“How about Spoletto Funeral Home?” Laurie asked.

“That’s going to be a gold mine,” Lou said. “The owner is the brother of the wife of Vinnie Dominick. You remember him, don’t you, Laurie?”

Laurie nodded. “How can I forget?”

“Who’s Vinnie Dominick?” Jack asked.

“He played a surprising role in the Cerino affair,” Laurie explained.

“He’s with the competing Lucia organization,” Lou said. “They’ve been having a field day after Cerino’s fall. But my gut feeling tells me we’re going to puncture their balloon.”

“What about the mole in the medical examiner’s office?” Laurie asked.

“Hey, first things first,” Lou said. “We’ll get to that. Don’t worry.”

“When you do, check out one of the techs by the name of Vinnie Amendola,” Laurie said.

“Any particular reason?” Lou asked, as he wrote down the name in the small notebook he carried in the side pocket of his jacket.

“Just a suspicion,” Laurie said.

“Consider it done,” Lou said. “You know, this episode shows how fast things can change. Yesterday I was in the dog house, whereas today I’m the golden boy. I even got a call from the captain about a possible commendation. Can you believe it?”

“You deserve it,” Laurie said.

“Hey, if I get one, you guys should get one, too,” Lou said.

Jack felt someone tap on his arm. It was the waitress. She asked if they wanted another round.

“Hey, everybody?” Jack called out above the babble of voices. “More beer?”

Jack looked first at Natalie who put her hand over her glass to indicate she was fine. She looked radiant in a dark purple jumpsuit. She was a third-grade teacher at a public school in Harlem, but didn’t look like any teacher Jack could remember. From Jack’s perspective her features were reminiscent of the Egyptian sculptures in the Metropolitan Museum that Laurie had dragged him in to see. Her eyes were almond-shaped and her lips were full and generous. Her hair was done up in the most elaborate corn-row style that Jack had ever seen. Natalie had said that it was her sister’s forte.

When Jack looked at Warren to see whether he wanted more beer, he shook his head. Warren was sitting next to Natalie. He was wearing a sport jacket over a black T-shirt that somehow managed to hide his powerful physique. He looked happier than Jack had ever seen him. His mouth harbored a half smile instead of his normal expression of hard-lipped determination.

“I’m fine,” Esteban called out. He, too, was smiling, even more broadly than Warren.

Jack looked at Laurie. “No more for me. I want to save some room for wine with dinner on the plane.” Laurie had her auburn hair braided and was wearing a loose-fitting velour top with leggings. With her relaxed, ebullient demeanor and casual clothes Jack thought she looked like she was in college.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll have another beer,” Lou said.

“One beer,” Jack told the waitress. “Then the check.”

“How’d you guys make out today?” Lou asked Jack and Laurie.