Final justice - W.E.B. Griffin [103]
"Have fun."
"If fortune smiles upon me, I may even be afforded the privilege of physical proximity to our beloved mayor."
Matt chuckled.
"I am at the moment en route to meet with Tony, Mickey, and the witness from the Roy Rogers," Washington went on. "If there are developments, call me between now and seven-thirty. "
"Yes, sir."
"Otherwise, after ten, call me to report your progress or lack thereof. But do not call me while I am at the Fine Arts unless what you have to say is really important."
"Yes, sir."
"And drive carefully, always adhering to the posted speed limits of the Garden State, Matthew."
"Yes, sir."
The line went dead.
[TWO]
Detective Tony Harris, Amal al Zaid, and Michael J. O'Hara were sitting in the rearmost banquette of the Roy Rogers restaurant at Broad and Snyder Streets when Amal saw an automobile pull to the curb outside.
"Get those wheels," he blurted in something close to awe. "That's an SL600!"
"What's an SL600?" Tony Harris asked, looking. "You mean the Mercedes?"
"V-12 engine," Amal al Zaid said. "Six liters!"
A large black man in a dinner jacket got out of the Mercedes SL600.
"V-12?" Tony asked. "No shit? What's one of those worth?"
"V-12," Amal al Zaid confirmed. "That's worth at least a hundred thousand bucks!"
"Jesus," Tony said.
"More like a hundred and a quarter, kid," Mickey O'Hara said. "Well, I guess that's his coming-out present to himself."
"Excuse me?" Amal al Zaid asked.
"What did he get, Tony? Ten to fifteen?" Mickey asked.
Tony Harris shrugged.
"Or was it fifteen to twenty?" Mickey mused. "Well, whatever, he's out, obviously. Who said 'crime doesn't pay'?"
Tony Harris raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
Amal al Zaid nearly turned around on the banquette to follow the guy in the tuxedo who had gotten out of the Mercedes-Benz SL600.
"It looks like he's coming in here!" Amal al Zaid said.
"Why would a heavy hitter hood like that come in a dump like this?" O'Hara asked rhetorically.
Lieutenant Jason Washington walked through the restaurant, slid onto the banquette seat beside O'Hara, quickly shook hands with O'Hara and Harris, and then smiled cordially at Amal al Zaid.
"Thank you for coming," he said. "I really appreciate your time."
Amal al Zaid said nothing.
"I'm Lieutenant Washington," Jason said, oozing charm.
He had told Tony Harris to ask the witness to meet them in the Roy Rogers in the belief he would be more comfortable there than he would have been, for example, in the Homicide unit in the Roundhouse.
Amal al Zaid said nothing.
"Actually, I'm Detective Harris's--Tony's--supervisor."
"You're a cop?" Amal al Zaid asked, incredulously.
"I realize that dressed like this--I'm going to sort of a party with my wife. . . ." He paused, and then asked, "What did Mr. O'Hara tell you about me?"
"He said you just got out," Amal al Zaid said.
"Actually, sir," Tony Harris said. "The phrases Mr. O'Hara used were 'fifteen to twenty' and 'heavy hitter hood.' "
Washington came out with his badge and photo ID, and showed it to Amal al Zaid.
"Mr. O'Hara is an old friend," he said. "Despite a well-earned reputation for a really weird sense of humor."
"I'm weird?" O'Hara asked. "You're the first man in recorded history to walk into a Roy Rogers in a waiter suit."
"It's not a waiter suit, you ignoramus."
"It looks like a waiter suit to me," Mickey said. "What about you--Double-A Zee?"
Amal al Zaid giggled and nodded his head in agreement.
"Are you going to take our order, or is there something else Double-A Zee and I can do for the cops?" Mickey asked.
Amal al Zaid giggled again.
"Do you mind if he calls you that?" Washington asked.
Amal al Zaid shook his head, "no."
"Can I call you that?"
"Sure."
"Thank you," Washington said. "Okay, Double-A Zee, let me tell you where we are in finding the people who murdered Mrs. Martinez and Officer Charlton." He paused.
Amal al Zaid looked at him expectantly.
"Just about nowhere," Washington