“They’ve probably laid it off on the FBI lab, anyway,” Dino said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised. Anything else, before I go back to fi ghting crime?”
“There has been a development. Warren Keating may have hired a hit man to kill his son.”
“Have you got anything more than three secret ingredients to back that up?”
“Well, his son is in a Key West hospital with a bullet wound to the shoulder.”
“That’s certainly an interesting development, Dino, but how do I tie that to Warren?”
“A guy with a New England accent, like Warren’s, called a Miami P.I. I know and made inquiries.”
“Did the P.I. recommend anybody?”
“No, he hung up when he saw which way the conversation was leading.”
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“I’m really happy that the crime is out of my jurisdiction, Dino. Let me know if something happens that I can actually arrest Warren Keating for.” Hotchkiss hung up.
Dino turned to Stone. “For this kind of abuse, I lose the company of two attractive women?”
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35
STON E H A D B E C O M E accustomed to being awakened in the mornings by his cell phone while in Dr. Annika Swenson’s bed, and this morning was no exception.
“Hello?”
“Stone? It’s your client, Evan Keating.”
Stone looked at the clock. Seven A.M. “Good morning, Evan. You’re up early.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Not exactly.”
“I’m being discharged from this place at ten o’clock this morning. Can you pick me up here and take me to police headquarters?”
“I suppose so, but why do you want to go to police headquarters?”
“I’ll explain that when we’re on the way. Will you make an appointment with Lieutenant Sculley and ask him to have a representative of the district attorney there, too?”
“Why do we need the DA there?”
“Again, I’ll explain on the way. Just tell him I’m going to solve Charley Boggs’s murder for him. And when you come here, there’s 15 5
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a second entrance, two doors beyond the emergency room. Please meet me there at ten sharp.”
“All right, Evan. See you then.” Stone hung up and, with nothing to do until nine, when Tommy Sculley would be at work, he turned his attention to Annika, who was lying on her stomach, pretending to sleep. He ran a finger lightly down the crack of her ass.
“Mmmmm,” she said.