There was no extension in the room. Arlington had sent Miniver scurrying down the hall to find a line he could listen in on. I heard a click just then as he came on.

“Damn right I do. What the hell are you doing in my office?”

“I felt so bad about spoiling your shirt this morning that I just couldn’t sleep. I thought if I could take it home and wash it for you, you might forgive me. Of course, ironing isn’t my strong suit, but maybe Teri would do that.”

“Damn you, Vic!” I heard a muffled voice in the background, and then Dick, softly, saying, “No, it’s all right, sweetheart. Just a client who’s gotten herself in over her head. Sorry to wake you up.”

“The lady says you won’t pay her child support,” Miniver interjected on his line.

“I won’t what?”

“Dick, if you keep shouting like that, poor old Teri’s never going to get back to sleep. You know, the back payments you owe me for little Eddie and Mitch. But I looked in your Diamond Head file, and found that you had more cash than I ever dreamed of. I haven’t been able to buy myself new shoes because every dime I make goes to feeding your two little boys, but if you could spare something out of Diamond Head, well, it would make a big difference.”

There was a long silence, then Dick demanded to talk to the officer without my being on the phone. Miniver, to make sure it stuck, had me bring Arlington onto the line. Dick seemed to be asking if I had been searched, because Arlington said all they’d found was a gun.

“He wants to talk to you again.” Arlington jerked his head at me.

“You don’t have any proof,” Dick said peremptorily when I was back on the line.

“Sweetheart, you’re always underestimating me. I smuggled it out of the building before the cops showed up. Believe me, I could be showing it to my newspaper friends by this time tomorrow.”

He was so quiet I could hear the Oak Brook birds begin to tweet behind him. “You still there, Officer?” he said at last. “You can let her go. I don’t think I want to press charges at this time.”

Miniver and Arlington were so disappointed at not being able to arrest us that we cleared the building as fast as possible. I didn’t want them to dream up some secondary charge, like impersonating an electrician. The police followed us to the Nova, and then tailed me closely until I had passed the LaSalle exit on Lake Shore Drive. They finally got off at Fullerton.

We rode up to Belmont, where I turned into the harbor and cut the engine. The eastern sky was already rosy with the coming dawn.