06 Cinderella by Ed McBain

Author:Ed McBain
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 1986-04-15T14:51:31+00:00

10

Andrew Hacker was a detective who probably stood six feet two inches in his stockinged feet and maybe weighed a hundred and ninety pounds, but standing alongside Cooper Rawles he looked stunted. Hacker hadn't said a word since they'd entered the office. Matthew wouldn't even have known his name if Cynthia Huellen hadn't announced them both on the phone before she led them down the hall and showed them in.

Rawles in person was a mountain of a man, intimidating by his very presence, more intimidating because Matthew knew he was a good cop and a tough cop, and he was here now laying down all kinds of law. Hacker just stood beside him, looking small and being silent, shock of red hair hanging on his forehead, freckles all over his face, all he needed was a piece of hay in his teeth to look like a shit-kicking redneck. This was Rawles's show, and Hacker knew it. He just kept listening to his partner, his face expressionless. It was raining outside. Really raining. What they called a frog-strangler here in Calusa. Outside Matthew's window, the pavements were sending up steam. Rawles was doing a little steaming of his own.

"What I understand," he said, "is she called you first."

"I guess she did," Matthew said.

"There was a burglary, so the first person she calls is you, not the police. That's the first thing pisses me off, Mr. Hope," he said, and poked a thick forefinger toward Matthew's desk. "The second thing pisses me off is there was a tape stolen from that office and the first time I heard about it was when the Chinese lady told me it was gone."

"I don't know which tape you mean. A lot of tapes were stolen, Detective Rawles. As well as file folders and uncashed checks and petty cash and-"

"I'm talking about the Nettington tape," Rawles said. "Did you know this tape existed?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me about this tape?"

"The last time I told you anything…"

"Never mind the last time, which by the way we located that Toronado."

"Oh?" Matthew said, and waited for more. Nothing more came.

"I'm talking about this time," Rawles said, "where we're concerned here with a tape that may have had something to do with Samalson's murder, and you knew about this tape, and you didn't see fit to tell the police about it. Did you hear this tape, Mr. Hope?"

"Yes."

"We listened to it a half-hour ago," Rawles said. "The original of it, which was in the safe. Whoever busted in there stole a copy the Chinese lady made."

"Plus a lot of other things. Including a tape deck and two typewriters."

"That's a very interesting tape, Mr. Hope. It's also a tape that makes your Mr. Nettington-"

"My Mr. Nettington?"

"His wife is your client, isn't she?"

"Yes?"

"Well, this tape nails him to the wall where it concerns adultery, which by the way is a crime in the state of Florida, I refer you to Chapters 798.01, 02, and 03. Living in Open Adultery, Lewd and Lascivious

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