“What?” he said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink.”
“I guess we’re both full of surprises.”
“Or we don’t know each other very well.”
“That may be true,” he said. “Our relationship, as it were, was really based on your father. When he was gone, so was our connection. I mean, I’m your boss now, but it isn’t as though we communicate much.”
Stagger took another gulp. She took her first sip.
“Then again,” he went on, “when you form a bond in tragedy, when you have a history like ours . . .” He turned and gazed at her door as though it had just materialized. “I remember everything about that day. But the part I remember most was when you first opened that door. You had no idea I was about to destroy your world.”
He turned back toward her. “Can’t you just let this go?”
She took a deep sip. She didn’t bother answering.
“I haven’t lied to you,” Stagger said.
“Sure you have. You’ve been lying to me for eighteen years.”
“I’ve been doing what Henry would have wanted.”
“My father is dead,” Kat said. “He doesn’t get a say in this anymore.”
Another deep gulp. “It isn’t going to bring him back. And it isn’t going to change the facts. Cozone ordered the hit. Monte Leburne carried it out.”
“How were you onto Leburne so fast?”
“Because I already had an eye out for him.”
“Why?”
“I knew Cozone had killed your dad.”
“And Suggs and Rinsky missed it?”
He took another swig, emptying his glass. “They were like you.”
“How so?”
“They didn’t think Cozone would kill a cop.”
“But you thought differently.”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
He poured himself another glass. “Because Cozone didn’t view your father as a cop.”
She made a face. “What did he view him as?”
“An employee.”
A hot flush hit her face. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He just looked at her.
“Are you saying he was on the take?”
Stagger poured himself another. “More than that.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Stagger looked around the apartment as though for the first time. “Nice digs, by the way.” He tilted his head. “How many cops do you know can buy a place on the Upper West Side outright?”
“It’s small,” she said, hearing the defensiveness in her voice. “He got a deal from a guy he helped.”
Stagger smiled, but there was no joy in it.
“What are you trying to say here, Stagger?”
“Nothing. I’m trying to say nothing.”
“Why did you visit Leburne in prison?”
“Why do you think?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then let me spell it out for you. I knew Leburne had killed your father. I knew Cozone had ordered it. You still don’t see?”
“No, I don’t.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “I didn’t visit Leburne to get him to confess,” he said. “I went up there to make sure that he didn’t tell why.”
Stagger downed the entire glass.
“That’s crazy,” Kat said, even as she felt the floor beneath her start to shift. “What about that fingerprint?”
“Huh?”
“The fingerprint found at the scene. You checked it out for Suggs and Rinsky.”
He closed his eyes. “I’m leaving.”
“You’re still lying,” she said.
“It was just some homeless guy’s print.”
“That’s crap.”
“Let it go, Kat.”
“Your whole theory makes no sense,” she said. “If my father was on the take, why would Cozone kill him?”
“Because he wasn’t going to be on the take much longer.”
“What, he was going to turn on him?”
“I’ve said enough.”
“Whose fingerprint was at the scene?” she asked.
“I told you. Nobody’s.”
Stagger slurred his words now. She’d been right about not seeing him drink before. It wasn’t that she didn’t know him. He simply wasn’t a drinker. The alcohol was hitting him fast.
He started for the door. Kat stepped in his way.
“You’re still not telling me everything.”
“You wanted to know who killed your father. I told you.”
“You still didn’t explain what really happened.”
“Maybe I’m not the one you should be asking,” he said.
“Who, then?”
A strange look—something drunk, something gleeful—came to his face. “Didn’t you ever wonder why your dad would disappear for days at a time?”
She stopped, stunned. For a moment, she just stood there, blinking helplessly, trying to get her bearings. Stagger took advantage, moving toward the door, putting his hand on the knob, opening it.
“What?” she managed.
“You heard me. You want to start getting to the truth, but you just bury your head in the sand. Why was Henry always vanishing? Why didn’t anyone in your house ever talk about that?”
She opened her mouth, closed it, tried again. “What the hell are you saying, Stagger?”
“It isn’t for me to say anything, Kat. That’s what you’re not getting here. I’m not the one you should be talking to.”
Chapter 24
Kat took the B to the E and then picked up the 7 train out to her old neighborhood in Flushing. She headed down Roosevelt Avenue toward Parsons Boulevard, walking toward her house without conscious thought, as you do with the places of your childhood. You just know every step. She had lived in Manhattan longer, knew the Upper West Side better in some ways, but it never felt like this. Not home exactly. This was stronger than that. This neighborhood felt like a part of her. It felt as though some of her DNA was in the blue clapboards and off-white Cape Cods and cracked pavement and small patches of lawn, like she’d been beamed away à la Star Trek but a few of her particles got left behind. Part of her would always be at Thanksgiving at Uncle Tommy and Aunt Eileen’s, sitting at the “kids’ table,” which was a Ping-Pong table with a king-size sheet doubling as a tablecloth. Dad always carved the turkey—no one else was allowed to touch it. Uncle Tommy poured the drinks. He wanted the kids to have wine too. He’d start off with a spoonful and stir it into your Sprite, making it somewhat stronger as you got older until you reached an age where you left the Ping-Pong table altogether and got a full glass of wine. Uncle Tommy retired after thirty-six years working as an appliance repairman for Sears, and he and Aunt Eileen moved down to Fort Myers, Florida. Their old house was now owned by a Korean family who’d knocked out the back wall and built an addition and slapped on aluminum siding because, when Uncle Tommy and Aunt Eileen lived there, the paint was flaking like it had a bad case of dandruff.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink.”
