The Investigators (Badge of Honor 7)

“I thought I would take you out and buy you dinner,” Matt said. “I had La Bochabella in mind.”

La Bochabella was an upscale Italian restaurant in the 1100 block of South Front Street, not far from Stockton Place.

“What did you do, get into it with Daffy again?” Chad asked suspiciously.

“Her, too, if she wants to go,” Matt said.

Chad laughed.

“If she wants to go where?” Daffy said, walking into the room. She was also wearing a gray sweat suit.

“He wants to take us to La Bochabella,” Chad said.

“By way of making up for what?” Daffy said, taking the baby from her husband.

“Actually, I hoped that by the time they came around with the check, your husband would figure, after what you did to me, Daffy, with the virgin’s mother, that the least he could do was buy me dinner.”

“For all you know, wiseass, Susan may be a virgin,” Daffy said. “Why not? I’ll need to shower first, of course.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Matt said. “What’s with the sweat suits?”

“She’s trying to get her figure back,” Chad said.

“Where did it go?” Matt asked, innocently.

“. . . so we put in a little exercise room,” Daffy said.

“You know, to keep in shape,” Chad said. “You want to see it?”

“No. Not really. But while you’re sharing all the sordid secrets of your married life with me, what’s with the rent-a-cop?”

“He’s not a rent-a-cop. He’s from the company.”

“What’s he doing?”

“The Old Broads got together,” Chad said. “The grandmothers. They went to the Old Man.”

“I don’t understand.”

“They’re worried about Penny’s safety,” Daffy said. “And mine, too.”

“Did something happen?” Matt asked, now concerned.

“You ever hear, ‘an ounce of prevention,’ et cetera?” Chad said.

“You’re really worried?” Matt asked. “In here?”

“Daffy’s alone a lot,” Chad said, a bit defensively. “With the baby.”

“And a nanny, and at least one maid,” Matt said. “Not to mention the rent-a-cop at the gate keeping the riffraff out.”

“And now a security guy from the company,” Chad said. “All right? It makes the Old Broads feel better and it makes me feel better, too, okay?”

“That guy’s going to be here around the clock?” Matt asked.

“Not that guy,” Chad said. “He’s a supervisor. He’s a retired Jersey state trooper. He used to bodyguard the governor. What he’s doing is seeing what has to be done. But yeah, there will be security people here around the clock.”

“You should know better than most people, Matt,” Daffy said, “what goes on in the city. And that the police can’t stop things from happening.”