Benny stood facing the bulletproof glass, bending down to speak through the voice port. “Benny Dugan, here to see Detective Kofatos.”
The sergeant on duty behind the barrier lifted two fingers and used them to bend one ear forward in the universal gesture meaning he couldn’t hear.
Why do the safest places have all this shit? Benny thought. But he didn’t say that. Instead, he raised his voice and repeated the message. The sergeant asked for his license, examined and returned it, then pantomimed that Benny should take a seat. Unbelievable. Fort Knox on the damn Gold Coast of the Long Island Sound.
Moments later, a heavy door opened with a loud buzz, and Demi Kofatos leaned through it, motioning to Benny. As he walked toward her, he nodded his head to the wall of plexiglass. “You get a lot of armed attacks on Westport police headquarters?”
Demi smiled. “Not yet. I think we must’ve had some extra money one year.”
“That’s a relief,” Benny said, reaching to meet the hand Demi extended. “I think I’m just jealous of how nice your world is. I came by because I didn’t think we got off on the right foot last night.”
“Glad you came,” she answered. “Come on in.”
When Benny was squeezed into a small wooden chair in Demi’s tiny office, she started.
“Can you tell me first what your connection to this case is?”
“Sure. Me and Nora go back a ways. We’ve ‘been through it,’ as they say. We did mob cases together at the US Attorney’s office. She’s the best. When I heard she was in a spot, I dropped everything. I’m now officially on leave from the government. Just a civilian here to help a friend by workin’ on her legal team should she need one as things develop.”
“Must be nice to have friends like you.”
“I don’t know about that. But for sure it’s nice to have friends like Nora. You know she didn’t kill nobody, right?”
“Well, that’s what we’re trying to figure out. There’s some bad facts, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, I do. I spent years on the job with NYPD and then lots more chasing mob killers for the Department of Justice. So I’ve been around the block a few times. My experience? Some facts are so bad you can’t trust them. Maybe you feel that?”
“I don’t know what I feel, at the moment,” Demi answered. “You were NYPD? My boss came from there. Lemme see if he’s in. Maybe you know people in common.”
With that, Demi squeezed past Benny, returning a moment later. “He’s in. Said he’d be happy to say hello. This way.”
Benny followed her down the hall and into a much larger office. Captain Dunham rose from behind his desk with a broad smile. “Tom Dunham,” he said, extending his hand. “Always happy to meet someone who wore the bag,” he added, using NYPD slang for a police uniform. Gesturing to an empty chair, he added, “Sit, sit.”
“Benny Dugan. Great to meet you. How long were you on the job?”
“I did my twenty and retired to come here.”
“This seems like a sweet gig.”
“It is, excluding dead ladies in canoes,” Dunham said. “But we don’t get a lot of that. So where were you assigned, back in the day?”
“Outta the academy I went south Brooklyn to the Six-Oh,” Benny said, adopting the NYPD practice of pronouncing each number of a two- or three-digit precinct’s designation. “I had some good rabbis so I made detective pretty early and they sent me to the Brooklyn DA’s office, workin’ mob stuff. But was only there a hot second and got recruited to be a fed, moved to the US Attorney in Manhattan. Been workin’ organized crime ever since. Course I’m on leave now to help my friend. How ’bout yourself?”
Something about Dunham had changed. “I bounced around,” he said in a clipped tone. “Here and there.”
“What’s that mean?” Benny asked, reflecting the change in tone.
“What I said,” Dunham answered coldly. “I did a bunch of stuff and now I’m here. You writin’ a book?”
Benny paused. Not gonna smack some asshole who has power over Nora. “Nope, just makin’ conversation,” he said, standing. “Which seems about over. Take care and thanks for your time.”
Benny turned and followed Demi down the hall to her office.
She closed the door and squeezed past, sitting behind her desk. “You got some kind of history with the captain?”
Benny exhaled. “I didn’t think so, but I’m startin’ to think maybe I do. Dunham is the name, right?”
Demi nodded. “Thomas. He didn’t say so, but he once told me he worked in a special mob homicide unit.”
Benny paused and looked at the ceiling before speaking. “Son of a bitch. That’s where I know him from. He doesn’t know me, personally, but I spent a lot of time staring at the guys in that unit. I suspect he knows that, which is why he looked like he saw a ghost.”
“I don’t get it. What do you mean?” Demi said.
“It was called the OC Homicide Unit and it included two detectives who were honest-to-God on the mob’s payroll. Doin’ hits themselves and also tipping informants who then got whacked. They even misread a report once and got a mobster named Bruno Facciolo killed for being a rat when he wasn’t a rat. Real pieces of shit. They both got life in federal prison for murder and conspiracy to murder for Cosa Nostra. I testified at their trial ’cause I spotted both of them when I was out on surveillance at mob clubs. I think your boss was one of the guys who knew what was goin’ on and decided to just look the other way. I’m not sayin’ he whacked guys, but he got the stink all over him just by being so close to them. So when the cases came down, he musta put in his papers and beat feet to Westport. What a small fuckin’ world.”
Demi suddenly looked very uncomfortable. “Look,” she said, rising, “I don’t know anything about that. I’m just trying to do my job. I appreciate you coming by.”
Benny stood. “Yeah, I get that, and I’m not trying to cause you any kind of problem, but I know how these things can go to shit. Nora is good people and she ain’t no killer. I just hope you do your job and don’t let yourself get pushed into anything, when we both know Nora didn’t do it. Because some of the people doing the pushing may not be the best kind of people.”
Demi stiffened. “Again, thanks for stopping by. Let me show you out.”
They walked in silence to the lobby.