else up there with him?”
“He didn’t say so on the phone. But I don’t know for sure.”
“What’s the phone number up there?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t give it to me.”
“Is he on anything?”
“I don’t know. I would guess no.”
He stood there, weighing it a moment. Then he picked up the bullhorn, motioned to his men to get into position. His voice was suddenly calm, even gentle. “Connors! Look, we know you’re with your little brother, and we don’t want either of you to get hurt. Leave Darryl there and come down by yourself. Leave the gun and just come on down. You do that and everything’ll be fine.”
“He’s going to kill my—” the woman shrieked, before someone shoved her into a car and slammed the door.
“Come on, Jeff, we can do this nice and easy, no pro b lems for anybody.”
I put my hand to my cheek. It came away bloody.
The negotiator’s voice grew even calmer, even more reasonable.
“I know Darryl’s probably scared, but he doesn’t have to be, just come on down and we can get him home where he belongs. Then you and I can talk about what’s best for your little brother.…”
Jeff came out. He slipped out of the building, hands on his head, going, “Don’t shoot me, please don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me,” and he wasn’t the hustler of the eighth grade who knew all the moves, wasn’t the dealer in big gold on the basketball court. He was a terrified thi r teen-year-old in a dirty blue bandana, who’d been set up.
Cops in body armor rushed forward and grabbed him. More cops started into the building. A taxi pulled up and Jenny Kelly jumped out, dressed in a low-cut black satin blouse and black velvet skirt.
“Jeff! Are you all right?”
Jeff looked at her, and I think if they’d been alone, he might have started to cry. “Darryl’s up there alone.…”
“They’ll bring Darryl down safe,” I said.
“I’ll take Darryl to your aunt’s again,” Jenny promised. A man climbed out of the taxi behind her and paid the driver. He was scowling. The rookie glanced down the front of Jenny’s blouse.
Jeff was cuffed and put into a car. Jenny turned to me. “Oh, your face, you’re hurt! Where will they take Jeff, Gene? Will you go, too? Please?”
“I’ll have to. I told them it was me that Jeff phoned.”
She smiled. I’d never seen her smile like that before, at least not at me. I kept my eyes raised to her face, and my own face blank. “Who set him up, Jenny?”
“Set him up?”
“That woman was yelling she’s Darryl’s mother and Jeff was going to kill her baby. Somebody wanted the cops to go storming in there and start shooting. If Jeff got killed, the NYPD would be used as executioners. If he didn’t, he’d still be so scared they’ll own him. Who is it, Jenny? The same one who circulated that inflammatory crap about a Neighborhood Safety Information Network?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. But Jeff has been…there were some connections that…” She trailed off, frowned again. Her date came up to us, still scowling. “Gene, this is Paul Snyder. Paul, Gene Shaunessy .… Paul, I’m sorry, I have to go with Gene to wherever they’re taking Jeff. I’m the one he really called. And I said I’d take Darryl to his aunt.”
“Jenny, for Chrissake …we have tickets for the Met!”
She just looked at him, and I saw that Paul Snyder wasn’t going to be seeing any more of Jenny Kelly’s cleavage.
“I’ll drive you to the precinct, Jenny,” I said. “Only I have to be the first one interviewed, I have to be as quick as I can because there’s something else urgent tonight.…” Bucky. Dear God.
Jenny said quickly, “Your wife? Is she worse?”
“She’ll never be worse. Or better,” I said before I knew I was going to say anything, and immediately regretted it.
“Gene…” Jenny began, but I didn’t let her finish. She was standing too close to me. I could smell her perfume. A fold of her black velvet skirt
“He didn’t say so on the phone. But I don’t know for sure.”
“What’s the phone number up there?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t give it to me.”
“Is he on anything?”
“I don’t know. I would guess no.”
He stood there, weighing it a moment. Then he picked up the bullhorn, motioned to his men to get into position. His voice was suddenly calm, even gentle. “Connors! Look, we know you’re with your little brother, and we don’t want either of you to get hurt. Leave Darryl there and come down by yourself. Leave the gun and just come on down. You do that and everything’ll be fine.”
“He’s going to kill my—” the woman shrieked, before someone shoved her into a car and slammed the door.
“Come on, Jeff, we can do this nice and easy, no pro b lems for anybody.”
I put my hand to my cheek. It came away bloody.
The negotiator’s voice grew even calmer, even more reasonable.
“I know Darryl’s probably scared, but he doesn’t have to be, just come on down and we can get him home where he belongs. Then you and I can talk about what’s best for your little brother.…”
Jeff came out. He slipped out of the building, hands on his head, going, “Don’t shoot me, please don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me,” and he wasn’t the hustler of the eighth grade who knew all the moves, wasn’t the dealer in big gold on the basketball court. He was a terrified thi r teen-year-old in a dirty blue bandana, who’d been set up.
Cops in body armor rushed forward and grabbed him. More cops started into the building. A taxi pulled up and Jenny Kelly jumped out, dressed in a low-cut black satin blouse and black velvet skirt.
“Jeff! Are you all right?”
Jeff looked at her, and I think if they’d been alone, he might have started to cry. “Darryl’s up there alone.…”
“They’ll bring Darryl down safe,” I said.
“I’ll take Darryl to your aunt’s again,” Jenny promised. A man climbed out of the taxi behind her and paid the driver. He was scowling. The rookie glanced down the front of Jenny’s blouse.
Jeff was cuffed and put into a car. Jenny turned to me. “Oh, your face, you’re hurt! Where will they take Jeff, Gene? Will you go, too? Please?”
“I’ll have to. I told them it was me that Jeff phoned.”
She smiled. I’d never seen her smile like that before, at least not at me. I kept my eyes raised to her face, and my own face blank. “Who set him up, Jenny?”
“Set him up?”
“That woman was yelling she’s Darryl’s mother and Jeff was going to kill her baby. Somebody wanted the cops to go storming in there and start shooting. If Jeff got killed, the NYPD would be used as executioners. If he didn’t, he’d still be so scared they’ll own him. Who is it, Jenny? The same one who circulated that inflammatory crap about a Neighborhood Safety Information Network?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. But Jeff has been…there were some connections that…” She trailed off, frowned again. Her date came up to us, still scowling. “Gene, this is Paul Snyder. Paul, Gene Shaunessy .… Paul, I’m sorry, I have to go with Gene to wherever they’re taking Jeff. I’m the one he really called. And I said I’d take Darryl to his aunt.”
“Jenny, for Chrissake …we have tickets for the Met!”
She just looked at him, and I saw that Paul Snyder wasn’t going to be seeing any more of Jenny Kelly’s cleavage.
“I’ll drive you to the precinct, Jenny,” I said. “Only I have to be the first one interviewed, I have to be as quick as I can because there’s something else urgent tonight.…” Bucky. Dear God.
Jenny said quickly, “Your wife? Is she worse?”
“She’ll never be worse. Or better,” I said before I knew I was going to say anything, and immediately regretted it.
“Gene…” Jenny began, but I didn’t let her finish. She was standing too close to me. I could smell her perfume. A fold of her black velvet skirt
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