Final justice - W.E.B. Griffin [127]
"We were the first car to respond to the 'shots fired' call," the mayor said. "Officer Payne was still helping Mrs. Schneider out of the wrecked van when we got there."
Payne, who is special assistant to Staff Inspector Peter Wohl, commanding officer of the newly formed Special Operations Division, had spent most of the day in Bucks County, where the mutilated body of Miss Elizabeth Woodham, 33, of 300 East Mermaid Lane, Roxborough, had been discovered by State Police in a summer country cottage.
Miss Woodham was abducted from her apartment three days ago by a masked, knife-wielding man. A Bucks County mail carrier had described a man meeting Mr. Warren K. Fletcher's description and driving a maroon Ford van, identical to the one in which Mrs. Schneider was abducted, as being at the cottage where her body was discovered. Police all over the Delaware Valley were looking for a similar van.
Payne, who had been assigned to work as liaison between ace Homicide detectives Jason Washington and Anthony Harris and the Special Operations Division, had gone with Washington to the torture-murder scene in Bucks County.
He spotted the van in the early hours of this morning as he drove to the Chestnut Hill residence of Inspector Wohl to make his report before going off duty.
"He carefully appraised the situation before acting, and decided Mrs. Schneider's very life depended on his acting right then, and alone," Mayor Carlucci said. "She rather clearly owes her life to him. I like to think that Officer Payne is typical of the intelligent, well-educated young officers with which Commissioner Czernich and I intend to staff the Special Operations Division."
Payne, who is a bachelor, recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He declined to answer questions from the press.
After that, Chief Coughlin was no longer quite so sure that Officer Payne would soon resign from the police department. And he didn't.
"Captain," Sergeant Payne said now, "those two can do anything they're asked to do." He looked at Lieutenant McGuire. "I'd really like to have them."
"Wohl said 'anything we think we need,' " McGuire said. "Let's see if he meant it."
He asked permission with his eyes to use Captain Quaire's telephone. Quaire nodded. McGuire punched in numbers.
"Lieutenant McGuire for Inspector Wohl, please."
Then he reached to Quaire's phone and pushed the Speaker button.
Peter Wohl's voice came somewhat metallically over the speaker:
"Hey, Gerry, what can I do for you?"
"Inspector, you said I could ask for anything for the Stan Colt job."
"My toothbrush excepted, ask away."
"Mutt and Jeff. They on something that won't wait?"
"When and where do you want them, Gerry?"
"North Philadelphia Airport at three. Tell them to report to Sergeant Payne."
"They'll be there."
"Thank you, sir."
"Any time."
The line went dead.
"Why don't you take Lassiter to Northeast Detectives now, and get that over with?" Quaire said.
"Yes, sir."
"And then I'll see you at the airport at three," McGuire said.
"Yes, sir."
[FOUR]
Matt stood patiently by Olivia's desk and waited until she finished talking on the telephone.
"I really appreciate that, Lieutenant," she said. "We really want to get this guy."
She put the handset in its cradle and looked up at Matt.
"Cincinnati Homicide," she said. "Nice guy. Nothing that he can think of offhand, but he's going to check around for me. What's up?"
"Let's go out to Northeast and get our statements out of the way," Matt said.
She didn't reply, but stood up, and took her purse from the desk drawer, and then waited for him to lead the way out of the office.
In the elevator, she asked, "What was going on in the captain's office?"
"That was Lieutenant McGuire of Dignitary Protection," Matt said. "He's about to protect Stan Colt from his horde of fans."
"And?"
"I'm going to help him," Matt said.
"What's that all about?"
The elevator door opened onto the lobby.
"I'll tell you later," he said, and