Fresh Disasters (21 page)

S
tone’s cell phone rang. He didn’t recognize the caller I.D. number. “Hello?”

“It’s Dierdre.”

“Hi.”

“Dattila’s out of jail.”

“
What
?”

“His lawyer got a judge to release him, based on the fact that, since Gus’s death and Herbie’s disappearance, we have no witnesses against him.”

“But there’s the tape of Dattila ordering Herbie’s death.”

“The lawyer claimed they would show at trial that it’s fabricated.”

“Did Dattila buy a judge or something?”

“I don’t think the judge can be faulted. Dattila’s lawyer is right, except about the tape. It’s not fabricated, is it?”

“No, it’s genuine.”

“Have you heard from Herbie?”

“Not a word.”

“I know I’m not supposed to say this about my witness, but tell him he’d be smart to leave town. Dattila is going to spare no effort to see him dead. We got a tip that word has gone out to his people all over town: There’s a hundred grand on Herbie’s head.”

“There ought to be a hundred grand on Dattila’s head.”

“This is my third try at getting the guy, and I’ve never even gone to trial.”

“I can imagine how you must feel.”

“No, you can’t. If you hear from Herbie, tell him to scamper. After what happened at the hotel I’m not at all sure we can protect him.”

“I’ll give him the message.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.” Stone hung up and turned to Dino. “Dattila is out, and if what Dierdre says is true, Herbie’s as good as dead.”

W
illa watched while Devlin Daltry unlocked three deadbolts on a huge steel door and let them into his building. They were on the ground floor, which was being used as a garage. Daltry pressed a button, and a freight elevator descended.

“That’s a very big elevator,” Willa said, for the benefit of her colleagues.

“Some of my pieces are of heroic proportions,” Daltry said, as they started up. “I couldn’t get them out of the studio without this.”

She counted three floors as they rose. “You live and work on the top floor?”

“Yes.”

“What’s on the others?”

“Not much, some office help on one. I’m thinking of converting the other two to lofts and selling them.”

They stopped at the fourth floor and stepped into an enormous room.

“My goodness,” Willa said, actually overwhelmed. The space was furnished as a living room, and at the other end she could see a professional-style kitchen. “This is fantastic.” She pointed at the kitchen. “You must do a lot of cooking.”

“I don’t cook at all, actually, but I need the kitchen for parties. The caterers love it. Come, I’ll show you my studio.”

They walked for perhaps half a block and passed through huge double doors into an artist’s studio that she could not have imagined. First of all, contrary to her notion of what an artist’s studio was like, it was spotlessly clean and extremely neat. Double-height windows rose to receive the north light, and scattered around the space were pieces of Daltry’s work, some already cast, some still in clay.

“You are obsessively neat, aren’t you?” Willa said.

Daltry seemed to take umbrage at the characterization. “I am not obsessive about anything,” he said defensively. “I simply like to live in an orderly world.”

Willa’s attention was riveted on a bronze of a very tall woman, missing its head. “What is that?”

“Oh, I was unhappy with the way the head turned out, so I’m going to redo it.”

“After it’s already cast?”

“It can be done. Would you like to see the rest of my home?”

“Yes, thank you. Is there still another level?”

“Yes. The elevator only goes to the fourth floor, but the stairs lead one more flight up.”

“Don’t go to his bedroom,” Bernstein said into her ear.

“Is that where your bedroom is?”

“Yes, but there’s more. I don’t need the sort of living spaces that occupy this floor; they’re just for work and entertaining. There’s another complete apartment upstairs.”

“Don’t do it,” Bernstein said.

“I’d love to see it,” she said to Daltry.

D
ino’s cell phone rang. “Bacchetti.”

“Boss, it’s Bernstein. She’s inside Daltry’s place, and against my advice, she’s going up to the level where his bedroom is.”

“Are you inside yet?”

“We’re having hell’s own time getting in. There are three Assa locks in a steel door, and we haven’t been able to pick even one of them. A crowbar didn’t work, either.”

“Then break a goddamned window or something,” Dino said. “Be a burglar! His alarm system probably isn’t on while he’s home.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Dino hung up. “She’s locked inside Daltry’s building with him, and my people are having a hard time getting in.”

“Oh, my God,” Genevieve said. “I hope she’s armed.”

“I hope she is, too,” Dino said. “Since she’s undercover, she may not be.”

Stone’s cell phone rang. “Hello?”

“Stone, it’s me.”

