“Prove it. What did he say?”
“This is a very bad time for that, Inspector,” Matt said.
“What did he say, Matt? What did he order you to do?”
“I’d really rather call you back when I have a chance to refresh my memory,” Matt said.
“You’re telling me you’ve forgotten?” Wohl asked incredulously.
“No, sir.”
Wohl suddenly caught on.
“She’s there?” he asked, even more incredulously.
“That’s the long and the short of it, Inspector.”
“In that case, call me back when you have a free minute. In the meantime, Matt, for Christ’s sake, remember those people are dangerous.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, sir,” Matt said.
The phone went dead.
Matt looked at Susan. The way she was sitting with her legs crossed on the couch gave him a good view of a shapely calf, moving in what looked like annoyance or impatience, and a view of her upper leg halfway up her dress.
Whatever she looks like, she doesn’t look dangerous.
“Sorry,” he said. “That was my boss.”
“You want to tell me what’s going on here?”
“You mean with him and me, or you and me?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Working,” he said.
“Working?” she repeated.
“I’ve been sent up to look into some bank records,” Matt said. “Lieutenant Deitrich of White Collar Crimes is going to get me into the banks.”
“What kind of bank records?”
“What are we doing, playing Twenty Questions?”
“I’m curious, all right?”
“There were some not very nice people in Philadelphia who had what we call ill-gotten gains, which we suspect they have hidden out here in the provinces. I have been sent to see if I can find said ill-gotten gains.”
“Not very nice white-collar people?”
“Actually, this is not at all a nice character. What this character is is what you could call a White Shirt with a dirty collar.”
“Why do I have the feeling we are talking two different languages?”
“There was a call girl ring in Philadelphia, who had a Vice lieutenant on the payroll. In the quaint cant of the police trade, lieutenants and up are called ‘White Shirts,’ possibly because their uniform shirts are white.”
“You do a lot of this sort of thing?” she asked.