the door open for her, and she walked out of the interview room.
'Just a moment, please,' he said, and walked to Lieutenant Mikkles.
'Your men tell me they found nothing in Officer Payne's car. Is there any reason he can't have it back?'
'No, I don't suppose there is.'
'Try 'No, sir,' Mikkles,' Captain Pekach said, flaring.
'No, sir,' Mikkles said.
'Do you think it would be a good idea, Lieutenant, if you went with Officer Payne to reclaim his car?' Wohl asked evenly.
'Yes, sir. I'll do that.'
'Ask him to meet me in Homicide, please. Tell him I'm driving the young lady.'
'Yes, sir,' Mikkles repeated.
Wohl waited until Mikkles had left the room before speaking to Pekach.
'Run down Sergeant Dolan and find out what he thinks he has,' Wohl said. 'And then meet us at Homicide. When you're in your car, get word to Lucci where I am.'
'Yes, sir.'
'And before I forget: On your way out, if that young cop is still out there, talk to him and see if you think he'd be useful to us in Special Operations. He struck me as pretty bright.'
