Dirt

by Stuart Woods

  The phone rang, and Stone picked it up.

  “Hi, it’s Cantor.”

  “Hi.”

  “I checked out things at the Spirit cologne office. Turns out Dryer wasn’t hired through a modeling agency. A girl who works there met him at a party and thought he looked right; she got her boss to hire him as a one-shot thing.”

  “Can you find out how they paid him? I’d love to have a Social Security number.”

  “He insisted on cash. The phone number she had for him was the East Ninety-first apartment.”

  “Does she know anybody else who knows him”

  “Not a soul; it’s a dead end.”

  “What’s happening on your tape stakeout?”

  “What’s happening is, she comes home at night, fixes dinner, and cries. He hasn’t called again.”

  “Sounds like she’s been dumped; you can pull the plug on that one.”

  “Will do. What else can I do for you?”

  “Why don’t you drop by here in, say, an hour; we’ll see where we are.”

  “See you then.”

  Stone hung up.

  “We’ve only got an hour?” she asked with mock sadness.

  “Let’s use it well,” he replied, rolling toward her. Then the phone rang again.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s Dino. I want you to come over here and go over some stuff with me.”

  “When?”

  “This morning.”

  “Around eleven?”

  “That’s good; you can buy me lunch.”

  “Can I bring Cantor?”

  “Why not? Maybe he’ll have some sort of a take on this.”

  “On what?”

  “I’ll tell you when you get here.” Dino hung up.

  Stone hung up and rolled toward Arrington again. “Sorry about that,” he said.

  “Don’t let it happen again,” she said.

  He reached over and took the phone off the hook.

  “Good boy,” she said, reaching for him.

  Chapter 40

  Stone and Bob Cantor arrived at the 19th Precinct on time and were sent to Dino’s office right away. Both men still knew detectives working there, and they said a few hellos along the way. Stone hadn’t often been back to the 19th since he’d taken retirement, and he’d never been really close to anybody there but Dino, so his reception was on the cool side. Once they were in Dino’s office, the reception got hostile.

  “You remember Ernie Martinez, Stone,” Dino said.

  “Sure. Hi, Ernie.”

  Martinez nodded. He was a portly detective of Puerto Rican extraction who didn’t like anybody who wasn’t Puerto Rican. He didn’t like Dino much, and he certainly didn’t like Stone.

  “Ernie’s the lead detective on the burglaries.”

  Stone and Cantor took chairs, and Dino moved a stack of files to the middle of his desk, not a high stack, because each of them was thin, containing only a sheet or two of paper.

  “Stone,” Dino said, “three of the eight burglary victims made the Dryer guy. Turns out they all met him at the same party, which took place in one of the burgled residences.”

  Stone nodded; he wasn’t surprised.

  Dino continued. “He was with Arrington Carter on that occasion; she introduced him around.”

  “Were any of the other victims at the same party?”

  “No. But we’re going to have to talk to Arrington. You want to bring her in?”

  “I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Stone said.

  Martinez sat up, bristling. “You don’t think it’ll be necessary! Since when does anybody give a shit what you think is necessary, Barrington?”

  “Shut the fuck up, Ernie,” Dino said. “For starters, I care what he thinks. I’ll get to you in a minute.” He turned to Stone. “Talk to me about Arrington.”

  “I talked to her at length this morning about Dryer, so right now I know what she knows; that’s why it won’t be necessary to get her in here.”

  “So what does she know?”

  “Not a whole lot; this Dryer character is real good at not letting anybody know anything about him that counts. Arrington did take him to some parties, though; several of them.”

  “Could you ask her which parties, in which apartments?”

  “I’ll get a list, and we can compare them to the files. My hunch is they’ll match up.”

  “Okay, I want you and Bob to take a look at each of these files, and I will, too.” Dino passed out the files, and they all read each of them, which didn’t take long, since each consisted of a burglary report and a list of stolen items.

  “Money and men’s jewelry,” Cantor said. “Three watches out of eight hits.”

