His face loosened into a reluctant smile. “Don’t tempt me. Terry talked to your boy Chamfers. Chamfers acknowledges that Mitch had been around trying to cadge some odd jobs, but said he’d never seen him himself—just heard from the foreman. Even if they were hiring, he says he wouldn’t take on a guy as old as Kruger and a drunk in the bargain. The Finch is going to follow up on this dockhand who got so pissed at you, but he doesn’t see a tie-in between the attack on the doc here and the plant.”

“So why did he chew me out over it?” I demanded.

“Maybe he doesn’t like you riding his tail. None of us enjoys it too much.”

“Well, there’s just one of me and ten thousand of you, so I think you guys can hold your own.”

A quiet snort behind us from Officer Galway made Rawlings turn around. “You want something, Officer?”

She shook her head, her small oval face so devoid of expression that I thought I’d imagined the snicker.

Audrey patted Max’s hand and came over to me. “And I think all of you can look after yourselves too. Vic, will you bring Lotty over to Beth Israel in the morning for X rays and stuff?”

“She okay? She felt feverish to me.”

“She probably is a little. If she seems to get really hot or terribly restless in the night, give me a call. Otherwise I’ll see you in the morning. Say around ten?”

I agreed and saw her to the door. Max decided to escort her to her car—Lotty’s street isn’t the most savory place to be alone in the dark.

I watched from the window with unseeing eyes, wondering who had gone to Mrs. Polter’s posing as Mitch Kruger’s son. Even if Finchley hadn’t tried locating him the son might still have heard about Mitch’s death some other way. Maybe through Jake Sokolowski. Since Jake and Mitch had lived together recently, Jake might have known how to get in touch with Mitch’s old family. Even so, the son would have had to work some travel miracles to get to Mrs. Polter’s so fast.

“What’s on your mind, Ms. W.?” Rawlings said sharply.

I shook my head. “Not much. I’d like to get some sleep, tell you the truth.”

He snorted. “Tell it for a change. I’ve been around you long enough to tell when you’ve suddenly felt a rabbit wriggling around in your hat. You can’t wait to be by yourself so’s you can pull it out and take a look at it. If you decide to share your little magic trick, call me in the morning. Galway—let’s pack it in.”