The Cold Moon (Lincoln Rhyme 7)

"I've already poured it. You want me to throw it out? Waste good coffee?" She left it on the table beside him and returned to the kitchen, where garlic was frying.

Sachs sipped the strong coffee in silence, Snyder staring at ESPN. His eyes followed a basketball from its launchpad outside the three-point line; his fist clenched minutely when it swished in.

A commercial came on. He changed channels to celebrity poker.

Sachs remembered that Kathryn Dance had mentioned the power of silence in getting somebody to talk. She sat, sipping, looking at him, not saying a word.

Finally, irritated, Snyder asked, "The St. James thing?"

"Uh-huh."

"I read it was Dennis Baker behind it. And the deputy mayor."

"Yep."

"I met Baker a few times. Seemed okay. Him being on the bag surprised me." Concern crossed Snyder's face. "Homicides too? Sarkowski and that other guy?"

She nodded. "And an attempt." She didn't share that she herself had been the potential victim.

He shook his head. "Money's one thing. But offing people . . . that's a whole different ball game."

Amen.

Snyder asked, "Was one of perps that guy I told you about? Had a place in Maryland or something?"

She figured that he deserved some credit. "That was Wallace. But it wasn't a place. It was a thing." Sachs explained about Wallace's boat.

He gave a sour laugh. "No kidding. The Maryland Monroe? That's a pisser."

Sachs said, "Might not've broken the case if you hadn't helped."

Snyder had a millisecond of satisfaction. Then he remembered he was mad. He made a point of rising, with a sigh, and filling his mug with more whiskey. He sat down again. His coffee remained untouched. He channel-surfed some more.

"Can I ask you something?"

"I can stop you?" he muttered.

"You said you knew my father. Not many people're still around who did. I just wanted to ask you about him."

"The Sixteenth Avenue Club?"

"Nope. Don't want to know about that."

Snyder said, "He was

lucky he got away."

"Sometimes you dodge the bullet."

"At least he cleaned up his act later. Heard he never got into any trouble after that."

"You said you worked with him. He didn't talk much about his job. I always wondered what it was like back then. Thought I'd write down a few things."

"For his grandkids?"

"Something like that."

Reluctantly Snyder said, "We never were partners."