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Lieutenant Lewis shrugged and then started up the stairs again.
****
The Union League of Philadelphia is a stone Victorian buildingsome say a remarkably ugly one-on the west side of South Broad Street, literally in the shadow of the statue of Billy Penn, which stands atop City Hall at the intersection of Broad and Market Streets.
South Broad Street, in front of the Union League, has been designated a NO PARKING AT ANY TIME TOW-AWAY ZONE. Several large signs on the sidewalk advertise this.
Traffic Officer P. J. Ward, who was directing traffic in the middle of South Broad Street, was thus both surprised and annoyed when he saw a silver Porsche 911 pull up in front of the Union League, turn off its lights, and stop. Then a young guy in a monkey suit got out and quickly walked around to the other side to open the door for his girlfriend.
Ward quickly strode over.
"Hey, you! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The young guy in the monkey suit turned to face him.
"I won't be long," he said. "I'm on the job."
There was a silver-colored badge pinned to his jacket, but Officer Ward decided he wasn't going to take that at what it looked like. There was a good chance, he decided, that when he got a good look at the badge, it would say PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR or OFFICIAL U.S. TAXPAYER, and that the young man in the monkey suit driving the Porsche would turn out to be a wiseass rich kid who thought he could get away with anything.
"Hold it a minute," he said, and trotted onto the sidewalk.
The badge was real. The next question was what was this rich kid driving a Porsche 911 doing with it?
"I'm Payne, Special Operations," the young guy said, and held out his photo ID. Ward saw at a glance that the ID was the real thing.
"What's going on?"
"I have to go in here a minute," Matt said. "I won't be long."
"Don't be," Officer Ward said.
Matt took Amanda's arm and they walked up the stairs to the front door. As they reached the revolving door to the entrance foyer, it was put into motion for them. Matt saw that just inside was a large man, who smelled of retired cop and was functioning more as a genteel bouncer than a doorman.
He had seen the two young people all nicely dressed up and decided they had legitimate business inside.
"Good evening," he said, then saw the badge on the young man's lapel, and surprise registered on his face.
"The Browne dinner?" Matt asked.
"Up the stairs, sir, and to your right," the man at the door said, pointing.
Matt and Amanda started up the stairs. Matt unpinned his badge and put it in his pocket. He would need it again when he went back to the garage, but he didn't want to put it on display here. Then he thought of something else.
"Here," he said, handing the Porsche keys to Amanda.
"What's this for?" she asked.
"Well, I sort of hoped you'd park it for me until I can catch up with you," Matt said. "I really can't leave it parked out in front."
"When are you going to 'catch up with me'?"
"As soon as I can. Sometime tonight you're going to have to make a statement at Homicide."
"I already told that detective everything I know."
"You know that," Matt said. "He doesn't."
She took the keys from him.
