Thorsen took a sip of his scotch. “You know Chief of Detectives Murphy?”
“Bill Murphy? Of course I know him. We came through the Academy together. Good man. A little plodding maybe, but he thinks straight.”
“He’s put in his papers. As of the first of the year. He’s got cancer of the prostate.”
“Ahh, Jesus,” Delaney said. “That’s a crying shame. I’ll have to go see him.”
“Well …” the Admiral said, peering down at his drink, “Bill thought he could last until the first of the year, but I don’t think he’s going to make it. He’s been out so much we’ve had to put in an Acting Chief of Detectives to keep the bureau running. The Commish says he’ll appoint a permanent late in December.”
“Who’s the Acting Chief?” Delaney asked, beginning to get interested.
Thorsen looked up at him. “Edward, you remember when they used to say that in New York, the Irish had the cops, the Jews had the schools, and the Italians had the Sanitation Department? Well, things have changed—but not all that much. There’s still an Old Guard of the Irish in the Department, and they take care of their own. They just refuse to accept the demographic changes that have taken place in this city—the number of blacks, Hispanics, Orientals. When it came to getting the PC to appoint an Acting Chief of Detectives, I wanted a two-star named Michael Ramon Suarez, figuring it would help community relations. Suarez is a Puerto Rican, and he’s been running five precincts in the Bronx and doing a hell of a job. The Chief of Operations, Jimmy Conklin, wanted the Commissioner to pick Terence J. Riordan, who’s got nine Brooklyn precincts. So we had quite a tussle.”
“I can imagine,” Delaney said, pouring them more whiskey. “Who won?”
“I did,” Thorsen said. “I got Suarez in as Acting Chief. I figured he’d do a good job, and when the time came, the PC would give him his third star and appoint him permanent Chief of Detectives. A big boost for the Hispanics. And the Mayor would love it.”
“Ivar, you should have gone into politics.”
“I did,” Thorsen said with a crooked grin.
“So? You didn’t stop by just to tell me how you creamed the Irish. What’s the problem?”
“Edward, did you read the papers over the weekend? Or watch the local TV? That psychiatrist who got wasted—Dr. Ellerbee?”
Delaney looked at him. “I read about it. Got snuffed in his own office, didn’t he? And not too far from here. I figured it was a junkie looking for drugs.”
“Sure,” Thorsen said, nodding. “That was everyone’s guess. God knows it happens often enough. But Ellerbee didn’t keep any drugs in his office. And there was no sign of forced entry, either at the street entrance or his office door. I don’t know all the details, but it looks like he let someone in he knew and expected.”
Delaney leaned forward, staring at the other man. “Ivar, what’s this all about—your interest in the Ellerbee homicide? It happens four or five times a day in the Big Apple. I didn’t think you got all that concerned about one kill.”
Thorsen rose and began to pace nervously about the room. “It isn’t just another kill, Edward. It could be big trouble. For many reasons. Ellerbee was a wealthy, educated man who had a lot of friends in what they call ‘high places.’ He was civic-minded—did free work in clinics, for example. His wife—who’s a practicing psychologist, by the way—is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, and she’s been raising holy hell with us. And to top that, Ellerbee’s father is Henry Ellerbee, the guy who built Ellerbee Towers on Fifth Avenue and owns more Manhattan real estate than you and I own socks. He’s been screaming his head off to everyone from the Governor on down.”
“Yes, I’d say you have a few problems.”
“And the clincher,” Thorsen went on, still pacing, “the clincher is that this is the first big homicide Acting Chief of Detectives Michael Ramon Suarez has had to handle.”
“Oh-ho,” Delaney said, leaning back in his swivel chair and swinging gently back and forth. “Now we get down to the nitty-gritty.”
“Right,” the Admiral said, almost angrily. “The nitty-gritty. If Suarez muffs this one, there is no way on God’s green earth he’s going to get a third star and permanent appointment.”
“And you’ll look like a shithead for backing him in the first place.”
“Right,” Thorsen said again. “He’d better clear this one fast or he’s in the soup, and I’m in there with him.”
