Robert B. Parker’s Damned If You Do

42

Suitcase’s cruiser came to a stop in front of Golden Horizons. He and Jesse got out and went looking for Benedict Morrow.

Morrow’s assistant, Barry Weiss, was seated at his desk when the two officers entered. He looked at them.

“What,” he said.

“We’re here to see Binky,” Jesse said.

“Dr. Morrow isn’t here just now.”

“Where is he?”

Weiss didn’t say anything.

“Come on, Barry,” Jesse said.

“I don’t have to tell you.”

“You do have to tell me.”

“Dr. Morrow said not to.”

“Not to what?”

“Not to tell anyone where he is.”

“Surely that doesn’t apply to me.”

“It applies to everyone.”

“Are you forgetting that I’m the police chief, Barry?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Let’s look at this another way, okay?”

Weiss didn’t say anything.

Jesse walked over to Weiss’s chair and grabbed him by his shirt collar. He reached down and took hold of his belt. Then he lifted him out of his seat and stood him up. He faced Weiss toward the wall.

“What are you doing,” Weiss said.

“I’m going to count to three,” Jesse said. “If by the time I finish counting I haven’t yet learned Dr. Morrow’s whereabouts, I’m going to run you into the wall. One.”

“Wait a minute,” Weiss said.

“Two.”

“He’s with Mr. Connell.”

“What?”

“Stop. He’s with Mr. Connell.”

“Where?”

“In the conference room.”

Jesse released him.

“See. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Weiss stood immobilized.

“Enjoy the rest of your day,” Jesse said.

He and Suitcase went off in search of the conference room. In it they found a full-scale staff meeting taking place, chaired by Philip Connell. Benedict Morrow sat next to him.

Connell looked up when Suitcase and Jesse entered.

“What do you want,” he said.

“What, no warm and fuzzy greeting for an almost consultant,” Jesse said.

“What is it, Stone,” Connell said. “We’re busy here.”

Jesse looked at Benedict Morrow.

“Hi, Binky,” he said.

“Don’t mouth wise with us, Stone,” Connell said. “State your business and then get the fuck out.”

Jesse pulled the writ from his shirt pocket and handed it to Connell.

“This building has been condemned,” Jesse said. “You’ll be given enough time to see to it that the residents are successfully resettled, then it will be closed down.”

Connell handed the writ to Morrow without looking at it.

“My lawyers will attend to this matter,” he said. “The violations are in the process of being corrected. Now please leave.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“What don’t you believe?”

“That you’re rectifying the violations.”

“Should I care what you believe?”

“Show me the work that’s being done.”

“According to my lawyers, I don’t have to show you anything. We’re in the process of righting the wrongs. That’s all you need to know.”

Jesse turned to Suitcase.

“Suit,” he said. “Let’s go have ourselves a look.”

The two officers turned and started out of the conference room. After exchanging glances with Connell, Benedict Morrow raced after them, followed by two members of the Golden Horizons security staff. The three men confronted the two officers in the all-purpose recreation center located just outside of the conference room.

“Stop right there,” Morrow said. “Show me your search warrant.”

“My search warrant?”

“That’s right.”

“This is a condemned building. I don’t need a search warrant.”

“You don’t have a warrant?”

“No.”

“Then leave.”

By now, the commotion had attracted the attention of a number of the residents as well as the rest of the Golden Horizons security detail.

“Please take note,” Morrow said as they gathered around him, “this policeman doesn’t have a warrant that grants him the right to invade our premises. We have every right to stop him.”

“This isn’t a smart move on your part, Binky,” Jesse said.

“Thank you so much for your opinion,” Morrow said.

He pointed in the direction of the door.

“The exit’s that way,” he said.

After several moments, Jesse signaled to Suitcase, and together they left the building. Once in the cruiser, Suitcase turned to him.

“What do they think they’ll gain by this,” he said.

“Beats me.”

“We could have drawn on them.”

“Probably wouldn’t have been wise.”

“Because?”

“Never draw your weapon if you’re not prepared to use it.”

“Why wouldn’t we have used it?”

“Too risky. Too many people. There’s every likelihood we might have involved an innocent bystander.”

“Yeah. I can see that. So what do we do instead?”

“We pay a visit to Judge Weissberg.”

“And get a warrant?”

“Exactly.”

“And then what?”

“We bring it back and tell Flip Connell to stick it where the sun don’t shine.”