It was big enough to hold a large desk, a conference table, and a sitting area with a sofa and a pair of chairs.

“What is this about?” Quinn asked.

“It’s about Mr. Abney,” Dino said. “How long have you worked for him?”

“Twelve years,” the woman replied.

“Then you know what this is about.”

She bit her lip. “What do you want from me?”

“Sit down, Ms. Quinn,” Dino said, pointing at the sofa.

She did as she was told. “Has Ed Abney ever put his hands on you?”

She looked away.

“How long ago and how often?”

“The last time was a week ago. A couple of times a month for the whole time I’ve been here.”

“You must be very well paid,” he said.

“I am, but at first, it was a love affair. I know now it was never that, but I’m single and I have a daughter in a good private school. There aren’t any other jobs this good out there.”

“Last night, he tried to murder an NYPD detective,” Dino said. “I have a warrant for his arrest and another to search this place.”

“Good God,” Quinn said, and buried her face in her hands.

“First I need information: Abney isn’t at his residence, and he’s not here. Where else would he go?”

“He has a place in the Hamptons,” she said, getting up. “I’ll write down the address.” She went to the desk and came back with a slip of paper.

Dino handed it to Rosie. “Call it in,” he said. “Tell them I want two detectives over here, in case Abney comes in, and I want a police helicopter on the West Side pad right now, fully fueled.” Rosie left the room and went to Quinn’s desk to use the phone. Dino turned back to Quinn. “Where else?”

She shrugged. “I can’t imagine. His apartment, the office, and the house out there are his world, except at night.”

“Where at night, besides Sardi’s?”

She got a pad and wrote down a dozen restaurants and bars.

“Who’s his number two here?” Dino asked.

“He doesn’t have a number two. He doesn’t trust anybody else to help run the place.”

“You know,” Dino said, “off the record, if I were you, I’d put together a few people here and make Abney a lowball offer for the business. He’s going to need the money for lawyers.”

“That’s not the worst idea I ever heard,” she said.

“If Abney calls, everything is normal,” Dino said.

“I get you.”

“If he comes here, my people will take him in, but my guess is, since he didn’t spend the night at his apartment, he’s in East Hampton.”

“I think that’s likely,” Quinn said. “If he is, he’ll call in about ten and start giving orders. I’d better let everybody know to expect that, or they’ll say the wrong thing when he calls.”

“I’ll leave that to your judgment,” Dino said. He followed her out of Abney’s office and helped her climb onto her desk.