Dirty Work (Stone Barrington 9)

“I can’t eat this,” Stone said, beginning to eat the chili.

“Don’t worry, the detective knows we’re friends; he’ll keep it to himself, and I’ve already scrubbed the interview tape clean.”

“Thank you, Dino.”

“Is that all you can say? You ought to be offering me Carpenter’s sweet body on a platter.”

“Carpenter’s in this, somehow,” Stone said. “I have a feeling she knows the country of origin of the gentlemen present last night. When I told her what happened, she started making phone calls, and when I woke up, she hadn’t slept in the bed.”

“Poor you.”

“I don’t think Herbie’s fall killed Larry Fortescue,” Stone said.

“Well, neither do I,” Dino replied, “but we’ll probably never know.”

“Why not? The medical examiner will figure it out.”

“The ME was poised over the corpse this morning, scalpel raised, when two guys showed up with a federal court order and took the body away in a van.”

“Holy shit.”

“My sentiments, more or less.”

“This whole business is completely out of control,” Stone said.

“Well, completely out of our control,” Dino agreed. “But somebody must know what’s going on. Certainly, nobody in the NYPD does.”

Stone finished his chili. “I do know something you don’t,” Stone said.

“What?”

“I know where the photographs are.”

“I want them now,” Dino said, pushing away from the table.

“Just a minute,” Stone said. “You get one set of prints, I get the negatives and all the others.”

“Deal,” Dino said, standing up.

“And I need them processed by two-thirty, with nobody the wiser. You know somebody who can do that?”

“You bet your ass,” Dino said. “Let’s get out of here.”

Stone threw some money on the table, took a quick swig of his beer, grabbed his burger, and ran after Dino.

10

Stone dove into the cab behind Dino, who sat staring at him.

“You going to tell the driver where to go?” Dino asked.

Stone gave him the address of the building with the skylight, then he took a huge bite of his burger.

“The camera is still in the building?” Dino asked.

“If we’re lucky,” Stone replied through the cheeseburger.

“Nobody from the precinct has been there today,” Dino said. “I checked. The Feds were in on this. I hope to God they haven’t turned it over.”