The Inner Circle - Brad Meltzer [197]
“Patrick, Patrick. I thought they called you Paddy,” Custer went on, some of the hearty bluster gone.
“There are still plenty of Irish on the force, sir.”
“Yeah, yeah, but how many are named Patrick Murphy O’Shaughnessy? I mean, is that Irish or what? That’s like Chaim Moishe Finkelstein, or Vinnie Scarpetta Gotti della Gambino. Ethnic. Very ethnic. But hey, don’t get me wrong. Ethnic’s good.”
“Very good,” Noyes said.
“I’m always saying we need diversity on the force. Right?”
“Sure,” O’Shaughnessy replied.
“Anyway, Patrick, we’ve got a little problem here. A few days ago, thirty-six skeletons were uncovered at a construction site here in the precinct. You may have heard of it. I supervised the investigation myself. It’s a Moegen-Fairhaven development. You know them?”
“Sure I do.” O’Shaughnessy glanced pointedly at the oversized Montblanc fountain pen in Custer’s shirt pocket. Mr. Fairhaven had given them as Christmas presents to all the precinct captains in Manhattan the year before.
“Big outfit. Lots of money, lots of friends. Good people. Now these skeletons, Patrick, are well over a century old. It’s our understanding that some maniac back in the eighteen hundreds murdered these people and hid them in a basement. With me so far?”
O’Shaughnessy nodded.
“Have you ever had any experience with the FBI?”
“No, sir.”
“They tend to think working cops are stupid. They like to keep us in the dark. It’s fun for them.”
“It’s a little game they play,” said Noyes, with a small bob of his shiny head. It was hard to make a crew cut look oily, but somehow Noyes managed.
“That’s exactly right,” Custer said. “You know what we’re saying, Patrick?”
“Sure.” They were saying he was about to get some shitstink assignment involving the FBI: that’s what he knew.
“Good. For some reason, we’ve got an FBI agent poking around the site. He won’t say why he’s interested. He’s not even local, from New Orleans, believe it or not. But the guy’s got pull. I’m still looking into it. The boys in the New York office don’t like him any more than we do. They told me some stories about him, and I didn’t like what I heard. Wherever this guy goes, trouble follows. You with me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“This guy’s been calling all over the place. Wants to see the bones. Wants to see the pathologist’s report. Wants everything under the sun. He doesn’t seem to get that the crime’s ancient history. So now, Mr. Fairhaven is concerned. He doesn’t want this getting blown out of proportion, you know? He’s gonna have to rent those apartments. You get my drift? And when Mr. Fairhaven gets concerned, he calls the mayor. The mayor calls Commissioner Rocker. The commissioner calls the commander. And the commander calls me. Which means that now I’m concerned.”
O’Shaughnessy nodded. Which means now I’m supposed to be concerned, which I’m not.
“Very concerned,” said Noyes.
O’Shaughnessy allowed his face to relax into the most unconcerned of looks.
“So here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to assign you to be this guy’s NYPD liaison. You stick to him like a fly to, er, honey. I want to know what he’s doing, where he goes, and especially what he’s up to. But don’t get too friendly with the guy.”
“No, sir.”
“His name is Pendergast. Special Agent Pendergast.” Custer turned over a piece of paper. “Christ, they didn’t even give me his first name here. No matter. I’ve set up a meeting with you and him tomorrow, two P.M. After that, you stay with him. You’re there to help him, that’s the official line. But don’t be too helpful. This guy’s ticked off a lot of people. Here, read for yourself.”
O’Shaughnessy took the proffered file. “Do you want me to remain in uniform, sir?”
“Hell, that’s just the point! Having a uniformed cop sticking to him like a limpet is going to cramp his style. You get me?”
“Yes, sir.”
The captain sat back in his chair, looking at him skeptically. “Think you can do this, Patrick?”
O’Shaughnessy stood up. “Sure.”
“Because I’ve been noticing your attitude recently.” Custer