“The thing is, Lieutenant, my supervisor, Lieutenant Washington-you’re sure you don’t know him?”
“Quite sure. I’d remember a name like that.”
“Well, sir, Lieutenant Washington wants to ship the hat- the evidence item-to the FBI lab first thing in the morning.”
“Well, that solves our problem then, doesn’t it? The FBI really knows how to handle this sort of thing.”
“Thank you for seeing me, sir. And I’m sorry I didn’t have an appointment.”
“Just don’t do it again in the future, Detective.”
“No, sir, I won’t.”
The airplane, a Cessna Citation, came in from over Bucks County, touched down smoothly, and began to taxi to the terminal.
Nesfoods International had a Citation either identical to this one or very nearly identical to it. Matt’s father had told him he had to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to convince the Internal Revenue Service that when the Nesbitts (father and/or son) and their families rode it to Kentucky or Florida the purpose was business, not to watch the Kentucky Derby or lie on the sands of Palm Beach.
The Citation stopped two hundred feet from them, and ground handlers went quickly to it to chock the wheels.
The mayor, the commissioner and the monsignor started to walk toward it. The commissioner turned and signaled for Matt to come with them.
The door rotated open, revealing stairs, as they-and a gaggle of photographers and reporters holding microphones- approached the airplane.
Matt saw what looked like a fat woman sporting a dirty blonde pageboy haircut and wearing pajamas come quickly out of the door and down the stairs-then noticed the goatee. The man held one 35mm camera with an enormous lens in his hands, and another, with a slightly smaller lens, hung from his neck.
He knelt to the right and aimed his camera at the door.
Stan Colt appeared in the doorway, smiling and ducking his head.
“Go down a couple of steps!” the fat photographer ordered.
Colt obeyed. He carefully went down two steps, then waved and flashed a wide smile. He was wearing blue jeans, a knit polo shirt, and a Philadelphia 76ers jacket. His fans applauded. Some whistled.
Colt came down the rest of the stairs and walked to Monsignor Schneider, who enthusiastically shook his hand and introduced him to the mayor and the commissioner, who both enthusiastically shook his hand.
Jesus, he’s a hell of a lot smaller and shorter than he looks in the movies!
Photographs were taken, and the momentous occasion was both recorded on videotape and flashed via satellite to at least two of Philadelphia’s TV stations, which interrupted their regular programming to bring-live-to their viewers images of Mr. Colt’s arrival.
Matt saw that a young man his age and a prematurely gray-haired woman Matt guessed was probably in her late thirties had begun to take luggage from both the cabin and the baggage compartment. Both were stylishly dressed. Matt had no idea who they were, but presumed they had been on the airplane.
When they had all the luggage off the plane, they began to carry it to a black GMC Yukon XL, on the doors of which was a neat sign reading “Classic Livery.”
The side windows of the truck were covered with dark translucent plastic. Matt knew that the truck-there were several just like it-was usually used to move cadavers from hospitals to funeral homes that rented their funeral limousines from Classic Livery. He wondered if the truck was going to be able to haul all the luggage.
The commissioner indicated the white limousine. Colt nodded, then sort of trotted over to the fans behind their barriers, shook hands, kissed two of the younger females, and then, waving, sort of trotted to the white limousine and ducked inside.
The fat photographer got in the front seat. The mayor and the commissioner got in the back.
“Hi!” Terry Davis said.
He hadn’t seen her get off the Citation.
Jesus, she looks good!
“Hi!”
“You’re going wherever they go from here?”