"I didn't hear Payne shot them," Wohl said without thinking about it.
Quaire laughed. "Not this time, Peter. He was just a spectator."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"That's why we're here," Quaire said. "The commissioner wants to be absolutely sure the shooting was justified."
"Was there a question?"
"Hell no. Both of the doers fired first."
The commissioner's secretary appeared in the conference room door.
"The commissioner will see you now, Inspector," she said, and then realized there were two men answering to that title in the room, and added, "…Wohl."
"Thank you," Peter Wohl said.
If I needed one more nail in my coffin, that was it. Porter knows I just walked in here. And I get to enter the throne ro
om first.
SEVEN
"Good morning, Peter," Commissioner Czernick said, smiling broadly. He was a large, stocky, well-tailored man with a full head of silver hair. "Sit down."
"Good morning, sir."
"Would you like some coffee?"
"Please."
"Black, right?"
"Yes, sir."
I don't think I am about to have my head handed to me on a platter. But on the other hand, I don't think he called me in here to express his appreciation for my all-around splendid performance of duty. And nothing has gone wrong in Special Operations, or I would have heard about it.
"How's your dad?"
"Fine, thank you. I had dinner with him on Monday."
"Give him my regards, the next time you see him."
"I'll do that, thank you."
"You see the Overnights, Peter?"
The Overnights were a summary of major crimes, and/or significant events affecting the Police Department that were compiled from reports from the districts, the Detective Divisions, and major Bureaus, and then distributed to senior commanders.
"No, sir. I came here first thing."
Obviously, I've missed something, and I am about to hear what it is, and why it is my fault.
"Stakeout took down two critters at an Acme on the Baltimore Pike," Czernick said. "It's almost a sure thing these were the characters we've been looking for. If it was a good shooting, we're home free."
"I did hear about that, sir. And from what I heard, I think it was a good shooting."
"Every once in a while, Peter, we do do something right, don't we?"