AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I looked down at my phone. It was from Ronald Higdon, Esquire, thanking me for squaring everything with Detective Matthews of the First Precinct. The end of the text had a key piece of information. It read:Someone told me your suspect hangs out at a bar in lower Manhattan called Rain.
I chuckled out loud.
Terri said, “What’s so funny?”
“Informants. Mine just gave me an idea for a plan. But it shows he was holding information back the last time we talked.”
Terri said, “They always hold something back to negotiate with later.”
I nodded. “I don’t know why that’s so hard to remember.”
“So what’s our new plan?”
I looked at her, smiled, and said, “I don’t think you’re gonna like my idea.”
Terri gave me one of her flat stares and said, “I rarely do.”
Chapter36
I THOUGHT MYplan had flair and creativity. I explained it to Terri. From her expression, she didn’t agree with my assessment.
She took a step back, put her hands on her hips, cocked her head, and stared at me. Then, after a couple of seconds, she said, “You think I can walk into a bar filled with super-slick, well-educated financial people and just fit in? Especially while I’m wearing cargo pants and a Yankees sweatshirt? Do I have that right, Mike?”
“Your problem is self-confidence. You can still be a badass copandbeautiful.”
“You sound exactly like my father.”
“Thank you. I’ve always found Ramon to be very intelligent.”
“Seriously, those guys will be dressed in thousand-dollar suits. What can I do, put an NYPD raid jacket on to hide my sweatshirt?” Then she straightened up and held one finger in the air, telling me to hang on.
Terri slipped her phone out of her front pocket. She stepped away from me and made a quick call. After ending the call, she walked past me and said, “I’ll meet you a block north of Rain in an hour. I want no funny comments or compliments about how I look. And you can tell no one that we tried this.”
Terri and I were rarely serious with each other. I wasn’t even sure about this moment. To be on the safe side, I silently nodded my assent and watched her pull away in her city-issued Ford Explorer.
One hour and three minutes later, I was standing on the corner of Fulton and Nassau Streets. I’d already walked past Rain. It had a healthy crowd that was growing by the minute. Terri had overestimated how well the clientele would be dressed. It was clearly a mix of financial people, but tourists and others were there as well. It looked like a high-end martini bar, with a sports bar element.
Like most cops, I notice people. I look at faces and pay attention to details. Today, I was probably more focused on the bar down the street. At least that’s the excuse I’m using for not noticing Terri’s approach until she walked right up to me.
It was tough not to say,Wow. Luckily, I remembered her admonishment to withhold all comments, and Terri kept a scowl on her face to ensure I didn’t open my mouth. She wore a dark blue cocktail dress and carried a small black clutch with pearls around the clasp. Her hair was brushed straight down her back. Most surprising was the red lipstick and dark eyeliner. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Terri wear makeup.
I carefully said, “How did you pull that off so quickly?”
“My cousin lives on Mulberry Street near the Fifth Precinct. We always share clothes when we go out. She works at a salon in Midtown. She’s the one who did my makeup. She also insisted I brush out my hair and not leave it in a ponytail.”
Terri bit her lower lip like she was thinking about something. Then she said, “You may make one comment and one comment only.”
“You look fantastic.”
“Good choice. Let’s get this shit done.”
I said, “How do you want to do it? Wait till we see him go in? Wait inside? Split up and I’ll tell you if he’s coming down the block?”
“This could be a couple of nights of surveillance unless we get lucky.”
I thought about that. I said, “If it goes past tonight, I’ll get us help in the form of a surveillance team.”
“I’m not doing your crazy plan in front of a surveillance team.”
