Geez! I never saw anything like that!" "Well, wake her up," Janek said.
"Bring her into the city. We're going to set a trap, but not in Jersey.
I don't want any jurisdictional disputes."
He stopped by Deforest's office, filled him in, requested arrest war-rants for Diana Cassiday and Stephen Kane. Then he told Deforest that he and his people were leaving the division. When Deforest heard what he intended to do, he soberly wished Janek good luck.
Back at Special Squad, he briefed Aaron and Ray, instructing them to find a good location for a trap. He also told them to sign out field videotape equipment and the best body-wire unit Special Services could provide. Then he called Netti Rampersad.
"Frank… " She savored his name with the warmth of a casual lover.
"Sorry, I don't have very good news. Sarah's attorney called to say she'll fight the alimony rollback. What I need now is that dossier you mentioned that shows how Sarah and Gilette are living high off the hog."
"I'll bring it right down."
This time when she greeted him, she was not wearing workout clothes but was dressed in an expensive, smartly cut pin-striped gray linen suit.
"Excuse the battle dress," she said. "I'm due in court."
Doe Landestoy turned away and giggled.
Janek handed her Aaron's Sarah-Gilette file. He had never read it. She put it in her desk.
"Can we go someplace and talk?"
"You can walk me over to the courthouse," Netti said.
"Where's Rudnick?" he asked on the stairs.
"In the law library. He haunts the place."
"The other night-" "Please, Frank," she said gently, "don't tell me you've ad regrets."
"Absolutely not."
"Neither have I."
"Well, now that that's settled..
They emerged laughing onto Canal Street, made their way through the throng, crossed, then entered Chinatown. "I need a favor," Janek said.
"What's up?"
"A young woman I know is in pretty bad trouble. She needs a good lawyer."
Netti opened her purse, handed him her business card. "Tell her to call me anytime."
They walked past a pagoda-shaped telephone booth. The sidewalks were slippery. Chinese men in sleeveless shirts were unloading fish off the backs of trucks.
"I wonder if you'd-?"
"-finish telling you what I started to tell you the other night?"
He gazed at her. "Are you telepathic?"
"Depends on who I'm talking to."
"You amaze me." I She smiled. "Let's hope I always do."
The air on Mott Street was aromatic: roasting barbecued ducks and ribs, scented breads.
"So, what do you want to know?" she asked.
"You mentioned the Clury angle, how it was connected, as opposed to the way everyone thinks. You said something about another agenda, someone wanting Clury blown up for his own reasons."
"You've got a good memory."
"It was a night to remember.
She smiled again. "Forget Mendoza for a while, follow up on Clury. You might discover something that'll give you a whole new slant on the thing."
"I can see why you'd want me to forget Mendoza."
"Nothing to do with my representing him. Just take a look at the case from another point of view-the Clury point of view."
"You're being cryptic."
"I have to be."
They passed a greens market. Two elderly Chinese women, with Mao-era haircuts, were picking over the vegetables.
Mendoza's pretty rich, isn't he?" "Like Croesus," she said. "But you're changing the subject."
"A guy like that-life sentence, no possibility of parole-can he still control his money?"
"Some convicts appoint a trustee. Jake writes most of his own checks.
But he also uses his old lawyer, Andrews, as fiduciary. By the way, the only reason Andrews didn't represent him on the murder charge was because he didn't know bat-shit about criminal defense. He still doesn't." Is o, if Jake wanted, say, to bid on a Van Gogh at auction, he could do it even though he's locked up."
"Right. So, what're you driving at?"
"Something else I'm going to be looking into."
Netti glanced at him. "Who's being cryptic now?"
"Then there's the El Paso thing… " he remarked casually.