THERE WERE three reasons Cooper Lamb had chosen the Trolley Car for his meeting with Mickey Bernstein.
One: The physical location. Close enough to I-95 for Cooper to make a quick getaway if he had to, but the diner was also in Bernstein’s neck of the woods (the so-called Great Northeast), so it was in his comfort zone.
Two: The crowd. Plenty of potential witnesses in case things went sideways.
Three: The piano.
And this was key. Cooper remembered it from a long-ago trip here with the kids; they were mortified when he waved a lighter and shouted, “‘Free Bird’!” even though no musicians were around. (“Dad, you seriously need a therapist,” Ariel told him.) But the piano and microphone were perfect hiding places for secret recording gear.
Which was why he’d brought Victor here three hours earlier and promised him a heart-stopping omelet if he’d wire the piano and mic for sound.
As Cooper had said, Bernstein wouldn’t find any trace of a recording device…unless he decided to lift the lid of that upright and start poking around.
Transcript of conversation between Cooper Lamb and homicide detective Michael Bernstein
MICHAEL BERNSTEIN: Yeah, I gave Maya Rain a gun. And yes, that gun turned out to be the murder weapon.
COOPER LAMB: Why would you give Archie Hughes’s nanny a gun?
BERNSTEIN: Because of Archie Hughes! Come on, you know what kind of company he kept. Take away the gambling lowlifes and rappers and street gangs and God knows who else, and there were still plenty of criminals who would’ve loved to pick Archie’s bones clean. I wanted her to be able to protect herself, just in case.
LAMB: Are you in love with her?
BERNSTEIN: Who, Maya? Yeah, maybe I am. But who the hell isn’t?
LAMB: Bernstein, come on. Why the hell are you still on this case? You should have recused yourself a week ago.
BERNSTEIN: What, because I’m having a little fling? Grow up, man. Do you know how small this town is? If I had to recuse myself every time I knew someone on the fringes of a homicide investigation, I wouldn’t investigate any murders. Don’t be like those idiot reporters who look for gossip when at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.
LAMB: You just told me you gave your secret girlfriend the murder weapon used in the highest-profile murder in the city’s history. Would we call that the fringes?
BERNSTEIN: Clearly, someone lifted it from her bag at some point, hoping to do exactly this—confuse the issue.
LAMB: And what is this issue?
BERNSTEIN: Archie traveled in some rough company, and it caught up with him. I’m trying to find out who was behind it.
LAMB: Is that why you took on the Roz Cline case?
BERNSTEIN: Cline definitely set Archie up with some of this rough company. I think they wanted to silence her so nobody would be able to trace it back to them. So, yeah, it’s a related case.
LAMB: You any closer to finding out who “they” might be?
BERNSTEIN: The investigation is ongoing.
LAMB: Please. You’re telling me you have no idea at all?
BERNSTEIN: In my experience, you either know who did it right away or it’s a long slog to figure it out. This is one of those long-slog cases.
LAMB: Huh. I thought you’d have a hunch or something. Like your old man.
BERNSTEIN: (Through a mouthful of bagel) What can I tell you.
LAMB: Well, I’ve got something to share with you too.
BERNSTEIN: Yeah?
LAMB: Veena Lion probably killed the Quiet One yesterday. I helped out a little, but she did the heavy lifting.
BERNSTEIN: The quiet who? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
LAMB: For a little while, I thought you might be the Quiet One. But now I see that I’m completely wrong about that.
BERNSTEIN: I don’t know what you’re talking about, but look, I gotta go. Hope this clears things up.
LAMB: You didn’t finish your bagel.
BERNSTEIN: Hey, I’ve gotta work on that case you want me to solve so bad.
(Long pause; there are diners murmuring and the clatter of silverware on plates in the background.)
LAMB: Please tell me you got all that, Victor. (Pause) Also, I need you to hit an ATM for me. Mickey stuck me with the tab, and I didn’t bring any cash.