“All very interesting,” Delaney said. “So?”
The Admiral groaned, slumped into the armchair again. “Edward, you’re not making this any easier for me.”
“Making what easier?” Delaney said innocently.
Then it all came out in a rush.
“I want you to get involved in the Ellerbee case,” the First Deputy Commissioner said. “I haven’t even thought about how it can be worked; I wanted to discuss it with you first. Edward, you’ve saved my ass before—at least twice. I know I gave you a lot of bullshit about doing it for the Department, or doing it just to keep active and not becoming a wet-brained retiree. But this time I’m asking you on the basis of our friendship. I’m asking for a favor—one old friend to another.”
“You’re calling in your chits, Ivar,” Delaney said slowly. “I would never have gone as far as I did without your clout. I know that, and you know I know it.”
Thorsen made a waving gesture. “Put it any way you like. The bottom line is that I need your help, and I’m asking for it.”
Delaney was silent a moment, looking down at his big hands spread on the desk top.
“I’m getting liver spots,” he said absently. “Ivar, have you talked to Suarez about this?”
“Yes, I talked to him. He’ll cooperate one hundred percent. He’s out of his depth on this case and he knows it. He’s got some good men, but no one with your experience and know-how. He’ll take help anywhere he can get it.”
“Is he working the Ellerbee case personally?”
“After the flak started, he got personally involved. He had to. But from what he told me, so far they’ve got a dead body, and that’s all they’ve got.”
“It happened Friday night?”
“Yes. He was killed about nine P.M. Approximately. According to the ME.”
“More than forty-eight hours ago,” Delaney said reflectively. “And getting colder by the minute. That means the solution probability is going down.”
“I know.”
“What was the murder weapon?”
“Some kind of a hammer.”
“A hammer?” Delaney said, surprised. “Not a knife, not a gun? Someone brought a hammer to his office?”
“Looks like it. And crushed his skull.”
“A hammer is usually a man’s weapon,” Delaney said. “Women prefer knives or poison. But you never know.”
“Well, Edward? Will you help us?”
Delaney shifted his heavy bulk uncomfortably. “If I do—and you notice I say if—I don’t know how it could be done. I don’t have a shield. I can’t go around questioning people or rousting them. For God’s sake, Ivar, I’m a lousy civilian.”
“It can be worked out,” Thorsen said stubbornly. “The first thing is to persuade you to take the case.”
Delaney drew a deep breath, then blew it out. “Tell you what,” he said. “Before I give you a yes or no, let me talk to Suarez. If we can’t get along, then forget it. If we hit it off, then I’ll consider it. I know that’s not the answer you want, but it’s all you’re going to get at the moment.”
“It’s good enough for me,” the Deputy said promptly. “I’ll call Suarez, set up the meet, and get back to you. Thank you, Edward.”
“For what?”
“For the scotch,” Thorsen said. “What else?”
After the Admiral left, Delaney went back into the kitchen. Monica had gone, but there was a note on me refrigerator door, held in place with a little magnetic pig. “Roast duck with walnuts and cassis for dinner. Be bac
k in two hours. Don’t eat too many sandwiches.”
He smiled at that. But they usually dined at 7:00 P.M. , and it was then barely 1:30. One sandwich was certainly not going to spoil his appetite for roast duck. Or even two sandwiches, for that matter.
But he settled for one—which he called his U.N. Special: Norwegian brisling sardines in Italian olive oil heaped on German schwarzbrot, with a layer of thinly sliced Spanish onion and a dollop of French dressing.
He ate this construction while leaning over the sink so it would be easy to rinse the drippings away. And with the sandwich, to preserve the international flavor, he had a bottle of Canadian Molson ale. Finished, the kitchen restored to neatness, he went down into the basement to find the newspapers of the last two days and read again about the murder of Dr. Simon Ellerbee.
Shortly after midnight, Monica went up to their second-floor bedroom. Delaney made his customary rounds, turning off lights and checking window and door locks. Even those in the empty bedrooms where his children by his first wife, Barbara (now deceased), had slept—rooms later occupied by Monica’s two daughters.
