“I saw it when she moved in. I ran into her on the front steps—the first time I’d met her—and she was carrying a cardboard box full of stuff, and right on top was this pretty good-sized pistol in a holster. She made some joke about how you can’t be too careful in New York.”

Stone stood up. “Well, thank you for your help, Ms. Vincent.”

“Wouldn’t you like another cup?” She seemed anxious for company.

“Thanks, but I have a lot to do today.”

Stone left the building and walked up and down both sides of the street. He checked at a bar, a dry cleaner, and a shoe repair shop; all of them were acquainted with Hank Morgan, but nobody had seen her on the night of Sasha’s disappearance. He checked his notebook for the home phone number of the doorman at Sasha’s old building, called him, and ascertained that Morgan had been there before Sasha’s fall. The doorman hadn’t seen Morgan that night. Discouraged, he drove back to the precinct.

Dino was at his desk, looking pleased with himself.

“There wasn’t any promissory note,” he said, grinning. “Morgan lied to us.”

“Not necessarily,” Stone replied. “Nijinsky might have kept them someplace else.”

“Nah,” Dino said. “She kept perfect records, and they were perfectly complete. If Morgan had given her a note, that’s where it’d be. What did you come up with?”

Stone gave an account of his investigation. “The downstairs neighbor was on vacation, like Morgan said. The lady doesn’t like lesbians, but she had nothing to say that would have incriminated Morgan. I had the feeling she wished she’d had something to tell me.”

“Morgan’s our killer,” Dino said. “I can feel it in my bones.”

“I can’t feel it in mine, Dino. I know how bad we need a bust on this one, but Morgan’s just not it. The lady’s clean, except maybe on a weapons charge. The neighbor saw a pistol, but Morgan may have a permit.”

“I’ll check on that, but, take my word for it, the lady’s no lady,” Dino said. “And she’s dirty.”

Chapter

23

On his way home, Stone was stopped in his tracks by a headline in the Post: ARREST IN SASHA CASE! He grabbed a copy.