The Murderers (Badge of Honor 6)

“You don’t know for sure that they know that,” Lowenstein said.

“No. But it strikes me as highly probable.”

Lowenstein grunted, and then said: “Peter, if you need anything else, let me know. Keep me posted. And thank you for the call.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

He hung up the telephone, then leaned against the wall.

“It’s time, I think,” he said thoughtfully, “that we practice a little psychology. That woman is frightened. I think she knows more about what’s going on dirty with that Five Squad than she’s told anybody, including Milham, and right now, he’s the only cop she really trusts. She trusts Matt a little, because Milham likes him, and because he offered the apartment. And she thinks that Washington is straight, otherwise she would never have gone to him. So we’ll try to build a little trust by association.”

He turned back to the telephone and dialed a number.

“Jason, is Weisbach there?” he asked, and when the reply was that he wasn’t, added: “Put out the arm for him, please, and ask him to meet me at Payne’s apartment right away. I want you here, too, Jason. Right away.”

They could not hear what Washington replied.

“The Widow Kellog got a death threat telephone call this morning, telling her to keep her mouth shut or get the same thing that happened to her husband. Matt offered his apartment as a place for her to stay. Milham just took her to pick up some clothes. When they come back here, I want her to feel she’s surrounded by cops she can trust.”

And again, Washington made a reply they couldn’t hear.

“Oh, sure, we’re going to sit on her. I’m taking that threat very seriously. Be prepared, when you get here, to assign, in her hearing, everybody but Tiny a duty schedule to sit on her. I borrowed McFadden from Lowenstein. If you can find Martinez and Tiny, I’d like them here, too. Once she sees that she’s surrounded by cops, I want to leave her alone with you and Weisbach. Maybe you can get her to talk now.”

Washington made another inaudible reply, to which Wohl responded, “Yeah.”

Then: “Jason, switch me to Captain Pekach, will you?”

“David? Are you in uniform?”

Now Matt and Charley McFadden could hear Pekach’s reply: “Yes, I am.”

“OK. Good. I want you, in a Highway car, to be parked on the sidewalk in front of Matt Payne’s apartment in twenty minutes. You come up. And I think it would be a good idea to have another Highway car parked with you. Tell them to get out of the car and be standing conspicuously on the sidewalk. I’ll explain it all to you when you get here.”

He hung up and turned to face Matt and McFadden again.

“In her presence, I will order the Commanding Officer of Highway to have a Highway car pass her parents’ home not less than once each half hour,” he said. “and to check on any car, or person, who looks halfway suspicious.”

“You’re really taking that threat seriously, aren’t you’?” Matt asked.

“Somebody shot her husband,” Wohl said. “If they’re willing to do that once…”

“If somebody is watching her parents’ house, they’ll probably make the Highway drive-bys.”

“Good, let’s make them nervous,” Wohl said. He paused, almost visibly having another thought. “If I was wondering what Mrs. Kellog told Washington, I think I’d also be worrying what she told Milham. So I think you’d better stick with him, Matt, instead of sitting on her.”

“OK.”

“I think it would also make her feel better to know he’s not walking around alone. Question: Should Milham be here when she talks to Washington or not?”

“She seems to listen to him,” McFadden said.

“Yeah,” Matt said.

“OK. So you pack your bag, Matt, and be ready to get out when I tell you. Take McFadden with you. Go to Homicide and let him read the 75–49s on Kellog. I’ll call Quaire and fix it with him. If anything has come up that looks like it has a connection with this, call me.”

“Right.”

When Matt returned to the kitchen after getting dressed, and carrying a small suitcase into which he had put his toilet kit and a spare pair of shoes, Charley McFadden was at the kitchen table, reading the 75–49s on the Inferno job. Wohl was in the living room, studiously writing in his notebook.