Then he returned to the master bedroom. Monica, naked, was seated at the dresser, brushing her thick black hair. Delaney perched on the edge of his bed, finished his cigar, and watched her, smiling with pleasure. They conversed in an intimate shorthand:
“Hear from the girls?” he asked.
“Maybe tomorrow.”
“Should we call?”
“Not yet.”
“We’ve got to start thinking about Christmas.”
“I’ll buy the cards if you’ll write the notes.”
“You want to shower first?”
“Go ahead.”
“Rub my back?”
“Later. Leave me a dry towel.”
The only light in the room came from a lamp on the bedside table. The tinted silk shade gave the illumination a rosy glow. Delaney watched the play of light on his wife’s strong back as she raised her arms to brush, religiously, one hundred times.
She was a stalwart woman with a no-nonsense body: wide shoulders and hips, heavy bosom, and a respectable waist. Muscular legs tapered to slender ankles. There was a warm solidity about her that Delaney cherished. He reflected, not for the first time, how lucky he had been with women: first Barbara and now Monica—two joys.
She took up her flannel robe and went into the bathroom, pausing to glance over her shoulder and wink at him. When he heard the shower start, he began to undress, slowly. He unlaced his high shoes, peeled off the white cotton socks. He removed the heavy gold chain and hunter from his vest. The chunky chain had been his grandfather’s, the pocket watch his father’s. It had stopped fifty years ago; Delaney had no desire to have it started again.
Off came the dark suit of cheviot as coarse as an army blanket. White shirt with starched collar. Silk rep tie in a muted purple, like a dusty stained-glass window. He hung everything carefully away, moving about the bedroom in underdrawers as long as Bermuda shorts and balbriggan undershirt with cap sleeves.
Monica called him a mastodon, and he supposed he was. There was a belly now—not big, but it was there. There was a layer of new fat over old muscle. But the legs were still strong enough to run, and the shoulders and arms powerful enough to deal a killing blow.
He had come to an acceptance of age. Not what it did to his mind, for he was convinced that was as sharp as ever. Sharper. Honed by experience and reflection. But the body, undeniably, was going. Still, it was no good remembering when he was a young cop and could scamper up a fire escape, leap an airshaft, or punch out some gorilla who wanted to remake his face.
His face … The lines were deeper now, the features ruder—everything beginning to look like it had been hacked from an oak stump with a dull hatchet. But the gray hair, cut en brosse, was still thick, and Doc Hagstrom assured him once a year that the ticker was still pumping away sturdily.
Monica came out of the bathroom in her robe, sat again at the dresser, and began to cream her face. He headed for the shower, pausing to touch her shoulder with one finger. Just a touch.
He bathed swiftly, shampooed his stiff hair. Then he put on his pajamas—light cotton flannel, the pants with a drawstring waist, the coat buttoned as precisely as a Norfolk jacket.
When he came out, Monica was already in her bed, sitting up, back propped with pillows. She had taken the bottle of Rémy from the bedside table and poured them each a whack of the cognac in small crystal snifters.
“Bless you,” he said.
“You smell nice,” she said.
“Nothing but soap.”
He turned down the thermostat, opened the window a few inches. Then he got into his own bed, propping himself up as she had done.
“So tell me,” she said.
“Tell me what?” he asked, wide-eyed.
“Bastard,” she said. “You know very well. What did Ivar Thorsen want?”
He told her. She listened intently.
“Ivar’s done a lot for me,” he concluded.
“And you’ve done a lot for him.”
“We’re friends,” he said. “Who keeps score?”
“Diane Ellerbee,” she said. “The wife—the widow of the man who was killed—I know her.”
“You know her?” he said, astonished.
“Well, maybe not know—but I met her. She addressed one of my groups. Her subject was the attraction between young girls and horses.”
“Horses?”
“Edward, it’s not a joke. Young girls are attracted to horses. They love to ride and groom them.”
