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“You made that decision? By yourself, Inspector?”
“Yes, sir,” Wohl said. “By myself.”
“When I was a policeman, I respected the chain of command,” Carlucci said. “You should have discussed that with Coughlin and Lowenstein. And then they should have discussed it with the commissioner.”
“Yes, sir,” Peter said.
“Just for the record, Mr. Mayor,” Coughlin said, “if Inspector Wohl had come to me—and I wouldn’t have expected him to—I would have told him I thought it was the way to go.”
Carlucci visibly debated whether to respond to Coughlin and then changed the subject.
“When is the Harrisburg scumbag due here?”
“An hour, I’d say,” Wohl replied. “I told Matt to send him back with McFadden and Martinez, and to worry about sending the evidence later.”
“Send the evidence? Or bring it?”
“Payne’s still working on the terrorist thing for the FBI,” Coughlin said. “I don’t know when he’s coming back to Philadelphia.”
“But the bottom line here is that what we’re hoping for is that you can get a couple of these scumbags to roll over, right?”
“That’s right,” Callis said. “In my judgment, that’s the way to put these dirty cops away.”
“And you’re the district attorney, right?”
“Yes, I am, Mr. Mayor.”
“And since all the decisions have already been made, what that boils down to is that the commissioner and I are about as useful as teats on a boar hog, right?”
“Let me think about that,” Lowenstein said.
Carlucci glowered at him.
“ ‘Teats on a boar hog’? Is that what you said, Mr. Mayor? God, I wish I had your colorful command of the language, Mr. Mayor!”
Carlucci’s scowl changed into a smile.
“Screw you, Matt,” he said. “Get out of here. All of you get out of here.”
They all started to get to their feet.
“It’s a good thing we’re all friends,” the mayor said. “And that you know me well enough to know what I’m pissed at is not you. You’ve done a good job, all of you, and I’m grateful. The commissioner and I are grateful, isn’t that so, Tad?”
“Absolutely, Mr. Mayor,” Commissioner Czernich said.
“Peter, as soon as you hear something, let me know, will you?”
“Yes, sir. Of course.”
“And pass my ‘well done’ down the line, will you?”
“Yes, sir.”
They shuffled out of his office.
“I’m going to try to see Manny,” Coughlin said. “Be fore he sees the Five Squad.”
“And ask him what?” Lowenstein asked.