  “Arrington says he likes watches, that he had three or four,” Stone said.

  “He could be wearing yours on his charm bracelet right now,” Martinez said.

  “Probably not,” Stone said. “It had my name engraved on the back, so he’s probably tossed it. He’s too smart to get caught with that. Same thing with Arnie’s watch; he didn’t take that either.”

  “Arnie’s watch?” Martinez asked.

  “That’s another case,” Dino said. “Don’t you worry about it; stick to burglary.”

  “All the entries were through the front door,” Cantor said, “and alarms didn’t stop him, so the guy’s a mechanic.”

  “Not much doubt about that,” Martinez said.

  “Did you dust anything, Ernie?” Stone asked.

  Martinez grimaced. “You know we don’t have time for fingerprinting at small-time jobs like this.”

  “One of them wasn’t so small time,” Stone said. “He lifted thirty-five thousand dollars in cash from a wall safe.”

  “That, I dusted,” Martinez said. “Nothing there but the owner’s prints.”

  “The watches were all Cartiers,” Cantor said. “Two Tank models and a Panther. The guy’s got taste.”

  Dino spoke up. “Anything else to ask Ernie, Stone? Bob?”

  “Not right now,” Stone said.

  Cantor shook his head.

  “That’s all for now, Ernie; I’ll get back to you.” Dino waited until Martinez left, then he turned to Stone. “What’s this about Arnie?”

  Stone nodded. “There’s something I’d like Ernie to ask the victims about, but I think it’s better if the suggestion comes from you.”

  “Right,” Dino agreed. “What is it?”

  “I’d like to know if any of the victims lost a twenty-five automatic in the burglaries.”

  Dino nodded slowly.

  Cantor spoke up. “There’s nothing in any of the reports about a stolen gun.”

  Stone shrugged. “Maybe it didn’t happen, but if the gun was unregistered, the victim would be reluctant to mention it; it wouldn’t be a big loss. If Ernie could let each of them know he’s not interested in pursuing the lack of registration, somebody might admit to it.”

  “Good point,” Cantor said.

  “In fact, Dino, I think it might be best if you called each of these people. Ernie just might not be the kind of guy these people would feel comfortable talking to about this. Rank would impress them.”

  Dino shrugged. “Okay, I’ll phone them.”

  Cantor spoke up. “Are we talking about Arnie Millman here?”

  “Possibly,” Stone said. “Dino, can we talk to the cop who interviewed Dryer?”

  Dino got up, opened his door, and shouted, “Gleason! In here!” A moment later a fit-looking fifty-year-old detective came into the office. “Kevin, you know Stone, Bob.”

  Gleason shook hands cordially with both men.

  “You got your notes on the Dryer interview at Arnie’s scene?” Dino asked. “Give us your impressions.”

  Gleason produced a notebook. “Looked to me like Dryer was in the rack with somebody when I rang the bell. He was still getting dressed when he came to the door, and he made a point of closing the bedroom door after I got in. He seemed willing to be helpful, but s
aid he didn’t hear anything, didn’t know anything. Said he’d been in the house all evening and had a witness to that effect, if I really needed it, but he obviously didn’t want to involve the girl, so I let it go. I bought his story.”

  “You think we might pull up a print or two in that apartment?” Dino asked.

  Cantor spoke up. “I doubt it very seriously; the place has been cleaned and painted.”

  “Stone, you got any questions?” Dino asked.

  “This was what time, Kevin?”

  Gleason looked at his notebook. “I talked to him around eight-thirty.”

  “And what time did Arnie buy it?”

  “ME says between seven and eight.”

  “That’s a pretty tight fix.”

  “It was body temperature. We reckon we got there pretty quick; a neighbor who was taking out his garbage found Arnie’s body.”

  “Did you get any kind of look at all at the woman in the bedroom?” Stone asked.

  “No, nothing.”

  “Was there anything in the living room that looked like it belonged to a woman?”

