Missing You
Page 27
He never turned as she approached. When Kat was standing above him, she waited a moment and then she simply said, “Hey.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
He kept his eyes on the water when he spoke.
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t just go busting into my office like that.”
Stagger finally turned toward her. If the eyes had been calm looking out at the water, that calm was gone now.
“I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
“Bullshit, Kat.”
“It was just that I finally got Leburne’s visitor logs.”
“And, what, you desperately needed my take on them?”
“Yes.”
“You couldn’t even wait until my meeting was over?”
“I thought . . .” Behind them, the crowd roared with laughter at the Afrobats’ joke about robbing them. “You know how I am about this case.”
“Obsessed.”
“It’s Dad, Stagger. How do you not get that?”
“Oh, I get it, Kat.” He turned back to the water.
“Stagger?”
“What?”
“You know what I found, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” A slow smile came to his face. “I know.”
“So?”
His eyes found a boat and stayed on it.
“Why would you visit Leburne the day after he was arrested?” she asked.
Stagger said nothing.
“The feds arrested him, not NYPD. You had nothing to do with it. You weren’t even working my dad’s case, since he was your partner and you found the body. So why were you there, Stagger?”
He looked almost amused by her question. “What’s your theory, Kat?”
“Truth?”
“Preferably.”
“I don’t have a theory,” she said.
Stagger faced her. “Do you think that I had something to do with what happened to Henry?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Then?”
She wished she had a better answer: “I don’t know.”
“Do you think I hired Leburne or something?”
“I don’t think Leburne had anything to do with it. I think Leburne was just a fall guy.”
He frowned. “Come on, Kat. Not that again.”
“Why were you there?”
“And again, I reply, Why do you think?” Stagger closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath, turned back toward the Lake. “I see now why we never let people with personal connections handle a case.”
“Meaning?”
“You not only have no objectivity, you barely have any clarity.”
“Why were you there, Stagger?”
He shook his head. “It couldn’t be more obvious.”
“Not to me.”
“My point exactly.” His eyes locked on the boat, watching teens flail furiously and incompetently with the oars. “Go back for a second. Think it through. At the time of his murder, your father was coming close to bringing down one of the leading crime figures in the city.”
“Cozone.”
“Of course, Cozone. Suddenly, he gets executed. What was our theory at the time?”
“It wasn’t my theory.”
“No offense, Kat, but you weren’t a cop. You were a sprightly little coed at Columbia. What was our official theory?”
“The official theory,” Kat said, “was that my father was a threat to Cozone and so Cozone eliminated him.”
“Exactly.”
“But Cozone knew better than to kill a cop.”
“Don’t let the bad guys fool you with their so-called rules. They do what they think is best for long-term profit and survival. Your father was an impediment to both.”
“So you think Cozone hired Leburne to kill my father. I know this. It still doesn’t explain why you visited Leburne.”
“Sure it does. The feds arrested one of Cozone’s most active hit men. Of course we immediately followed up that lead. How can you not see that?”
“Why you?”
“What?”
“Bobby Suggs and Mike Rinsky were the lead cops on the case. So why did you go?”
He smiled again, but there was no joy in it. “Because I was like you.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning your father was my partner. You know what he meant to me.”
Silence.
“I wasn’t in the mood to wait while NYPD and FBI dealt with their pissing contest over territory and jurisdiction. It would give Leburne time to lawyer up or whatever. I wanted in. I was impetuous. I called a friend with the bureau and asked a favor.”
“So you went to interrogate Leburne?”
“Pretty much, yeah. I was a dumb young cop trying to avenge his mentor before it was too late.”
“What do you mean, too late?”
“Like I said, I was worried he would lawyer up. But even more than that, I worried Cozone would take him out before he could talk.”
“So you spoke to Leburne?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Stagger shrugged. Again, with the baseball cap and the shrug, she could imagine what he looked like in grade school. Kat gently put her hand on his shoulder. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe to remind him that they were on the same side. Maybe to offer an old friend some degree of comfort. Stagger had loved her father. Not like her of course; death doesn’t stay with friends or coworkers. They grieve and move on. Death only stays with the family. But his anguish was real.
“And I got nowhere,” Stagger said.
“Leburne denied it?”
“He just sat across from me and said nothing.”
“And yet later, Leburne confessed.”
“Of course. His lawyer made a deal. Kept the death penalty off the table.”
The Afrobats closed with their big finale—one of them leapt over spectators who had volunteered. The crowd erupted in applause. Kat and Stagger watched the crowd slowly disperse.
“So that’s it,” Kat said.
“That’s it.”
“You never told me.”
“True.”
“Why?”
“What should I have said, Kat? That I visited a suspect and got nowhere?”
“Yes.”
“You were a college student on your way to getting married.”
“So?”
There was maybe more edge in her voice than she intended. Their eyes met, and something passed through them. He turned away.
