Sullivan's sting

20

Rita arrived with a chilled bottle of premixed strawberry daiquiris and two plastic glasses. Harker took a blanket from his bed, and they went down to the beach. They sat close together, knees drawn up. It was a cool night, but there was no wind and there were so many stars that the cloudless sky looked as if it had been ordered from Tiffany's.

"How come you got out tonight?" Tony asked. "Don't tell me he's playing poker again."

"No," she said, "he told me he had a business conference. I said maybe I'd stop by the Palace and have a drink with the gang, but David said no one would be there. So I guess he's meeting with the other sharks."

"You know that check scam at the Crescent Bank?" Harker said. "Well, you're off the hook. There's no case against Rathbone. No evidence."

He told her how the Treasury check had disintegrated.

"Son of a bitch," she said. "No wonder he told me there was no risk. What do we do now?"

"We're working a couple of angles," Harker said. "Starting with Mike Mulligan at the Crescent. Listen, do you think you could find out where Rathbone got the check? We need to find the source of that trick paper.''

"I asked him straight out, but no soap, he wouldn't say. I'll try again, but he's awfully closemouthed when his own neck is on the block. Tony, it's going to be tough to rack up this guy; he's smart."

"I know," Harker said, "but I'll get him. Sooner or later his greed will trip him up."

"Maybe," Rita said. "Pour me another, will you, baby?"

"I like your white pants," Tony said, filling her glass. "Real leather?"

"You better believe it."

"Rathbone buy them for you?"

"That's right. Any objection?"

"No," he said, "you're entitled. Rita, I don't want you to push him so hard he gets suspicious, but could you suggest that maybe he needs a secretary? A private secretary. You. The aim is to get into that locked office, take a look at his records, find out exactly how he's clipping the mooches."

"I don't think he'll go for it."

"Look, the way to manipulate this guy is through his love of money. He's got a corporation. Suggest to him that he could put you on the payroll legitimately. The corporation will pay your salary, and it'll reduce his corporate tax. The cash you get won't come out of his pocket; Uncle Sam will be financing your relationship."

She was silent a moment. "Yeah," she said finally, "that might work. He surely does worship the green."

"Give it a try," Harker urged. "Don't make a big deal out of it; just throw him the bait and see if he bites. I think he will."

"But putting me on salary as a secretary is no guarantee that he's going to let me in on his secrets."

"No, but it's a start. Maybe he'll like the idea of having someone answer the phone, do his typing, go to the banks and post office for him. It'll make him feel like a tycoon."

Rita laughed. "You know," she said, "you just may be right. He thinks he's pretty important people. Okay, I'll see if I can grift the grifter. Hey, I'm getting goose bumps. Let's go to your place."

Back at the motel, Rita climbed into bed fully clothed. Still shivering, she pulled sheet and blanket up to her chin. Tony made her a cup of black coffee and brought it to her with a pony of cognac.

"Can't have you getting sick," he told her. "You're too valuable."

He sat on the edge of the bed and watched as she sipped coffee and brandy.

"That's better," she said. "I'm beginning to thaw. I really got a chill. I've never been sick a day in my life, and I sure don't want to start now."

He leaned back against the footboard. "Rita, how come you joined the police? Was your father a cop, or maybe a brother?"

"Nah, I'm an only child. And my father was a carpenter. He died five years ago. What happened was that a girlfriend was going to take the police exam and talked me into going along with her and taking it, too. Well, she flunked, and I passed. So then I thought, why not? It sounded more exciting than a typing job or working at K-Mart."

"Ever regret it?"

"Never. It's been a hoot. Something new and different every day. I love it. Honey, turn off the light, will you. It's shining in my eyes."

He switched off the overhead light. When the brightness faded, their voices lowered, almost becoming murmurs.

"Do you plan to get out of it someday?" he asked. "Marry, settle down, have kids?"

"Who can plan a life? Looking ahead is a drag. I just take it day by day. When it gets routine, maybe I'll look around for a change. But right now I'm having a ball. How about you?"

"I like what I'm doing, and I happen to think it's worthwhile. There are worse ways to earn a living than putting crooks behind bars. Listen, Rita, I'd like to ask you something, but I'm afraid you'll get angry."

"Why don't you ask and find out."

"You're not falling for Rathbone, are you?"

She finished coffee and cognac, and leaned out of bed to put cup and glass on the floor. "I honestly don't know how I feel about him," she admitted. "Sometimes he can be so sweet and considerate that I have to keep reminding myself that he's an out-and-out thief. Also, he knows how to treat a woman. He washes my hair, gives me a super massage, goes shopping for clothes with me. And he's always giving me unexpected gifts. It's hard to hate a guy like that."

"I can imagine," Tony said.

"But I know I've got a job to do," she went on. "If I ever get to the point where the way I feel about him interferes with that job, I'll tell you and ask you to pull me out. Okay?"

"Sure," he said. "And not only for the sake of the job. Getting involved with that guy could be dangerous for you."

"I can handle it," she said. "Hey, I'm all warmed up now. So what I'm going to do is get undressed. And let nature take its course. How does that grab you?"

Just before nature took its course, she held his face between her palms, peered closely into his eyes.

"Are you sure you're not jealous?" she whispered. "Of David?"

"Maybe," he said. "Maybe I am. Because he spends so much more time with you than I can."

"That's sweet," she said. "Which means we'll have to make the most of the time we do have. Right?"

"Right," he said, and gently pulled her closer.

"Don't be afraid, honey," she said. "I bend, but I don't break."