“Twelve hours in a smoke-filled room. That’s enough. Get your coat.”
“Where are we going?”
“The Mall Tavern. At Tenth and Cherry. When I was an honest Homicide detective, I used to go there for a post-duty libation. Let’s go listen to the gossip. Maybe we’ll hear something interesting.”
FOURTEEN
He doesn’t look like a cop, Amy thought when she saw Peter talking to the night manager in the lobby of her apartment building. Mr. Ramerez has put the well-cut suit and the Jaguar together and decided Dr. Payne is carrying on with a lawyer or a stockbroker.
“Good evening, Doctor,” Peter said.“Thank you for coming at this hour,” Amy replied. “Shall we go up?” She smiled at Mr. Ramerez. “Good evening, Mr. Ramerez.”
It is obviously important to me that Mr. Ramerez understand that I am not carrying on with him, cop or stockbroker.
They rode in silence and somewhat awkwardly to Amy’s apartment. She unlocked the door, and entered. He followed her.
“Coffee? Or a drink?” she asked.
“Neither, thank you. You said you wanted to talk about Matt.”
“I think it important that he not be left alone.”
“Tiny Lewis—he’s a police officer…”
“I know who he is,” Amy interrupted.
Peter nodded and went on: “…will be at Matt’s apartment at seven-fifteen in the morning. If you think he should not be alone tonight, I can go back.”
“I think he’ll be all right tonight,” she said. “Can you keep him busy? Especially for the next few days?”
Wohl nodded.
“He blames himself for Penny,” Amy said.
“Yes, I know.”
“I don’t know if you appreciate it, but he is actually rather sensitive.”
“I know.”
“You know what he did tonight?” she asked, and went on without waiting for a reply. “He put his arms around me and asked who holds my hand when I need it.”
“There has been at least one applicant for that job that I know about. As I recall, you didn’t seem interested.”
“Damn you, Peter, you’re not making this easy.”
“I don’t know if you appreciate it, but I am actually rather sensitive,” Wohl mockingly paraphrased what she had said about Matt.
“You bastard!” she said, but laughed. “Honest to God, Peter, I didn’t want to hurt you.”
He shrugged.
“I lied,” Amy said.
“Not returning calls, not being in, having ‘previous plans’ when I finally got you on the phone is not exactly lying.”
“I mean tonight,” Amy said. “Certainly to you, and probably to myself. I knew that you, the Ancient and Honorable Order of Cops, were going to gather protectively around Matt and do more for him than I could.”
Wohl looked at her, waiting for her to go on.