“I don’t like the implication, Kat.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
He kept his eyes on the water when he spoke.
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t just go busting into my office like that.”
Stagger finally turned toward her. If the eyes had been calm looking out at the water, that calm was gone now.
“I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
“Bullshit, Kat.”
“It was just that I finally got Leburne’s visitor logs.”
“And, what, you desperately needed my take on them?”
“Yes.”
“You couldn’t even wait until my meeting was over?”
“I thought . . .” Behind them, the crowd roared with laughter at the Afrobats’ joke about robbing them. “You know how I am about this case.”
“Obsessed.”
“It’s Dad, Stagger. How do you not get that?”
“Oh, I get it, Kat.” He turned back to the water.
“Stagger?”
“What?”
“You know what I found, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” A slow smile came to his face. “I know.”
“So?”
His eyes found a boat and stayed on it.
“Why would you visit Leburne the day after he was arrested?” she asked.
Stagger said nothing.
“The feds arrested him, not NYPD. You had nothing to do with it. You weren’t even working my dad’s case, since he was your partner and you found the body. So why were you there, Stagger?”
He looked almost amused by her question. “What’s your theory, Kat?”
“Truth?”
“Preferably.”
“I don’t have a theory,” she said.
Stagger faced her. “Do you think that I had something to do with what happened to Henry?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Then?”
She wished she had a better answer: “I don’t know.”
“Do you think I hired Leburne or something?”
“I don’t think Leburne had anything to do with it. I think Leburne was just a fall guy.”
He frowned. “Come on, Kat. Not that again.”
“Why were you there?”
“And again, I reply, Why do you think?” Stagger closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath, turned back toward the Lake. “I see now why we never let people with personal connections handle a case.”
“Meaning?”
“You not only have no objectivity, you barely have any clarity.”
“Why were you there, Stagger?”
He shook his head. “It couldn’t be more obvious.”
“Not to me.”
“My point exactly.” His eyes locked on the boat, watching teens flail furiously and incompetently with the oars. “Go back for a second. Think it through. At the time of his murder, your father was coming close to bringing down one of the leading crime figures in the city.”
“Cozone.”
“Of course, Cozone. Suddenly, he gets executed. What was our theory at the time?”
“It wasn’t my theory.”
“No offense, Kat, but you weren’t a cop. You were a sprightly little coed at Columbia. What was our official theory?”
“The official theory,” Kat said, “was that my father was a threat to Cozone and so Cozone eliminated him.”
“Exactly.”
“But Cozone knew better than to kill a cop.”
“Don’t let the bad guys fool you with their so-called rules. They do what they think is best for long-term profit and survival. Your father was an impediment to both.”
“So you think Cozone hired Leburne to kill my father. I know this. It still doesn’t explain why you visited Leburne.”
“Sure it does. The feds arrested one of Cozone’s most active hit men. Of course we immediately followed up that lead. How can you not see that?”
“Why you?”
“What?”
“Bobby Suggs and Mike Rinsky were the lead cops on the case. So why did you go?”
He smiled again, but there was no joy in it. “Because I was like you.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning your father was my partner. You know what he meant to me.”
Silence.
“I wasn’t in the mood to wait while NYPD and FBI dealt with their pissing contest over territory and jurisdiction. It would give Leburne time to lawyer up or whatever. I wanted in. I was impetuous. I called a friend with the bureau and asked a favor.”
“So you went to interrogate Leburne?”
“Pretty much, yeah. I was a dumb young cop trying to avenge his mentor before it was too late.”
“What do you mean, too late?”
“Like I said, I was worried he would lawyer up. But even more than that, I worried Cozone would take him out before he could talk.”
“So you spoke to Leburne?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Stagger shrugged. Again, with the baseball cap and the shrug, she could imagine what he looked like in grade school. Kat gently put her hand on his shoulder. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe to remind him that they were on the same side. Maybe to offer an old friend some degree of comfort. Stagger had loved her father. Not like her of course; death doesn’t stay with friends or coworkers. They grieve and move on. Death only stays with the family. But his anguish was real.
“And I got nowhere,” Stagger said.
“Leburne denied it?”
“He just sat across from me and said nothing.”
“And yet later, Leburne confessed.”
“Of course. His lawyer made a deal. Kept the death penalty off the table.”
The Afrobats closed with their big finale—one of them leapt over spectators who had volunteered. The crowd erupted in applause. Kat and Stagger watched the crowd slowly disperse.
“So that’s it,” Kat said.
“That’s it.”
“You never told me.”
“True.”
“Why?”
“What should I have said, Kat? That I visited a suspect and got nowhere?”
“Yes.”
“You were a college student on your way to getting married.”
“So?”
There was maybe more edge in her voice than she intended. Their eyes met, and something passed through them. He turned away.
“I don’t like the implication, Kat.”
