Kisser

“Why the hell not?”

“Because Mitzi is borrowing the place from a friend of mine, and her neighbors would not take kindly to having a SWAT team in their lobby and elevators. And you can’t grab him when he comes out of the building, either. You’ll have to put four cars on him and wait until he’s well away from there.”

“At his place? Why?”

“Probably not at his place.”

“Then where?”

“If you want Sharpe and Larsen together, you’d better do it at Teterboro Airport, because they’re ready to run.”

Doyle shook his head. “I don’t want to pull any Jersey cops in on this.”

“Then you’d better have some FBI there, hadn’t you?”

“That’s what I want to talk to Tiffany about,” Doyle said. “I don’t want them there. This is our bust.”

“It’s yours because Tiffany allowed you to do it, and she said so in the presence of the commissioner,” Stone said. “So you’d better not fuck it up, and that means having a federal presence there.”

“I hate the FBI,” Doyle said sullenly.

“What cop doesn’t?” Stone asked. “You think you’ve got a monopoly?”

“I don’t want to ask her for help.”

“She’s waiting for you to do just that, and if you don’t, then this case is going to fall on you from a great height.”

Doyle thought this over. “Teterboro, huh?”

“That’s where Sharpe and Larsen have chartered in the past,” Stone said, “but you’d better have enough people to cover Westchester Airport if they decide to go there instead.”

“You think they might do that?”

“If they have the slightest inkling that you’re on to them, they could do anything.”

“How many people do you think we’ll need?”

“An army,” Stone replied. “Go put it together, and ask Tiffany for help.”

Doyle got up and left, muttering under his breath.

51

MITZI LOOKED AT STONE over the rim of her glass of Knob Creek. “You seem a little down,” she said. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m worried about the bust,” he said.

Mitzi adjusted her push-up bra. “I thought you liked it.”

“Not that bust,” Stone said, laughing in spite of himself. “Sharpe and Larsen.”

“Sounds like a Dickensian accounting firm, doesn’t it?” Mitzi said.

“I wish it were,” Stone replied.

“Oh, come on, Stone. It’s pretty straightforward, once we cover all our bases.”

“We don’t even know where all the bases are,” Stone said.

“Brian and Tom had a meeting with the U.S. Attorney this afternoon and asked for some of her people. That should help.”

Stone admired her bust again. “Do you have a vest that will protect those?”

“Without looking overweight and dowdy? No.”

“Just this once?”

“Maybe, after we make the buy.”

“Wear it during the buy.”

“You think Derek is going to shoot me in the apartment?”

“I don’t know what to think. How are you going to pay for the drugs?”

“I already have, remember?”

“Sharpe is going to want real money, not a bad check.”

“Tiffany had a word with Sharpe’s bank.”

“How do you know which bank he uses?”

“By the deposit stamp on the back of the check.”

“You’re not going to get a New York banker to tell Sharpe that your check has cleared and the funds are available.”

“No. An FBI agent on the banker’s phone line will confirm that. The bank isn’t liable for what an FBI agent says to Sharpe, especially since they won’t know what the agent is telling him.”

Stone nodded. “I like that. Whose idea was it?”

“Mine, but I let Brian propose it to Tiffany.”

“You shouldn’t be so self-effacing,” Stone said. “It won’t do you any good. Brian will get all the kudos from the bust, and he’ll leave you high and dry.”

“Can I trust you with a secret?”

“Sure.”

“I passed the lieutenant’s exam last week.”

“So you think you’ll get Brian’s job?”

“Only if he gets kicked upstairs,” she said. “Otherwise, they’ll give me a squad in Staten Island or someplace way out in Queens. But if Brian does get kicked upstairs I’ll have a shot, mostly because there’s not much competition at the precinct.”

“They’ll transfer you either way; they’re not going to put a woman in charge of a squad of guys she’s been working with. Never happen.”

“We’ll see,” Mitzi said.

“Good luck to you,” Stone said, raising his glass.

Dino came through the door and shot Stone a questioning glance.

“You mind if Dino joins us?” Stone asked Mitzi.

“You think I didn’t expect to have di

Stone waved him over.

Dino sat down and ordered a Scotch. “You two still drinking that Kentucky swill?” he asked by way of a greeting.

“I don’t trust any booze that has to take a boat here,” Mitzi said. “Also, my daddy once told me he’d disinherit me if I drank un-American.”

Dino looked at Stone, then at Mitzi. “What’s the matter with him?” he asked her.

“He’s worried about the bust,” she replied.

“What have you got to be worried about?” he asked Stone. “Let the cops take care of it.”

“By ‘the cops’ you mean Brian Doyle?”

“Oh,” Dino said. “I get your point.”

Mitzi looked at both of them askance. “What is it with you guys? Brian’s not so bad.”

“We’ve known him longer than you have,” Dino said. “He’s the kind of guy who’ll take credit for your work.”

“It isn’t enough for Brian to take the credit,” Stone explained. “For him to feel good about himself, he has to make everybody else look bad.”

“Oh, really!” Mitzi laughed. “Why don’t you two get him in here, then put ’em on the table and we’ll measure.”

Dino looked at Stone and shrugged.

“Mitzi,” Stone said, “has Brian ever complimented you on your work?”

“Many times,” she replied.

“Has he ever said anything good about you to your captain?”

“Well,” she said, “I assume he passed it up the line; he said he would.”

“Have you ever read your file after a performance review?” Dino asked.

“Yes, I have.”

“Has he ever given you a positive review that didn’t make it sound like he was responsible for your success?”

Mitzi thought that over.

“Let me guess what he had to say,” Dino said. “He said something like, ‘This officer has responded well to the training and advice of her commander.’ ”

Mitzi’s brow furrowed, a strange sight. “I think I see what you mean,” she said softly.

“Who’s your rabbi?” Stone asked. “Not Brian, I trust.”

“Not exactly,” Mitzi said.

“You don’t have a rabbi, do you?” Dino asked.

“Not exactly.”

“All you’ve got is Brian.”

“I have other friends in the department,” she said uncertainly.

“I’m really glad to hear that,” Dino said, as if he didn’t entirely believe her.

Nobody spoke again until a waiter came to take their orders.

52

THEY STARTED FOOLING around in the cab on the way home, and by the time they had made it upstairs they were leaving a trail of clothing across the bedroom.

Mitzi undid her bra and threw it as far as she could. “Free at last!” she half-shouted. She tackled Stone, and they fell onto the bed, writhing in the mutual pleasure of their naked bodies. In a moment they were conjoined.

“I think this is what they mean by ‘one flesh,’ ” Stone said.

“I like it,” Mitzi said, sticking her tongue in his ear.

It was, perhaps, her tongue that kept him from properly hearing the first outburst.

“What?” Stone asked.

Mitzi froze. “That wasn’t me,” she whispered.

“What was it?”

“Lying scum!” a female voice said.

“You promised not to bring your roommate,” Stone said to Mitzi.

“I didn’t.”

Stone sat up and looked around the darkened room, lit only by a few shafts of moonlight cutting through the venetian blinds. As he squinted, a naked female stepped out of his dressing room.