“Eight in the Nineteenth where only cash was taken, or cash and men’s’ jewelry, watches, that kind of stuff, all of them in high-end buildings. What do you know about this?”
“I’m just chasing a wild hunch. Find a copy of Vanity Fair, the new issue, and look for an ad for Spirit men’s cologne. There’s a guy’s picture in it; he’s been calling himself Jonathan Dryer. Get one of your burglary detail to show it to the eight victims and see if anybody recognizes him. If they do, I’d love to have a name and address.”
“Why do you think this guy’s connected to these burglaries?”
“Because I think he went into Arrington’s place and took cash, and he may have been the guy who did me, who also took cash. He’s an old boyfriend of Arrington’s.”
“Well, she must know where to find him.”
“He moved out and didn’t leave a forwarding address, and get this: He lived in the apartment next to the alley where Arnie Millman bought it. Interesting?”
“Very.”
“One of your guys must have interviewed him that night. When I went around there he said he’d been talking to the cops. Will you find out who it was and what notes he took?”
“I’ll do that.”
“And I’d like to hear about it.”
“You will.” Dino hung up.
“Bob, you call the cologne manufacturer, and see if you can track down Dryer through his modeling agency.”
“Okay, Stone; sounds like you’re putting something together here,” Cantor said.
“Maybe,” Stone said. “We’ll see.”
“I forget,” Cantor said, “did I mention that Dryer had a hotshot computer, a laser printer, and a fax machine? Maybe this is DIRT?”
“Maybe paydirt,” Stone said.
Chapter 39
The following morning, Stone and Arrington lay in his bed, watching the Today show and eating breakfast.
“I checked out Dryer,” Stone said. “He’s bolted from his apartment.”
“I hope he’s bolted from the planet,” Arrington said.
“Do you mind telling me a little more about him?” He was treading carefully; he knew this was a sensitive subject.
“What do you want to know?”
“How’d you meet him?”
“At somebody’s house in East Hampton, in August.”
“Whose house?”
“A photographer’s.”
“A friend of Dryer’s?”
“No, Jonathan didn’t know the host; he came with somebody else, I think. I can’t remember who.”
“How many times did you see him after that?”
“Two or three times a week, I guess; we both had a lot else going on.”