CHAPTER 28

After Sam left, I breathed for a while. Then I hollered up to Roz to make sure things were under control. They were, so I dialed a number I know by heart, and gave the extension for the detective’s squad room. An unfamiliar voice picked up after eight rings. I asked for Detective Triola.

“Hang on,” the voice said. “I think she’s around here somewhere.”

I blew out a sigh of relief and three minutes later Joanne came on the line. “Triola,” she said crisply.

“Jo,” I said, “It’s Carlotta.”

“Carlotta, I told you—”

“Look, I know about the car. It’s an undercover unit, and you think you can’t talk to me about it because it’s police business and all that crap, but once you hear the whole story, you’ll be glad to talk—if you want to get Mooney off the hook.”

“You know I do,” she said cautiously.

“The plate belongs to a car I tailed through Franklin Park. Mooney’s missing witness was inside, also two guys I thought were johns, okay? I’d been on them for maybe fifteen minutes when I caught a tail of my own. Now if the car was an undercover, they could have radioed for backup—the kind of backup that ran me off the road.”

“Shit,” Joanne said.

“It might help Mooney if you check the police garage, see if anybody brought a unit in for front-end repairs.”

“They wouldn’t be that dumb,” Jo said.

“What would you suggest?”

“There’s a lot of background noise here,” Jo said softly, “but I think I ought to talk to IA.”

“You know somebody clean?”

“I think so,” she said after a long pause. When you’re dealing with crooked cops you have to be damn careful. Cops have friends. They’re all connected in some kind of network. Jo wouldn’t want to take her case to Manelli’s brother-in-law.

“If you could get a tail on Manelli, I think he’d lead you to Mooney’s witness.”

“Got a name on the witness?”

“Just a first. Janine. Hooker. Lots of paper on her. Does decal tattoos. Blonde. Caucasian. Five-five. Renney used to pimp for her.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Joanne said.

“Jo, can you get Mooney in on this?”

“Shit, Carlotta, it’s kind of delicate, you know.”

“But you’ll try.”

“You don’t ask much.”

“I know. Look, I’m gonna call him now. I’ll let him know you’ll be in touch, okay?”

“You’re jumping the gun, Carlotta.”

“I gotta go now, Jo. Thanks for everything.” I slammed the receiver down quickly because I knew she’d want to dicker, and I didn’t have the time. I needed to talk to Mooney, and I needed to get upstairs to Valerie. I dialed, hoping I wouldn’t wake Mooney’s mother.

“Hello?” His voice was thick with sleep.

“Mooney,” I said. “Carlotta. I’ve got to know some stuff quick.”

“Carlotta?” he said. “It’s—”

“It’s late, I know, but this is important.”

“It better be.”

“Get your feet on the floor, Moon, and pay attention.”

“Are you okay?” he said. “Your voice sounds kind of funny, like you been running.”

“I have,” I said. It wasn’t really a lie, and I didn’t want to tell him I was still practically panting from my encounter with Sam.

“Okay,” he said. “I’m up. Shoot.”

“Joe Manelli,” I said. “Area D. Is he one of the cops you testified against on the bar scam?”

“Carlotta—”

“Don’t even try to tell me it’s departmental business, Moon. It’s your business, believe me.”

“What if he is?” Mooney said, always cautious.

Bingo.

“Would it interest you,” I said, “to know that I saw him twice this week, once at the Blue Note and once with a tattooed woman?”

“Huh?”

“Mooney, how did your testimony go over? At the bar scam hearing.”

“What do you expect?” he said bitterly. “One crooked cop accusing another crooked cop, that’s the way they looked at me.”

“That’s what Manelli did to you,” I said. “He’s hiding your witness. He’s got her stashed somewhere till after the hearings. He’s real friendly with the people at the Blue Note, probably been arranging protection for them all along. Somebody must have called him as soon as the fight went down. He bought the witnesses, and snitched the one who wouldn’t shut up. So you’d look bad, Mooney.”

“Jesus,” Mooney said.

“Yeah,” I said.

“A cop,” he said.

“Where would Manelli stash a witness, Mooney? That’s what you’ve got to find out.”

“I’ll kill the bastard,” Mooney said.

“Not a good idea.”

“What he put me through, what he put my mother through—”

“Let him rot in jail, Mooney,” I said. “It’s better.”

“Maybe,” he said, but he didn’t sound convinced.

“Mooney, we’re gonna find her. I’ve already talked to Triola, and she’s going to Internal Affairs. If Manelli can stash her, you and me and Jo can find her, right? Am I right?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Triola’s going to handle it. She’ll call you. Be sure to tell her the whole thing, about Manelli and the bars and your testimony. She’s going to get the honest cops on your side.”

He didn’t say a word. I could hear him breathing.

“Mooney,” I said, “Much as I hate to change the subject, did you find out anything about my Lincoln suicide?”

“Shit, Carlotta, I’d have called. Maybe not at three in the morning. But I’d have called.”

“What did they say?”

“Straightforward suicide.”

“Aw, Mooney, don’t tell me that. Tell me something suspicious, something weird.”

“That’s why you got bounced from the force, you know, Carlotta. Gotta make everything weird.”

“I have a suspicious nature, Mooney. You know that.”

“I guess,” he said with the first hint of a smile in his voice.

“So what gives?”

“I got a copy of the coroner’s report.”

“Good. Now what’s in it that invites speculation?”

“No funny stuff. I mean it. Death by carbon monoxide inhalation. You probably don’t need to know the number of parts per thousand. There was a bruise on the side of the guy’s head but the medical examiner figures that’s where he banged his head when he fell against the side door. No note, either, but the file’s practically nailed shut. That school has clout and they don’t want it open.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“For what?” he said.

“You’ll see.”

“Manelli,” he said.

“He saw a way out of his own jam, Mooney, and he took it.”

“He’s supposed to be a cop,” Mooney said.

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“I’m not gonna be able to sleep,” he said. “Leaves a bad taste in my mouth, you know.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“Hell, you got nothing to be sorry for. Here I been relying on the cops to save my ass. I’m not gonna sleep,” he repeated.

“Yeah,” I said.

“I don’t suppose you’d like some company?” he asked.

“Oh, Mooney,” I said. “Not tonight.”