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“Why was he here?”
“His brother told me. He was out to di
“I thought you said he was going to have di
“He was, but then he called and canceled. Something had come up at work. I figured he was walking home when he got robbed.”
“Who did he eat with?” Be
“Here we go. He was going to di
19
It took Be
“Not here, at di
“Yes, he’s a fellow plaintiff in a class action, a big case. I don’t know why Robert would be eating with Mayer. I can’t believe it.” She was shaking her head. “Was the brother sure?”
“Seemed it.” The detective shifted aside, taking Be
“It’s a long story.” Be
“No, just that his brother had called late in the day, about five-thirty, and said he’d have to cancel di
“What time was Robert expected?”
“About seven. I went over fast because the TV people got the news off the sca
Be
“No way, I had to hurry to do the notification, and I only got that in because they live so close. I gotta go back to the squad room and run down some leads on this and the Belgian case. I’ll call him, too, though I doubt he’ll have much to say.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Be
The detective’s eyes were glazing over. She had to get to the point.
“Mayer wanted to be lead plaintiff, and Robert and I were challenging him. In fact, in court today, we had a huge fight and-”
“Watch out,” the detective interrupted, gentling her out of the way. A mobile tech shuffled past them and turned off one klieglight, then unplugged it from a portable generator and carried it out of the alley on his shoulder, like a fishing pole. The detective watched him go. “These people got a job to do. He won’t be the only case tonight.”
“Let me put it this way, Detective. This case was worth seventy million dollars to Mayer, and the lead plaintiff would get the lion’s share. That’s what Mayer was fighting with us over.”
“That’s real money,” Needleman said, guiding her out of the alley, and Be
“Real, real money. You see what I’m saying? I’m saying that there was a lot of money at stake in this case, between these parties.” Be
“No,” he said, turning to her. His glasses reflected the windows across the street, obscuring his eyes. “I’m not with you. I see a robbery here, a street crime with an MO very similar to another recent one, and it makes sense to me that it’s the same doer. What are you seeing?”
Be
Be
“Let’s get outta the way, I’m done here,” the detective said, taking Be
Be
“I know you’re a smart lawyer, and Brinkley thinks the world of you, and that’s enough for me. But this isn’t the time to play cop, Ms. Rosato.” Detective Needleman gave her arm a final pat. “You need a ride? Let me take you home.”
Be
“Now you’re talkin’ about motive? Seventy million dollars is a lot of money, and that’s all I know right now.” Detective Needleman sat heavily in the driver’s seat, keeping one loafer out of the car flat on the asphalt. “Brinkley likes you, but he did say you get yourself worked up.”
“Murder gets me worked up, particularly this murder. And sometimes I’m right, so will you please consider that this murder may not be what it seems right off the bat?”
“Oh, Jesus, here we go.” The detective looked through his windshield with pursed lips.
“Keep an open mind, consider that maybe it’s not a robbery, a street crime, whatever. And you’re going to talk with Mayer, so why wait until tomorrow? Wouldn’t you like to know where he is right now? He was the last person to see Robert alive.”
“I would, and I will. Now you need a ride or not?”
“No, thanks.” Be
“A sharp knife, I gather, and there is no we. Later I will find out. You won’t.”
Be
“No good deed goes unpunished, does it?” Detective Needleman closed the door of the car with a rueful smile. “I tried to be nice to you, I talked to you, and now look where it got me. Wait’ll I get Brinkley.”