“A head upset, too. Lopez emptied a .38 police special into both of them before the private guards of a visiting Arab prince down the hall rushed in and disarmed him. According to their preliminary statements, Lopez was just standing over the bodies, glassy-eyed. We’re running blood tests on him now.”

“If you didn’t get a lawyer’s consent, he might walk.”

“Lopez was too shot up with something to notice what we were doing. We don’t want evidence anyway. Commissioner Torres wants information. That story you heard on the radio came from upstairs. You know our commissioner. While I was in his office, Mayor Hamilton called three times.” Levine’s mouth twisted. “You know our mayor, too.”

Devlin nodded. Police Commissioner Norberto Torres was a whorehound who had stocked Police Plaza with many of the city’s star cocksuckers, and Mayor Hamilton was found in the company of women for political purposes only. The two had a lot to fear from a political sex scandal. Mildly Devlin asked, “Do you want to know where I was at the time?”

“Standard question,” Levine said evenly. “I was going to get around to it.”

Devlin told him he had been in bed with his girlfriend, then had left before six to drive to Sussex County.

“Well, that you can prove,” Levine said. “Right now, Hamilton and Torres want to keep this quiet for as long as they can. Can you believe it? I heard Torres say something to Hamilton about a half billion in business and thirty-three million in sales taxes because of this Liberty deal. What kind of minds do they have?” He sighed. “But, with so many people getting away with so much these days, I shouldn’t be surprised by anything they do.” Now he raised an eyebrow. “You appreciate my position, Devlin, don’t you?”

Levine was saying that he knew he had been set up to have the can tied to his tail; and that, if necessary, he’d lay the problem off on someone else. Devlin said, “I appreciate it completely.”

“I want you to tell me everything you know about this Lopez character.”

“No problem.”