“Of course, Eddie. We’re right behind you.”

They stood up and followed the man toward the table.

“I hope it doesn’t bother you that I’m so tall,” Willa said. “It bothers a lot of men.”

“Not in the least,” Daltry replied smoothly. “In fact, I’m rather partial to tall women.”

Dino’s cell phone rang again. “Excuse me,” he said, flipping it open. “Bacchetti.”

“It’s Bernstein, Lieutenant.”

“Update?”

“They’ve just sat down to dinner. He’s already invited her to his studio afterwards, and she’s accepted. Do you want us to let her do that?”

Dino thought for a moment. “Yes,” he said. “She’s doing a great job so far; we have to believe she can take care of herself if she goes back to his place.”

“Well, she’s half again as big as he is,” Bernstein said. “She ought to be able to handle him.”

“Joe Dowdell and Hank Ortega are in the other car, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, you just be sure that the four of you—sorry, five, I forgot about Pointer—are ready to go in there pronto if anything happens. She’s got a code word if she gets into trouble, right?”

“Yes, Lieutenant. She’ll say ‘My back hurts’ if she needs us.”

“As soon as they’re inside his building, find a way in; it’ll save time if she needs help.”

“Will do, Lieutenant.”

Dino hung up, and Genevieve was staring at him oddly. “Am I to understand that you have a female police officer who’s going to Devlin Daltry’s studio?”

“Yes, I do,” Dino said.

“Well,” Genevieve said, “I think that’s a very big mistake.”

“What?” Dino asked.

“I went there once, and I almost didn’t get out alive. And believe me, I know how to take care of myself.”

53

Stone’s cell phone rang. He didn’t recognize the caller I.D. number. “Hello?”

“It’s Dierdre.”

“Hi.”

“Dattila’s out of jail.”

“What?”

“His lawyer got a judge to release him, based on the fact that, since Gus’s death and Herbie’s disappearance, we have no witnesses against him.”

“But there’s the tape of Dattila ordering Herbie’s death.”

“The lawyer claimed they would show at trial that it’s fabricated.”

“Did Dattila buy a judge or something?”

“I don’t think the judge can be faulted. Dattila’s lawyer is right, except about the tape. It’s not fabricated, is it?”

“No, it’s genuine.”

“Have you heard from Herbie?”

“Not a word.”

“I know I’m not supposed to say this about my witness, but tell him he’d be smart to leave town. Dattila is going to spare no effort to see him dead. We got a tip that word has gone out to his people all over town: There’s a hundred grand on Herbie’s head.”

“There ought to be a hundred grand on Dattila’s head.”