“I guess we’re both full of surprises.”
“Or we don’t know each other very well.”
“That may be true,” he said. “Our relationship, as it were, was really based on your father. When he was gone, so was our connection. I mean, I’m your boss now, but it isn’t as though we communicate much.”
Stagger took another gulp. She took her first sip.
“Then again,” he went on, “when you form a bond in tragedy, when you have a history like ours . . .” He turned and gazed at her door as though it had just materialized. “I remember everything about that day. But the part I remember most was when you first opened that door. You had no idea I was about to destroy your world.”
He turned back toward her. “Can’t you just let this go?”
She took a deep sip. She didn’t bother answering.
“I haven’t lied to you,” Stagger said.
“Sure you have. You’ve been lying to me for eighteen years.”
“I’ve been doing what Henry would have wanted.”
“My father is dead,” Kat said. “He doesn’t get a say in this anymore.”
Another deep gulp. “It isn’t going to bring him back. And it isn’t going to change the facts. Cozone ordered the hit. Monte Leburne carried it out.”
“How were you onto Leburne so fast?”
“Because I already had an eye out for him.”
“Why?”
“I knew Cozone had killed your dad.”
“And Suggs and Rinsky missed it?”
He took another swig, emptying his glass. “They were like you.”
“How so?”
“They didn’t think Cozone would kill a cop.”
“But you thought differently.”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
He poured himself another glass. “Because Cozone didn’t view your father as a cop.”
She made a face. “What did he view him as?”
“An employee.”
A hot flush hit her face. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He just looked at her.
“Are you saying he was on the take?”
Stagger poured himself another. “More than that.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Stagger looked around the apartment as though for the first time. “Nice digs, by the way.” He tilted his head. “How many cops do you know can buy a place on the Upper West Side outright?”
“It’s small,” she said, hearing the defensiveness in her voice. “He got a deal from a guy he helped.”
Stagger smiled, but there was no joy in it.
“What are you trying to say here, Stagger?”
“Nothing. I’m trying to say nothing.”
“Why did you visit Leburne in prison?”
“Why do you think?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then let me spell it out for you. I knew Leburne had killed your father. I knew Cozone had ordered it. You still don’t see?”
“No, I don’t.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “I didn’t visit Leburne to get him to confess,” he said. “I went up there to make sure that he didn’t tell why.”
Stagger downed the entire glass.
“That’s crazy,” Kat said, even as she felt the floor beneath her start to shift. “What about that fingerprint?”
“Huh?”
“The fingerprint found at the scene. You checked it out for Suggs and Rinsky.”
He closed his eyes. “I’m leaving.”
“You’re still lying,” she said.
“It was just some homeless guy’s print.”
“That’s crap.”
“Let it go, Kat.”
“Your whole theory makes no sense,” she said. “If my father was on the take, why would Cozone kill him?”
“Because he wasn’t going to be on the take much longer.”
“What, he was going to turn on him?”
“I’ve said enough.”
“Whose fingerprint was at the scene?” she asked.
“I told you. Nobody’s.”
Stagger slurred his words now. She’d been right about not seeing him drink before. It wasn’t that she didn’t know him. He simply wasn’t a drinker. The alcohol was hitting him fast.
He started for the door. Kat stepped in his way.
“You’re still not telling me everything.”
“You wanted to know who killed your father. I told you.”
“You still didn’t explain what really happened.”
“Maybe I’m not the one you should be asking,” he said.
“Who, then?”
A strange look—something drunk, something gleeful—came to his face. “Didn’t you ever wonder why your dad would disappear for days at a time?”
She stopped, stunned. For a moment, she just stood there, blinking helplessly, trying to get her bearings. Stagger took advantage, moving toward the door, putting his hand on the knob, opening it.
“What?” she managed.
“You heard me. You want to start getting to the truth, but you just bury your head in the sand. Why was Henry always vanishing? Why didn’t anyone in your house ever talk about that?”
She opened her mouth, closed it, tried again. “What the hell are you saying, Stagger?”
“It isn’t for me to say anything, Kat. That’s what you’re not getting here. I’m not the one you should be talking to.”
Chapter 24
Kat took the B to the E and then picked up the 7 train out to her old neighborhood in Flushing. She headed down Roosevelt Avenue toward Parsons Boulevard, walking toward her house without conscious thought, as you do with the places of your childhood. You just know every step. She had lived in Manhattan longer, knew the Upper West Side better in some ways, but it never felt like this. Not home exactly. This was stronger than that. This neighborhood felt like a part of her. It felt as though some of her DNA was in the blue clapboards and off-white Cape Cods and cracked pavement and small patches of lawn, like she’d been beamed away à la Star Trek but a few of her particles got left behind. Part of her would always be at Thanksgiving at Uncle Tommy and Aunt Eileen’s, sitting at the “kids’ table,” which was a Ping-Pong table with a king-size sheet doubling as a tablecloth. Dad always carved the turkey—no one else was allowed to touch it. Uncle Tommy poured the drinks. He wanted the kids to have wine too. He’d start off with a spoonful and stir it into your Sprite, making it somewhat stronger as you got older until you reached an age where you left the Ping-Pong table altogether and got a full glass of wine. Uncle Tommy retired after thirty-six years working as an appliance repairman for Sears, and he and Aunt Eileen moved down to Fort Myers, Florida. Their old house was now owned by a Korean family who’d knocked out the back wall and built an addition and slapped on aluminum siding because, when Uncle Tommy and Aunt Eileen lived there, the paint was flaking like it had a bad case of dandruff.