“And how did Mrs. Diane Ellerbee explain this?”
“Dr. Diane Ellerbee. There was a lot of Freud in it—and other things. I’ll dig out my notes if you’re interested.”
“Not really. What did you think of her?”
“Very intelligent, very eloquent. And possibly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Breathtaking.”
“That’s what Ivar said.”
They were silent a few moments, sipping their cognacs, reflecting.
“You’re going to do it?” she asked finally.
“Well, as I said, I want to talk to Suarez first. If we can get along, and work out a way I can act like a, uh, consultant, maybe I will. It might be interesting. What do you think?”
She turned onto her side to look at him. “Edward, if it was a poor nobody who got murdered, would Ivar and the Department be going to all this trouble?”
“Probably not,” he admitted. “The victim was a white male WASP. Wealthy, educated, influential. His widow has been raising hell with the Department, and his father, who has mucho clout, has been raising double-hell. So the Department is calling up all the troops.”
“Do you think that’s fair?”
“Monica,” he said patiently, “suppose a junkie with a snootful of shit is found murdered in an alley. The clunk has a sheet as long as your arm, and he’s a prime suspect in muggings, robberies, rapes, and God knows what else. Do you really want the Department to spend valuable man-hours trying to find out who burned him? Come on! They’re delighted that garbage like that is off the streets.”
“I suppose …” she said slowly. “But it just doesn’t seem right that the rich and influential get all the attention.”
“Go change the world,” he said. “It’s always been like that, and always will. I know you think everyone is equal. Maybe we all are—in God’s eyes and under the law. But it’s not as clear-cut as that. Some people try to be good, decent human beings, and some are evil scum. The cops, with limited budgets and limited personnel, recognize that. Is it so unusual or outrageous that they’ll spend more time and effort protecting the angels than the devils?”
“I don’t know,” she said, troubled. “It sounds like elitism to me. Besides, how do you know Dr. Simon Ellerbee was an angel?”
“I don’t. But he doesn’t sound like a devil, either.”
“You’re really fascinated by all this, aren’t you?�
�
“Just something to do,” he said casually.
“I have a better idea of something to do,” she said, fluttering her eyes.
“I’m game,” he said, smiling.
3
THE SMALL, NARROW TOWNHOUSE on East 84th Street, between York and East End Avenues, was jointly owned by Drs. Diane and Simon Ellerbee. After its purchase in 1976, they had spent more than $100,000 on renovations, stripping the pine paneling of eleven layers of paint, restoring the handsome staircase, and redesigning the interior to provide four useful floor-throughs.
The first level, up three stone steps from the sidewalk, was occupied by the Piedmont Gallery. It exhibited and sold hand-woven fabrics, quilts, and primitive American pottery. It was not a profitable enterprise, but was operated almost as a hobby by two prim, elderly ladies who obviously didn’t need income from this commercial venture.
The offices of Dr. Diane Ellerbee were on the second floor, and those of Dr. Simon Ellerbee on the third. Both floors had been remodeled to include living quarters. Living room, dining room, and kitchen were on the second; two bedrooms and sitting room on the third. Each floor had two bathrooms.
The professional suites on both floors were almost identical: a small outer office for a receptionist and a large, roomy inner office for the doctor. The offices of Drs. Diane and Simon Ellerbee were connected by intercom.
The fourth and top floor of the townhouse was a private apartment, leased as a pied-à-terre by a West Coast filmmaker who was rarely in residence.
In addition to the townhouse, the Ellerbees owned a country home near Brewster, New York. It was a brick and stucco Tudor on 4.5 wooded acres bisected by a swift-running stream. The main house had two master bedrooms on the ground floor and two guest bedrooms on the second. A three-car garage was attached. In the rear of the house was a tiled patio and heated swimming pool.
Both the Ellerbees were avid gardeners, and their English garden was one of the showplaces of the neighborhood. They employed a married couple, Polish immigrants, who lived out. The husband served as groundsman and did maintenance. The wife worked as housekeeper and, occasionally, cook.
Third Deadly Sin Page 47