  Gleason closed his eyes and thought for half a minute. “Yeah, there was a woman’s brown tweed overcoat on a chair. I didn’t note that at the time; I just remembered it now.”

  “How about a scarf?”

  “Yeah, a yellow one.”

  “Thanks, Kevin, that’s all I’ve got.”

  “Okay, Kevin,” Dino said, “that’ll do it.”

  “Did I miss anything, boss?”

  “No, you didn’t,” Dino said. “Good job; the coat was good.” When Gleason had left, Dino turned to Stone. “What?” he asked.

  “It may be nothing; I want to check something out first.”

  “Stone, don’t you hold out on me.”

  “I promise I won’t; I just think I can learn more about this by treading softly than you can with a standard interview.”

  “Okay, I’ll trust you on that,” Dino said. “But the minute you’ve got something, I want to know.”

  “I promise. I assume you ran a check on the Jonathan Dryer name?”

  “Yeah; nothing.”

  “That’s what I figured.”

  “Well,” Dino said, “we’ve made a start, I guess, but I don’t have enough evidence to arrest Dryer for the burglaries.”

  “Assuming you could find him,” Stone said.

  “Right. I don’t even have enough evidence to start looking for him. This all sounds good, but it’s very tenuous.”

  “You’re right, Dino,” Stone said. “I’ll stay on it and see if I can come up with something else. And I’ll get that list from Arrington. You’ll let me know about the gun?”

  “Sure. We having lunch?”

  “You’re on. Bob, join us?”

  “Okay.”

  Dino stood up. “I got to go to the can; I’ll meet you guys outside.”

  Stone and Cantor left Dino’s office and walked through the squad room and out the front door.

  “Stone,” Cantor said.

  “Yeah?”

  “The other night when I clocked Martha going into her apartment building, she was wearing a brown tweed coat and a yellow scarf.”

  “I know,” Stone said. “Don’t bring it up at lunch.”

  Chapter 41

  When Stone got back to his desk there was a small package waiting for him.

  “It was hand-delivered,” Alma said.

  Stone opened the package and found a new Rolex Oyster-quartz, with his name engraved on the back. He picked up the phone and dialed.

  “Hello, Amanda.”

  “Hello, Stone.”

  “You shouldn’t have bought me a watch; really, you shouldn’t have.”

  “You lost your old one in my service,” Amanda said. “It was the very least I could do. I hope you won’t upset me by trying to return it.”

  “No, I won’t do that. Thank you very much for the watch.”

  “Is it identical to yours?”

  “The face is different, but I like it better.”

  “I’m so glad.”

  Stone took a deep breath. “Amanda, we’ve come to the point in this investigation where I’ve got to question Martha.”

  “Stone, I’ve told you, I don’t want her bothered.”

  “This is how it is,” Stone said. “She’s been seeing someone, a man who calls himself Jonathan Dryer.”

  “The name doesn’t ring a bell,” Amanda replied.

  “It may not even be his name, but that’s what he’s been using. Dryer may very well be connected with the man in California who told Allan Peebles his name was Geoffrey Power, so the two of them may be behind the DIRT business.”

  “I see,” Amanda said.

  “What’s more, Dryer may have burgled a number of apartments around town, and he could even be mixed up in a murder.”

  “If that’s true, why haven’t you had him arrested?” Amanda asked.

  “Two reasons: right now, this is all just supposition; we don’t have any hard evidence. Also, we don’t know where Dryer is; he moved out of his apartment. Martha may know him better than anyone else we’re aware of, so it’s crucial that we get as much evidence as possible from her about Dryer. She may even know his whereabouts.” Stone knew this was probably not true, but he needed to push Amanda on this. “I think it would be better for Martha if I talked to her rather than the police doing it.”

  “Well, I certainly don’t want the police grilling her,” Amanda said. “She’d go to pieces.”

  “I’ll be gentle with her, I promise.”

  “No.”

