best in the business. They’ve pulled off three big jobs now, flawlessly and without hurting anybody.”
“The older guys around here say this is the slickest work they’ve seen since Eddie Buono and his crew knocked over that currency outfit at Kennedy more than twenty years ago.”
“Dino, can you get a search warrant for Crane’s building? She has a duplex and rents two apartments. She liked my mother’s paintings so much, I think she might have kept at least one.”
“We don’t have enough for a warrant, Stone, you ought to know that.”
“You don’t have a tame judge on tap?”
“Not that tame.”
“What are you doing to find the paintings?”
“The art squad has a routine. You’re getting the same attention that you would if the pictures were van Goghs and Picassos.”
“Thanks, Dino. You want to join Mike Freeman and me for lunch tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
“Usual time and place.”
“I’ll be there. Maybe I’ll have more for you by then.”
38
Mike and Dino were already at Mike’s regular table at the Four Seasons Grill. Stone sat down, and a waiter poured him a glass of Chardonnay from a bottle in a cooler.
“How you feeling?” Dino asked.
“Better and angrier.”
“I want you to know our art investigation team is all over this. They’re checking shippers to stop the pictures from being sent abroad, they’re harassing dealers who’ve been known to handle hot art, they’re doing everything they can.”
“Are you satisfied with what your techs did with your system yesterday?” Mike asked.
“I am. They did a great job, and they’ve switched my monitoring to an Agency office. Mike, did Dino tell you that Dugan bought my monitoring service?”
“No.”
“Not yet,” Dino said.
“And the guy on duty that night ignored the alarm, then left his job the next morning. How many of your clients use that service?” Stone asked.
“I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”
“I should think you’d be better off with in-house monitoring,” Stone said. “Have you considered that?”
“I’m considering it as we speak.”
“There’s something else, Mike,” Dino said.
“Are you talking about Crane Hart? Your people spent two hours with her yesterday.”
“Yes. Did she talk to you about it?”
“No, she left the office immediately afterward, and she called in sick this morning. What’s going on?”
Stone was glad that he wasn’t conveying this information.
Dino went on. “We suspect that Crane and Dugan may be involved in a series of robberies, of which Stone’s is the third.”
“Go on,” Mike said.
“Turns out Crane had access to a lot of wealthy clients’ records when she was with Steele, and it’s possible she may have helped Dugan select victims. Stone recognized the voice of one of Dugan’s people in the robbery last weekend at the Coulter apartment.”
Stone brought Mike up to date on that.
“Mike, you might give some thought to the work that Crane is doing for you now.”
“Right now, she’s working on planning security for a private jewelry show in a couple of weeks.” Mike took a large sip of his wine.
Dino and Stone exchanged glances.
“Just the sort of thing Dugan might like to know about,” Dino said.
“I just can’t believe Crane would be involved in something like this.”
“Can you believe that Dugan might be?” Stone asked.
Mike drank some more wine and nodded. “Yes, I can.”
“Did you know that they’re back together?” Stone asked.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Immediately after their divorce decree came down.”
Mike looked grim, but he didn’t reply.
“It turns out,” Dino said gently, “that Crane has a history of sleeping with people who can give her the kind of information that Dugan would need to pull off these jobs. Is there someone at Strategic Services who might fit that bill?”
“Yes, there is,” Mike said. “Me.”
Everyone got very quiet.
“Have you talked to her about anything you’re working on that Dugan might be interested in?”
“Yes, the jewelry show she’s working on. A dozen dealers will be exhibiting high-end pieces to an invited audience from the trade. There’ll be more than a hundred million dollars in jewelry there.”
“Where and when is the show to be held?” Dino asked.
Mike gave him the date. “It’s at a new hotel, the Creighton Arms, that’s opening that day. The jewelry dealers have taken the top floor. We’re providing armed guards and a temporary, wireless alarm system. Each dealer will have a remote device with a panic button.”
“And what part of this is Crane working on?” Stone asked.
“Overview. She knows the whole setup.”
A waiter appeared, and they took a moment to order lunch, then they were alone again.
“May I make a suggestion, Mike?” Dino asked.
“I would be very grateful if you would.”
“I suggest you