“Herbie! Where the hell are you? Are you all right?”

“No, I’m not, and I’m not about to tell you where I am. The last time I told you where I was I nearly got killed.”

“Herbie, I didn’t tell anybody where you were. In fact, you never told me, remember?”

“Well, somebody knew, and he told Dattila.”

“What happened there, Herbie?”

“I didn’t like the food and stuff, so I was going to sneak out for something, so I turned on the shower and got dressed. I heard somebody yell in the next room, so I hid in a closet, and I saw this guy come into the bedroom with a gun. While he was in the bathroom, I got the hell out of there.”

“It’s good that you did. Now, listen. I talked to the D.A. a few minutes ago, and she says that you should get out of town, that she’s not sure she can protect you.”

“Well, that’s pretty clear, isn’t it?” Herbie yelled. “You said I’d be safe in the hotel; not even the two cops were safe.”

“It gets worse, Herbie. Dattila is out of jail, and word is he’s put out a very large contract on you. He’s probably got a couple of hundred people on the street looking for you right now. You’ve got money, haven’t you?”

“I’ve got about twelve hundred dollars.”

“My advice is take a cab to New Jersey—don’t go to the Port Authority Terminal or to Grand Central or Penn Station—just get to Jersey and get a bus out of there to anywhere.”

“Your advice hasn’t been very good so far, Stone.”

“What are you talking about? If you’d taken my advice and not sued Dattila none of this would have happened!”

But Herbie had already hung up.

W
illa walked up the curving staircase with Daltry holding her hand.

“I think you’ll like my living quarters,” he was saying.

They emerged into a handsomely furnished living room with cream-colored paneled walls, crown moldings and many pictures and sculptures.

He led her to the bar and was pouring them a drink when the phone rang. Daltry looked at the instrument on the bar and muttered something under his breath. “Excuse me,” he said, “I’ve got to take this call.” He picked up the phone. “What is it?” he said without preamble, then he listened for a moment. “Jerry, I’ve told you repeatedly how important it is for you to stay where you are and not go out for a while. You’ve got enough groceries to last a month, and enough to drink, too.” He listened some more. “I don’t care. I want you to do as I say, or I won’t be able to protect you. Don’t you understand?” More listening. “Jerry, do you want to go to prison? I didn’t think so. Well, that’s the alternative to doing as I say, at least for a little while. Look, I’ve got somebody here at the moment. I’ll come up there tomorrow morning, and we’ll work something out. I promise.” He hung up.

“Some people never listen,” Willa said.

“You’re right about that. I have this friend who’s gotten himself into a jam, and I’m trying to help him, but he just won’t be helped. Will you pour us a drink? I need the powder room.”

“Of course.” Willa filled two glasses with ice and made to pour. The moment Daltry was out of sight she checked the many buttons on the phone and found one that read “Log.” She pressed it. “Bernstein, did you hear that conversation?” she whispered.

“Every word.”

“Write down this number.” She read it out to him. “It appears four other times today in his phone log.”

“I’ll check it out.”

She pressed the button again, and the log disappeared, then she poured the drinks.

Daltry came back from the john and picked up his drink. “To an interesting future,” he said. They drank, and he snaked an arm around her waist.

She let him kiss her, helping out a bit. “What time is it?” she asked, when they broke.

“Who cares? The night is young.”

She looked at her watch. “I’m afraid it’s not all that young, and I have an eight o’clock meeting tomorrow morning that I have to do some reading for.” She danced lightly away from his grasp. “Can we continue this another evening soon?”

He grabbed her wrist and not gently. “Now is soon enough for me,” he said. “I’ll send you home with my driver in the morning; you’ll be in plenty of time for your meeting.”

“Not tonight, I’m afraid,” she said, breaking free.

“You’re just a little cock teaser, aren’t you,” he said, advancing toward her.

“No, I’m a
big
cock teaser, and I’m going home now.”

He reached into a pocket and came out with a small spray canister. “I’ve got something for you,” he said, spraying her in the face.

Her eyes were on fire, and she was having trouble speaking. “My…”

Then he hit her in the midriff hard, with his fist, and she went down. “I knew you’d like it rough,” Daltry was saying, as he knelt beside her, ran his fingers into her cleaveage and yanked half her dress off, baring her breasts.

“My back hurts,” she managed to say.

“Don’t worry, sweetie, I’m going to make it all better,” Daltry said. He had produced a switchblade knife and quickly cut the rest of her dress and underwear off.

