this picture. Maybe I should call him and tell him how cute and official he looks, saluting and all. Subservient, even.”
“He’d probably come over and shoot you, Dad.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Maybe I’ll give him a day to get used to it.”
Before he checked in at his office, Glitsky stopped in at the homicide detail, where Lieutenant Marcel Lanier sat behind a desk that filled most of his office, and knocked at the open door. “Permission to enter?”
Lanier snorted, said, “Denied,” then waved his superior inside. “Early call, Abe. Cuneo?”
“How’d you guess?”
“Incredible psychic powers. He’s not happy with things, and I can’t say I blame him.”
“It’s the mayor.”
“That’s what I hear, too.”
“The point,” Glitsky said, “is that if we’re both going to be working the case, and we are, we ought to be communicating. As it is, I don’t know what he knows, and vice versa. I don’t think he’s even talked to Strout yet, so he might not even know that Missy couldn’t have shot herself. Or that Hanover couldn’t have done himself, either, for that matter. And taken together, that eliminates murder/suicide and leaves a righteous double.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
“Talk to him, tell him I’m not poaching.”
Lanier’s face went through a subtle change of expression.
Glitsky felt a heat rise into his face. He spoke with an exaggerated calm. “Do you think I am, Marcel?”
“No. If you say the mayor put you on it, what could you do?” Lanier came forward, elbows on the desk. “But look, Abe, it’s no secret that you and her honor are friends….”
“That’s not…”
Lanier held up a hand. “Please, strictly true or not, that’s the perception. There’s no denying it,” he paused, “especially after this morning’s paper, okay? Call a spade a spade. At the very least no one’s going to deny you’re allies, right? So one of her benefactors gets murdered and Cuneo randomly pulls the case, and next thing you know, you’re on it, too, as a special assignment. Tell me if you worked here, if you were him, that wouldn’t fry your ass.” Lanier leaned back in his chair again, linked his fingers over his stomach. “Look, Abe, it’s no secret he’s not one of your fans, and I don’t get the impression you’re one of his….”
“He all but accused me of accessory to murder, Marcel. That’s pretty much kept the warm and fuzzies at bay around him.”
“Okay, sure, I see that. But you’ve got to admit that this thing with you and the mayor might smack him as something in the line of a personal vendetta.”
Glitsky took a beat. “You’ve already talked to him about this.”
“No, but he left a message for me this morning. Relatively lengthy. He seems to think you see an opportunity here to squeeze him out. Wanted me to know about it.”
“Over one case? Last I checked, inspectors had a union. I couldn’t fire him if I wanted to, not without cause.”
“Maybe you’d find some?”
Glitsky shook his head. “Do you believe that, Marcel?”
“No. Honestly, no, I don’t.” He shifted his position. “But you might want to ask yourself why Kathy West is so personally involved here. Okay, so one of her people got killed. On the face of that, you call in the deputy chief of inspectors to honcho the investigation? Why? Unless he’s your friend and you want him on it for another reason entirely.”
“Which would be what?”
“I don’t know. But just letting it air, Abe, she could be wanting to cover something up.”
Now Glitsky’s voice rasped. “And you think I’d help her?”
“No. Never on purpose. But listen to me. If you’re reporting to her and not to anybody in homicide…”
“But that’s what I’m saying. I’m trying to get with Cuneo.”
“Still, it’s mostly you and her, not you and him. If you get close to something that she needs to be concerned about…”
“Wait a minute. You can’t think Kathy
“He’d probably come over and shoot you, Dad.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Maybe I’ll give him a day to get used to it.”
Before he checked in at his office, Glitsky stopped in at the homicide detail, where Lieutenant Marcel Lanier sat behind a desk that filled most of his office, and knocked at the open door. “Permission to enter?”
Lanier snorted, said, “Denied,” then waved his superior inside. “Early call, Abe. Cuneo?”
“How’d you guess?”
“Incredible psychic powers. He’s not happy with things, and I can’t say I blame him.”
“It’s the mayor.”
“That’s what I hear, too.”
“The point,” Glitsky said, “is that if we’re both going to be working the case, and we are, we ought to be communicating. As it is, I don’t know what he knows, and vice versa. I don’t think he’s even talked to Strout yet, so he might not even know that Missy couldn’t have shot herself. Or that Hanover couldn’t have done himself, either, for that matter. And taken together, that eliminates murder/suicide and leaves a righteous double.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
“Talk to him, tell him I’m not poaching.”
Lanier’s face went through a subtle change of expression.
Glitsky felt a heat rise into his face. He spoke with an exaggerated calm. “Do you think I am, Marcel?”
“No. If you say the mayor put you on it, what could you do?” Lanier came forward, elbows on the desk. “But look, Abe, it’s no secret that you and her honor are friends….”
“That’s not…”
Lanier held up a hand. “Please, strictly true or not, that’s the perception. There’s no denying it,” he paused, “especially after this morning’s paper, okay? Call a spade a spade. At the very least no one’s going to deny you’re allies, right? So one of her benefactors gets murdered and Cuneo randomly pulls the case, and next thing you know, you’re on it, too, as a special assignment. Tell me if you worked here, if you were him, that wouldn’t fry your ass.” Lanier leaned back in his chair again, linked his fingers over his stomach. “Look, Abe, it’s no secret he’s not one of your fans, and I don’t get the impression you’re one of his….”
“He all but accused me of accessory to murder, Marcel. That’s pretty much kept the warm and fuzzies at bay around him.”
“Okay, sure, I see that. But you’ve got to admit that this thing with you and the mayor might smack him as something in the line of a personal vendetta.”
Glitsky took a beat. “You’ve already talked to him about this.”
“No, but he left a message for me this morning. Relatively lengthy. He seems to think you see an opportunity here to squeeze him out. Wanted me to know about it.”
“Over one case? Last I checked, inspectors had a union. I couldn’t fire him if I wanted to, not without cause.”
“Maybe you’d find some?”
Glitsky shook his head. “Do you believe that, Marcel?”
“No. Honestly, no, I don’t.” He shifted his position. “But you might want to ask yourself why Kathy West is so personally involved here. Okay, so one of her people got killed. On the face of that, you call in the deputy chief of inspectors to honcho the investigation? Why? Unless he’s your friend and you want him on it for another reason entirely.”
“Which would be what?”
“I don’t know. But just letting it air, Abe, she could be wanting to cover something up.”
Now Glitsky’s voice rasped. “And you think I’d help her?”
“No. Never on purpose. But listen to me. If you’re reporting to her and not to anybody in homicide…”
“But that’s what I’m saying. I’m trying to get with Cuneo.”
“Still, it’s mostly you and her, not you and him. If you get close to something that she needs to be concerned about…”
“Wait a minute. You can’t think Kathy
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