“You’re a lawyer,” she whispered.
“Yes, but I’m a sweet guy. This is really your last chance to ask for something and, maybe, get it.”
“A razor blade,” she said.
“Ah, no — then you’d be a danger to yourself or others, as the judges like to put it.”
“Just to me.”
“I suppose things must look pretty dark, if you’re thinking that way. Listen, in my capacity as a lawyer, though not your lawyer, let me give you some free advice. You didn’t actually shoot me, so if you’re willing to have a real chat, there’s a good chance you could walk. In fact, as the intended victim, I can guarantee it. I’ll stand up for you in court. After all, you’d be preventing half a dozen more murders. A judge will be impressed.”
She said nothing but looked thoughtful.
“Think about it,” he said. “What did Sig ever do for you but hang you out to dry? You’re not going to hear from him again, you know. You might see him, briefly, before you talk, when he comes to cut your throat. I’m surprised he hasn’t already tried.”
Stone was conscious of somebody silently entering the room. He cut a glance and saw Dino leaning on the door.
“Tell you what,” Stone said. “Give me everything, and I’ll continue to offer you free legal advice, informally. I’ll get you out and send you on your way with your two grand — and I’ll add another five to that.”
She looked at him steadily.
“And I’ll get Trixie back for you, even if I have to rip her from the arms of some darling child.”
This time, she managed a laugh. “I love you,” she said, “but go fuck yourself.”
Stone laughed, too, and let himself out of the room. He beckoned Carol. “You need to put her on suicide watch. She’ll try to off herself if she can figure a way.”
“We watch ’em all,” Carol said.
“If you’ll pay close attention to her, and talk me up, I’ll buy you a steak dinner.”
“Sure, you will.” She snorted.
Stone handed her the bag from La Goulue. “Here’s your steak dinner,” he said, “in advance.”
31
Stone went and sat on a bench in the hallway, next to Dino.
“What did you get?” Dino asked.
“Her first name is Frances,” Stone said. “She may be staying, with Larkin, at the Edison Hotel, in the theater district, but don’t count on it.”
“Anything else?”
“I made her an offer she may not be able to refuse — once she’s thought it over.”
“You told her she’d walk.”
“She didn’t actually shoot anybody,” Stone replied, “and she probably has a clean sheet. Have you run her prints, yet?”
“Yep. She’s got a clean sheet.”
“Then give me a chance to work her,” Stone said.
“Okay, you’ve got carte blanche, until I change my mind.”
“Good. You can start by sending somebody up to the pound and springing her dog. She’ll respond to that.”
“What if it’s already been adopted?”
“Unadopt it. By the way, it’s a girl dog.”
“What breed?”
“Uh, small, hairy, cute.”
“Color?”
“Brownish, I think.”
“You have a photographic memory, don’t you?”
“Oh, and her name is Trixie. Maybe she’ll be wearing an ID tag with her address on it.”
“I guess it’s worth a shot.” He got on the phone.
Stone was suddenly hungry. He found a nurse, one he didn’t know. “Good morning, could you order me some lunch? I’m stuck on the ICU and can’t go down to the cafeteria.”
She picked up a phone, and in ten minutes Stone was eating some pretty good meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
Dino put his phone away. “How do I get some of that?” he asked.
“You already had a steak.”
“I’m hungry again.”
“Be nice to a nurse.”
Dino tried that and sat down. “Let’s hope it works. You were right about the Edison. They were registered under the name Taylor, but they checked out early this morning.”
“I don’t suppose they left a forwarding address?”
“Sure, Turnbull & Asser.”
Dino’s lunch came. He tried a bite. “Not bad,” he said.
“Not for a second lunch. I’m going to tell on you to Viv.”
“Good luck. She’s in Budapest.”
“You’ll gain weight. She’ll notice.”
“I don’t gain weight.”
“I hate that about you.”
The elevator door opened, and an enormous cop got off, accompanied by a small dog on a leash.
“Trixie!” Stone cried, and the dog ran toward him until she ran out of leash and was left on her hind legs, pawing the air. Stone picked her up and scratched her ears, then her belly. “Hey, Trixie,” he said, “I’m your new best friend.” He got a big kiss, before he could react.
Dino laughed. “So this is your new interrogator?”
“My accomplice. You don’t want to see your mama do time, do you, Trixie?” She barked.
Carol came out of the ICU. “Frances heard that,” she said. “You better bring her dog in here, even though it’s against all the rules.”
“Your patient will recover faster now.”
“Yeah, we’ve seen that work before, just not in the ICU.”
Stone got up and carried Trixie inside. Frances’s bed was raised a bit more, and she could see them coming.
“Trixie!” she said, as loudly as she could manage.
Stone put the dog on the bed, and she went nuts, making Frances laugh. “You did it,” she said. “I thought you were lying, just to get me to talk.”
Stone pulled up a chair and sat down. “I haven’t lied to you yet, and I’m not going to start now. I can do everything I said I would, and I will.”
“I’ll walk?”
“You won’t do a day after his trial is over.”
“Sig can get to me in jail,” she said.
“I’ll get you into protective custody, in a hotel somewhere, with room service, as soon as you’re able to leave the hospital. No one will know where you are but the DA and me.”
“I want it in writing.”
“You’re going to have to trust me. I’m not law enforcement.”
“Then I want it from the DA.”
“After I get it from you, I’ll get it in writing from the DA. I won’t tell him what you’ve told me until then.”
“I need to take a nap now,” Frances said. “We’ll talk after that.”
“What’s your last name?” Stone asked.
“Bowers.”
“Okay, get a nap.” Stone left her with Trixie curled up next to her.
Stone went back into the hallway and sat down next to Dino. “Her last name is Bowers,” he said. “Run that.”
Dino got out his phone. “What else has she said?”
“She’s tired and needs a nap; I’ll stay here, until she wakes up.”
“She liked the dog, huh?”
“They have a special bond,” Stone said.
“I’ll bet.”
“Double the guard in the hospital,” Stone said. “I want her to wake up alive.”
Dino spoke further into the phone. “Done,” he said finally. “Frances Bowers doesn’t have a record anywhere. I’d say she was a babe in the woods, if she hadn’t been carrying that silenced .22.”
“There is that,” Stone said.
“Did you check Trixie’s ID?”
“I forgot, and so did you. I’ll do it later.”
“You want me to make a list of questions to ask her?”
“Oh, please! I’ll find out what you want to know, but I’ll do it my way. I’m not reading her questions from a list.”
“Then what are you going to ask her?”
“I’ll ask her for her life’s story, and believe me, she’ll tell me. Everybody likes to talk about themselves. It’s talking about Sig that will be tough to get out of her. She’s loyal, and she may even love the guy. Go figure.”