Pulaski joined Weller in front of the pet store, out of the sleet. In the window, just behind them, was a murky aquarium.

A beach, any beach …

Weller said, ‘Thought this’d be safer.’ That faint Southern accent again.

But, of course, Stan Walesa might be wondering why safety was an issue. He said, ‘Safer?’

But Weller said nothing in reply. He didn’t wear a hat, and his bald head was dotted with moisture.

Pulaski gave a shrug. ‘You were saying you have a client who might want to meet with me.’

‘Maybe.’

‘I’m into import-export. Is that what your client needs?’

‘Could be.’

‘And what specifically you have in mind?’

‘Exactly’ would’ve been better than ‘specifically’. Tough guys wouldn’t use the S word.

Weller’s voice dipped, hard to hear over the wind. ‘You know that project that Richard put together down in Mexico?’

Pulaski’s gut thudded. Getting even better. The man was referring to an attempted hit of a Mexican anti-drug officer a few years ago. Logan had orchestrated an elaborate plan to kill the federale. This was great. If Weller knew about that, he wasn’t quite who he claimed to be.

My theory …

‘Sure. I know it. He told me that that asshole fucked it up, Rhyme.’

So the lawyer did know about the criminalist, after all.

Pulaski offered, ‘But Richard came up with a good plan.’

‘Yeah, it was.’ Weller seemed more comfortable now that Pulaski had given him some details not known in public about Richard Logan. He eased closer. ‘Well, my client might be interested in talking to you about that situation.’

Your client or you? Pulaski wondered. He kept his eyes locked on Weller’s. This was hard but he didn’t waver.

‘What’s there to talk about?’

Weller said evasively: ‘Could be renewed interest in an alternative approach to the situation. In Mexico. Mr Logan had been working on it when he died.’

‘I’m not sure what we’re talking about,’ Pulaski said.

‘A new approach.’

‘Oh.’

‘If it’s to everybody’s advantage.’

‘What kind of advantage?’ Pulaski inquired. This seemed like a good question.

‘Significant.’

That didn’t seem like a particularly good answer. But he knew you had to play games like these – well, he supposed you did, since what he’d learned about undercover work was mostly from Blue Bloods and movies.

‘My client is looking for people he can trust. You might be one of those people. But we’d need to check you out more.’

‘I’ll have to do some checking too.’

‘We’d expect that. And,’ Weller said slowly, ‘my client would need something from you. To show your commitment. Can you bring something to the table?’

‘What sort of “something”?’

‘You have to spend money to make money,’ Weller said.