Matt looked at Jesus Martinez.
"What did he mean when he said you were sent to the airport?"
Martinez raised his eyes to his, but didn't reply.
"Well?" Matt asked impatiently.
Wohl put his head back out into the corridor.
"Okay, let's go," he said.
They followed Wohl into Chief Marchessi's office. He pointed to where he wanted them to stand, facing Marchessi's desk, then closed the door to the outer office, then sat down on a battered couch.
"Okay, Peter, what's going on?" Chief Marchessi asked.
"My primary mistake, Chief, was in assuming that Detectives Martinez and Payne…"
Detectives Martinez and Payne?
"…had a good deal more common sense than is the case."
"I don't follow you, Peter," Marchessi said.
"At two o'clock this morning, Detective Payne, having followed him there, observed an Airport Unit corporal signing a marker for two thousand dollars in a gambling joint in the Poconos."
"What gambling joint?" Marchessi asked.
"What was the name of this place, Payne?" Wohl asked.
"The Oaks and Pines Lodge," Matt replied. "Sir, I didn't follow…"
"Speak when you're spoken to," Wohl said.
"Let him talk," Marchessi said. "What were you saying?"
Wohl didn't let him.
"The reason he followed this fellow to the Oaks and Pines," Wohl went on, "was because Detective Martinez asked him to."
Marchessi put up his hand, palm out, to silence Wohl.
"Did you follow this Corporal…have we got a name?"
"Lanza, sir. Vito Lanza," Martinez said.
"Did you follow this Corporal Lanza to this place in the Poconos?" Marchessi asked.
"No, sir."
"Inspector Wohl thinks you did."
"The inspector is mistaken, sir. May I explain?"
"I wish somebody would."
"Officer Martinez believes…" Matt began.
"DetectiveMartinez," Marchessi interrupted. "Let's get that, at least, straight."