She got in one punch, aiming for his nose, but caught him on the cheekbone when he turned his head. “My back hurts, goddammit!” she screamed.

He backhanded her, bouncing her head hard off the wooden floor.

He flipped her over on her belly and got a knee between her legs. “Well, let’s give you something else to think about,” he said. He put the knife against the back of her neck. “And if you move, I’ll cut your fucking head off!”

Willa went limp and began to lose consciousness. She tried to think of something pleasant and failed.

T
hey were on coffee at Elaine’s. Dino’s phone rang. “Bacchetti.”

“Lieutenant, it’s Bernstein. Willa got something, I think: a phone number. Joe Dowdell is running it right now. It’s up north of here, at Sneden’s Landing, on the Hudson.”

“What’s so great about this number, Bernstein? We’re not shopping for real estate.”

“Daltry got a call, and I could hear his half of it. It sounds like he’s got somebody called Jerry stashed in a house up there, and he told him if he left the house, he could end up back in prison.”

“That sounds promising.”

“Wait a minute, Dowdell’s got it. The phone is in Daltry’s name; must be a country house.”

“That’s a start. You got an address?”

“Just a minute. Yeah, here it is.” He read off the address.

Dino jotted it down on the tablecloth. “Okay, I’ll get some people up there to talk to whoever the guy is.”

“Wait a minute, we got a Mayday from Willa!” The connection was broken.

“Holy shit,” Dino said, “Willa’s in trouble, and I don’t even know if they’re in the building yet.” He snatched Stone’s phone and dialed a number. “I’ve gotta keep my line clear.” He waited impatiently for the number to answer. “This is Bacchetti,” he said finally. “I want you to get hold of the state police at the nearest station to Sneden’s Landing, then meet them at this address and hold whoever is in the house until you hear from me.” He read off the address. “You got that? Also, I want backup at Devlin Daltry’s address in SoHo right now! Officer needs assistance. They may need battering rams!” He hung up.

“I told you she shouldn’t go into that building,” Genevieve said. “He raped me.”

Eliza looked shocked. “You never told me.”

“I never told anybody,” she said.

Dino patted her hand. “I’m sorry, Genevieve. Don’t you worry, I’m going to make him pay for that.”

“Why don’t you call Bernstein back?” Stone said.

“He’ll call me,” Dino said. “He’s got enough on his hands right now without having to take my phone calls. His partner is in trouble; I shouldn’t have let him send her in there,” he said. “This is my fault all the way.”

“It was her call, Dino; she was on the spot, and you have to back her decision. Nothing is your fault.”

“Shit,” Dino said, banging on the table.

B
ernstein screamed, “Mayday, Mayday,” and pulled out his gun, intending to shoot at the locks. He didn’t know if it would do any good. Then he heard Willa scream.

“My back is killing me, goddammit!”

Joe Dowdell came running with the crowbar. “I’ll try again!” he yelled.

“Not this door, the garage door!” Bernstein shouted.

Dowdell ran toward the garage door and ran the tip of the crowbar under it until it stopped where the door latched into the pavement. He worked it to no avail, then he stood on the end of the bar and put his whole weight on it. There was a metallic snap, and the door came unanchored from the concrete. All four cops got their fingers under it and managed to raise it about eighteen inches. Then the flying form of Shelly Pointer scooted under the door.

Shelly ran for the elevator. “It’s five floors!” she yelled back. “It’s faster to wait for the elevator.”

Bernstein, who was in the best shape of the four men, ignored her and ran for the stairs.

The elevator seemed to take forever.

“I don’t like the noises I’m hearing,” Pointer said. There were grunting sounds coming from their equipment. “And I don’t hear Willa at all.”

The elevator finally came, and the other three cops boarded it. As they passed the third floor they could hear Bernstein’s feet pounding on the steel stairs. He reached the fourth floor just as they did and was banging on the steel fire door.

Somebody let him in, and the five cops ran through the apartment to the curving staircase and, with Pointer in the lead, ran up the last flight.

As Pointer reached the top of the stairs she could see across the living room to the bar. Willa was on the floor, naked, and Daltry was behind and on top of her, oblivious to the five cops rushing across the room. Pointer got there first, and swung her gun at his head. There was a flash of blood, and Daltry fell sideways, clutching at his scalp and screaming. The four men fell on him.

