But he sure as hell wished nobody but the usual suspects had got killed yesterday morning.
âSo whatâd she have to say?â he asked Carella.
âHer husband wasnât home Sunday night.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âI asked her when he left the house yesterday morning, she told me she didnât know, he wasnât home.â
âSo where was he?â
âUpstate. Meeting with the Governorâs people.â
âThatâs very nice, the Governorâs people,â Byrnes said.
âHis wife told me they were trying to convince him to run for mayor.â
âOh, Jesus, donât tell me this is going to get political,â Byrnes said.
âIt could. Heâs a politician, Pete. Was.â
âToo much bad blood between Democrats and Republicans these days,â Byrnes said, shaking his head.
âYou think a Democrat killed him?â
He was smiling. The idea of a Democrat killing a Republican was somewhat amusing. For that matter, so was the idea of a Republican killing a Democrat.
âI donât know who killed him,â Byrnes said. He was not smiling.
âYou know something else? I donât even care who killed him. This case belongs to His Lord Fatness, I donât know how the hell we got involved in it.â
âPayback time, Pete.â
âYou should try not to get yourself killed so often. And you should try to avoid obese saviors.â
âIâll try.â
âWhereâd Henderson stay upstate? Did she say?â
âIâll ask her.â
âCall whichever hotel it was, find out what time he checked out, did he drive, did he take the train, did he fly, whatever. Give Ollie an ETA at the hall, and then tell him goodbye.â
âYes, sir, is that an order, sir?â
âI donât want this case,â Byrnes said.
Â
AT SEVEN OâCLOCK that Tuesday night, while Carella was at the dinner table with his wife and two children, Ollie Weeks called to say he was sorry heâd missed him at the office earlier today, but was it convenient for him to talk now?
âIâm in the middle of dinner,â Carella said.
âThatâs okay,â Ollie said, âso am I.â
Carella had the feeling that somehow Ollie was always in the middle of dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast. Or something.
âCan I call you back later?â he asked.
âWell, sure,â Ollie said, sounding offended, and hung up.
Carella called him back at a little past eight, after the twins were in bed. Ollie picked up the phone, said, âWeeks,â and then belched.
âOllie, itâs Steve.â
âYes, Steve.â
Still sounding offended.
âI wanted to report on what I learned from Mrs. Hendersonâ¦â
âYes, Steve.â
His tone was saying I only saved your life, you know.
âI had a long telephone conversation with her this afternoon. Sheâ¦â
âI thought you were going to see her personally,â Ollie said.
âI did. This was after I saw her.â
âUh-huh.â
âShe said her husband flew up to the state capital on Saturdayâ¦â
âUh-huh.â
ââ¦stayed the weekend at the Raleigh Hotel thereâ¦â
âOkay.â
âProbably flew back early Monday morningâ¦â
âWhat do you mean probably? â
âHe didnât come home. She thinks he must have gone directly from the airport to King Memorial.â
âWhat do you mean she thinks? â
âOllie,â Carella said, â non mi rompere, okay?â
âWhat?â
âIâm trying to tell you what Iâve got here. The lady doesnât know for sure where he was when. The last time she spoke to him was from the Raleigh. The next thing she knows heâs shot dead at King Memorial. So sheâs assuming he flew back and went directlyâ¦â
âOkay, I get it, I get it,â Ollie said. âDid