  “Amanda…”

  “I’ll talk to her myself.”

  “Amanda…”

  “I’ll get more out of her than you can; I’ve been a journalist all my adult life, and I know how to conduct an interview. Also, Martha is afraid of me.”

  “Amanda, I really think it would be better if I talked to her.”

  “No, Stone; I will do it, and that’s final. Is there anything in particular you want me to ask her?”

  “We want as much information about Dryer as possible – present whereabouts, friends, relatives, family background, personal history. We need to know everything she knows. If she tries to deny knowledge of him, tell her she was seen going into Dryer’s apartment, and that we have taped conversations between the two of them.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get everything out of her.”

  Stone sighed. “All right; when will you do it?”

  “I’ll spend some time with her, and I’ll call you on Monday.”

  “All right, Amanda, but it can’t wait any longer than that.”

  “Good-bye, darling; I’m so glad you liked the watch.” She hung up.

  Dino walked into P.J. Clark’s at four o’clock. It was too early for the after-work trade, and the place was deserted, except for a man at the opposite end of the bar. He was wearing a cashmere overcoat, and an expensive briefcase was parked on the bar next to him. There was also a large whiskey in front of him. Dino walked over. “Mr. Elliot?”

  “Lieutenant Bacchetti?” He stuck out his hand. “Take a pew.”

  Dino pulled up a stool.

  “Something to drink?”

  “I’ll have a beer,” Dino said to the bartender. He waited until the beer had been served and the bartender had retreated before continuing. “Now,” he said to Elliot, “a few general questions.”

  “All right. I hope you understand that I didn’t want to talk about this on the phone.”

  “Of course. Now, Arrington Carter brought a man named Jonathan Dryer to your party, is that correct?”

  “She brought a young man; I didn’t get his name.”

  “During the party did you notice whether this young man might have visited some part of your apartment that a party guest might not ordinarily visit?”

  “He used the bathroom in the master suite,” Elliot said.

  “Is that bathroom near where you kept the pistol?”


  “Only a few feet away.”

  “What about the control panel for your burglar alarm? Where is that located in your apartment?”

  “In a linen closet just outside the master suite.”

  “So Dryer might have had access to that?”

  “Very possibly.”

  “All right, let’s talk about the twenty-five automatic.”

  “Before we do,” Elliot said, “you have to understand something.”

  “Okay, what is it?”

  “I’m a lawyer, and I can’t afford to lose my license over something like this.”

  “I understand.”

  “Whatever passes between us in this conversation is just between you and me. If it ever comes up again, in any context, I’ll deny everything.”

  “All right, Mr. Elliot, I understand you; now you have to understand me. Your gun may have been used to murder a police officer. When we make an arrest, you’re going to have to identify the gun, and if we can’t find it, testify to the type and how it might have left your possession. As a lawyer, you certainly understand that.”

  Elliot went to his next negotiating position. “All right, but I won’t testify unless I have complete immunity.”

  “I think I can probably arrange that,” Dino replied.

  “That’s not good enough. I want your personal word that you won’t ask me to testify unless you can get me immunity.”

  “I’m not sure I can do that.”

  “Come on, Bacchetti, it’s a murder case, a murdered cop. They’re going to want the perpetrator, not me.”

  “All right, I give you my word that I won’t ask you to testify, unless I can get you immunity.”

  “Understand, if you don’t get me the immunity I’ll take the Fifth.”

  “That’s not going to be necessary, Mr. Elliot; you have my word.”

  “Okay.”

  “Now, how did you come into possession of the weapon?”

  “I bought it from a guy on the street.”

  “What guy? Who was he?”

  “I don’t know his name.”

  “Come on, Mr. Elliot, you’re not cutting it, here.”

  “I mean, his real name. His street name is Lowrider.”

  “And how did you come to know Lowrider?”

  “I fell into conversation with him in Central Park; he was selling drugs. I told him I was interested in something for personal protection, and he said he could have something for me the next day.”