anyway, ain’t he? This
is
a fishing expedition. ‘Course it is.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t like the bait you’re usin’.” This was Dex.
“Well, you was there. We figured you was there for a reason.”
Dex laughed. “Sure, there was girls there.”
“That’s not what we mean.” Houlahan. I could imagine his intense face. Under the right circumstances—or the wrong ones—I knew it was a face that could scare me. “To be there, at that party with those people, we figured you had to have a special invite.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Dex wanted to know. “A ‘special’ invite. This fishing is lost on me, boys. If you’re figuring something, maybe you just oughta say it.”
“Face it, Theroux,” this was Houlahan again, “this ain’t a crowd you run with. Too swell.”
“I clean up pretty good,” Dex said. “You should see me after I pull a comb through my hair and a razor across my face. Hell, even you apes could pass for human after a trip to the barber.”
If either cop took offense at this I didn’t hear it in their voices. Maybe they were too focused on their goal.
“Anyhow,” Houlahan said, “what we’re getting at is this: we figured you had to have been there for a client.”
“Is that what you figured?” Dex said. I could imagine him eyeing both flatfoots as he said it. “Well you figured wrong. I mean, if I
did
have a client—and I ain’t sayin’ I did—but if I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t tell the two of you about it. And I know I can say it all straight up and honest to you like that because you knew that before you ever walked in the door.”
“OK, it ain’t just that,” Houlahan said.
“It never is.”
“We also wanted to know what you seen while you was there.”
“Say it plain, boys. What you really wanna know is did I see anything that will help you nail Wyndham. Am I right? Fact is, I didn’t. I saw Wyndham on and off all night. Always alone. Sometimes with a phone pressed to his ear. But never with a girl. He looked … he looked like he maybe had a lot on his mind, but he didn’t look crazy or anything else you might find helpful. I’d say he wasn’t even drinking, or else he was drinking, but so little it won’t be of use to you.”
“He didn’t look mad or anything? Like he was ready to snap?”
“Naw. Not even close.” A pause, and then, “In fact, when I think of it, I’d say the opposite. He looked very far from snapping. More like maybe he was worried about a business deal or something. If you asked me, I’d tell you: I’d say it had nothing to do with a girl. But listen, while I got you here, the papers didn’t say how the girl died.”
“We’re not at liberty to say.”
“Ah, sure you are,” Dex said. “‘Course you can. That way if I get information, I trade it right back to you, see? Otherwise, what’s the point in me telling you anything at all?”
Did the two cops see how flawed Dex’s logic was in this? I was guessing maybe not, because after a brief hesitation, O’Reilly replied. “Neck was broke,” he said in a confidential tone.
“Broke neck,” Dex commented, just to say something, I guessed, because the guys would be expecting it and because he wanted to bring them along.
“We ain’t supposed to talk about that part,” Houlahan reprimanded his partner mildly.
“Well that’s that then,” O’Reilly said. I could hear the end of the interview when a chair scraped back on the scuffedwood floor. Then another. “We won’t take up any more of your time.”
“Too bad I can’t get the last ten minutes back,” Dex said with a smile in his voice. “Maybe I’d do something useful with ‘em, ‘cause I sure as hell wouldn’t want to spend them with you two again.”
Whatever answer they might have made was lost in the smatter of rapid typing I sent into the air, hoping it would keep Dex’s mind from the fact that I hadn’t done much typing at all while he was in with the two
is
a fishing expedition. ‘Course it is.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t like the bait you’re usin’.” This was Dex.
“Well, you was there. We figured you was there for a reason.”
Dex laughed. “Sure, there was girls there.”
“That’s not what we mean.” Houlahan. I could imagine his intense face. Under the right circumstances—or the wrong ones—I knew it was a face that could scare me. “To be there, at that party with those people, we figured you had to have a special invite.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Dex wanted to know. “A ‘special’ invite. This fishing is lost on me, boys. If you’re figuring something, maybe you just oughta say it.”
“Face it, Theroux,” this was Houlahan again, “this ain’t a crowd you run with. Too swell.”
“I clean up pretty good,” Dex said. “You should see me after I pull a comb through my hair and a razor across my face. Hell, even you apes could pass for human after a trip to the barber.”
If either cop took offense at this I didn’t hear it in their voices. Maybe they were too focused on their goal.
“Anyhow,” Houlahan said, “what we’re getting at is this: we figured you had to have been there for a client.”
“Is that what you figured?” Dex said. I could imagine him eyeing both flatfoots as he said it. “Well you figured wrong. I mean, if I
did
have a client—and I ain’t sayin’ I did—but if I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t tell the two of you about it. And I know I can say it all straight up and honest to you like that because you knew that before you ever walked in the door.”
“OK, it ain’t just that,” Houlahan said.
“It never is.”
“We also wanted to know what you seen while you was there.”
“Say it plain, boys. What you really wanna know is did I see anything that will help you nail Wyndham. Am I right? Fact is, I didn’t. I saw Wyndham on and off all night. Always alone. Sometimes with a phone pressed to his ear. But never with a girl. He looked … he looked like he maybe had a lot on his mind, but he didn’t look crazy or anything else you might find helpful. I’d say he wasn’t even drinking, or else he was drinking, but so little it won’t be of use to you.”
“He didn’t look mad or anything? Like he was ready to snap?”
“Naw. Not even close.” A pause, and then, “In fact, when I think of it, I’d say the opposite. He looked very far from snapping. More like maybe he was worried about a business deal or something. If you asked me, I’d tell you: I’d say it had nothing to do with a girl. But listen, while I got you here, the papers didn’t say how the girl died.”
“We’re not at liberty to say.”
“Ah, sure you are,” Dex said. “‘Course you can. That way if I get information, I trade it right back to you, see? Otherwise, what’s the point in me telling you anything at all?”
Did the two cops see how flawed Dex’s logic was in this? I was guessing maybe not, because after a brief hesitation, O’Reilly replied. “Neck was broke,” he said in a confidential tone.
“Broke neck,” Dex commented, just to say something, I guessed, because the guys would be expecting it and because he wanted to bring them along.
“We ain’t supposed to talk about that part,” Houlahan reprimanded his partner mildly.
“Well that’s that then,” O’Reilly said. I could hear the end of the interview when a chair scraped back on the scuffedwood floor. Then another. “We won’t take up any more of your time.”
“Too bad I can’t get the last ten minutes back,” Dex said with a smile in his voice. “Maybe I’d do something useful with ‘em, ‘cause I sure as hell wouldn’t want to spend them with you two again.”
Whatever answer they might have made was lost in the smatter of rapid typing I sent into the air, hoping it would keep Dex’s mind from the fact that I hadn’t done much typing at all while he was in with the two
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