Pointer shucked off her raincoat, went to Willa and covered her. “Oh, Willa, baby,” she crooned, stroking her hair. “What did that bastard do to you?” She turned back toward the cops. “Don’t kill him, for Christ’s sake! Get on the horn and get an ambulance down here, and tell them to send a fucking doctor, not just an EMT. Willa is unconscious!”

B
ack at Elaine’s, Dino answered his cell phone again. “What?”

Bernstein was breathing hard. “He’s hurt Willa,” he shouted into the phone. “We got him, but he’s hurt her.”

“Have you called for an ambulance?”

“Yeah, it’s on the way. We’ll probably end up at Bellevue; I’ll call you.”

“I’ll meet you there,” Dino said. He snapped the phone shut and turned to Stone. “You take care of the ladies,” he said. “I’ll call you when I know more.” His cell phone rang again, and he flipped it open. “Bacchetti.” He listened for a moment. “Great! Get him into the city pronto. I’m going to Bellevue, and when I know what’s going on there, I’ll come back to the precinct.” He snapped the phone shut again. “The state cops have arrested one Jerome Daltry at Devlin Daltry’s house in Sneden’s Landing on a parole violation. They’re bringing him down here. I gotta go. I’ll call you later.” Dino ran for his car.

W
illa Bernstein slowly came to in a dimly lit room. Somebody was holding her hand.

“Willa? It’s Shelly, baby, can you hear me?”

Willa nodded. “My head hurts,” she said. “And that’s not all. What happened?”

“Don’t you worry, baby, we got Daltry; everything’s going to be all right.”

“What happened to me?” Willa asked. “We were fighting; that’s all I remember.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” Shelly said. “You just get some rest.”

Willa’s voice got stronger. “Goddammit, Shelly, tell me what happened!”

Shelly took a deep breath. “He raped you, honey. He knocked you unconscious, and then he raped you.”

Willa involuntarily moved her hand to her crotch.

“Not there, Willa.”

“Oh, shit.”

“You’re all right. The doctor already checked you out, and you’re all right. You just be quiet now.”

“I want some aspirin,” Willa said. “I have a hell of a headache, and my eyes are burning, too.”

Shelly reached over and pressed the bedside buzzer. A moment later, a nurse appeared. “She has a headache,” Shelly said to the woman. “Get her something, will you?”

“He sprayed me with something, mace or pepper spray; I need my eyes flushed out.”

“I’ll see to it,” the nurse said, then disappeared. She was back in a moment with two Tylenol, some eye solution and a syringe. In another moment she was dabbing the excess away with a tissue.

“That’s better,” Willa said. “Crank the bed up a little, will you?”

Shelly grabbed the bed control and sat her up. “The guys are all outside. So’s Bacchetti. They’re beside themselves. Can I bring them in?”

“Sure, go ahead, but let’s not discuss my…condition with them, all right?”

Shelly nodded. “I’ll get them.”

Bernstein led the way into the room. He took Willa’s hand. “I’m sorry it took us so long to get in,” he said to her. “The place was a fortress.”

“Where’s Daltry?”

“He’s downstairs being treated for his injuries. We’ll run him uptown when they’re done with him.”

“What injuries?”

Bernstein glanced at his lieutenant. “Well, before you passed out, you must have gotten in a few good punches.”

Willa managed a chuckle. “Yeah, I’ll bet I beat the shit out of him.”

Dino spoke up. “Whatever he got, he deserved. Listen, kiddo, that phone number you got us paid off. It was for Daltry’s country house in Sneden’s Landing, up the Hudson, and we found his younger brother there, freshly paroled from Attica, after doing seven years for a collection of violent crimes. They’re bringing him down to the precinct, so now that I know you’re okay, I’m going to go up there and interrogate him myself.”

“You think he did the girl in New Jersey?” she asked.

“I’d bet on it,” Dino replied. “We’ll collect some DNA from him, then get the Jersey cops on it. With a little luck we’ll put them both away forever. At the very least we’ve got Daltry on the two rapes.”

Dino looked immediately annoyed with himself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“There was another rape?”

“A nurse at a hospital uptown named Genevieve James. Nice girl; she’ll testify.”

“I want him for the murder,” Willa said.

“Don’t worry about it. Leave it to me.”

“Done. Now can I get some sleep, guys? And thanks for rescuing me.”

The men filed out of the room.

“You want me to stay, baby?” Shelly asked. “I’ll stay all night, if you want.”

“Just until I fall asleep,” Willa said.

She didn’t take long.