Swimming to Catalina

36

Stone arrived at the Marina Del Rey restaurant on time, but there was no sign of Barbara. Arrington’s car was parked near the chandlery, though. When she was fifteen minutes late, Stone began to worry. Then she came up the ramp from the pontoon, struggling with her bags, one of which was on wheels. Stone ran to help her.

When they were in the car, she looked into her handbag. “Damn,” he said, “I’ve still got the keys to the Mercedes; I’ll have to take them back to the boat.”

“Wait,” Stone said, thinking. “Don’t take the keys back; drive the car to the hotel.”

“I can’t just steal the guy’s car,” she said.

“It’s not his car, and don’t worry, he won’t report it stolen.”

“Stone, I don’t want to get into trouble.”

“Believe me, I’m getting youout of trouble.”

“Oh, all right.” She went to the Mercedes, and Stone led the way back to the hotel.

He called the parking valet aside. “Bury the SL500 somewhere,” he said, handing the man a twenty. “We won’t need it for a while.” He gave his room key to Barbara, along with tip money for the bellman. “You go on upstairs; there’s something I have to do.”

“What am I supposed to do in a hotel room?”

“I’ve arranged for you to sign, so do some shopping downstairs, or go out to the pool again, if you like.”

She brightened. “Okay; see you later.”

It wasn’t very far down Sunset to Vinnie’s Deli. Stone parked on a side street facing the boulevard and looked at his watch: just in time, he thought. Ten minutes passed, then an unmarked car pulled up to the deli, and Rick Grant and another man got out and went into the place. Stone raised his binoculars and watched as they stood at the counter, ordering something and watching the counterman buzz two hoods through the door to the back room. Rick and his companion sat at a table and began eating their sandwiches. From down the block, a large white van slowly approached the deli.

It was beautifully coordinated. Rick and the other cop got up from their table, walked behind the counter, and pinned the counterman to the wall. The van opened, and a dozen SWAT team members spilled out and into the deli. Rick hit the buzzer under the counter, and the door to the back room opened as SWAT cops oured into the room. A moment later, two paddy wagons arrived on the scene, and a moment after that, the cops started loading arrestees into the wagons; among them was Vinnie Mancuso, Stone’s swimming instructor. The whole thing took less than ten minutes.

When Rick Grant left the restaurant, Stone turned onto Sunset and pulled up in front of the deli, rolling down the opposite window. Grant walked over to the car.

“That seemed to go well,” Stone said.

“Couldn’t have gone better,” Grant replied. “You want to come down and watch while I interrogate Mancuso?”

“Love to. Come on, I’ll give you a lift.”

“I’m going to stage a lineup for Vinnie’s benefit,” Grant said. “Just to get him worried.”

Stone sat behind a one-way mirror and watched Vinnie Mancuso twitch. He was alone in the interrogation room, and he was nervous. A moment later, Rick Grant and another officer walked into the room and sat down at a table opposite Mancuso. Stone could hear the scraping of their chairs through the speaker in his room. One of the cops offered Mancuso a cigarette.

“No thanks,” the hood said, “I gave them up.”

“I’m glad to see you’re concerned about your health, Vinnie,” Grant said. “I guess you want to live a long life.”

“You bet,” Mancuso replied.

Grant shook his head. “It’s not looking very good for a long life,” he said. “Not for you.”

Mancuso frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Still, it’s not as bad as it used to be,” Grant said. “You don’t have to sit in the gas chamber and hold your breath the way you used to; now you just get the needle. I’m told it’s not unpleasant.”

“Are you insane?” Vinnie asked incredulously. “For a bookmaking rap?”

“Not for that, Vinnie; we’ve got you cold for murder one.”

“You’re nuts. Where’s my lawyer?”

“You called him; I assume he’ll be here soon. I thought you might like a moment before he arrives to consider your position. My witness made you in the lineup, but good.”

“Witness to what?”

“To the murder of Stone Barrington.”

Mancuso looked across the table for a long moment. “Who?”

“The man you dumped in the Catalina channel the other night; a witness on a small boat made both you and your friend, Manny. We’re picking him up now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mancuso said.

“I’m talking about the corpse we pulled off the bottom of the channel this morning, with an anchor shackled to it. My witness watched you and Manny kick Barrington off the sports fishermanMaria at around nine in the evening. He was watching through night binoculars; he saweverything. ”

Mancuso’s face began, very slowly, to fall.

“The only question now is, who gets the needle?” Grant said. “You or Manny? Or both?”

Mancuso said nothing, but it was obvious he was thinking hard.

“We got you first, so you get dibs on the deal,” Grant said. “Once we bring Manny in, he’ll get the same offer, if you haven’t taken it.”

“So you want me to nail Manny for you? Is that it?”

“Not just Manny,” Grant said.

Mancuso’s eyes narrowed. “What are you getting at?”

“We want the guy who gave the order.”

Mancuso was shaking his head now. “Forget about it,” be said.

“We want Ippolito.”

The name startled Mancuso. “Where did you…” Then he stopped. “I don’t know anybody by that name,” he said.

“Vinnie, your lawyer is going to be here soon, and when he arrives it’s going to be a lot harder to make deal. After all, who’she working for? You’re not paying his bill.”

Mancuso was sweating now. “Look, I…” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to take the fall for this.”

“Then don’t take the fall,” Grant said soothingly. “Talk to me.”

Mancuso sweated some more but said nothing.

“You know Manny well,” Grant said. “You thinkhe’s going to take the fall for you and Ippolito?”

“Manny’s a standup guy,” Mancuso muttered. “He don’t give nobody up.”

“You really believe that, Vinnie? You really believe that Manny will take the needle for you and Ippolito?” He shook his head sadly. “I don’t think so.”

Mancuso thought about that for a moment, then he looked at Grant and started to speak. Then, at that moment, a man carrying a briefcase walked into the room.

“My name is Larry Klein,” he said. “I represent Vincent Mancuso; what’s going on here?”

“We were just having a chat,” Grant said.

“My client has nothing to say at the moment,” Klein said. “Have you been attempting to interrogate him?”

“Mr. Mancuso knows his rights,” Grant said. “He’s signed a statement to that effect.”

“Well, he’s not saying anything further,” the lawyer said, “and I want him removed to a secure room where I can talk with him without having somebody on the other side of a mirror.”

“Whatever you say, counselor,” Grant said. He turned to the other cop. “Take Mr. Klein and Mr. Mancuso down to Room Three, and leave them alone,” he said.

The cop left with Mancuso and his lawyer. Grant turned toward the mirror and gave a big shrug. A moment later he arrived in Stone’s room.

“Shit,” Stone said. “Another three minutes and he would have caved.”

“Win some, lose some,” Grant said.

“What about Manny? Did you pick him up?”

Grant shook his head. “I’ve got somebody on it, but unless we pick him up before Mancuso’s lawyer can make a phone call, our chances of getting him anytime soon are poor.”

“How long can you hold Mancuso?”

“He’ll have dinner at home tonight. I can’t charge him with your murder.”

“I guess not.”

“His lawyer is going to wonder why, after Mancuso tells him about our conversation.”

“And Ippolito will know within the hour.”

“Probably,” Grant said. “I wonder how the information will affect him. I expect it will confuse and annoy him.”

“I hope so,” Stone said.