“Thanks, George,” Laurie said.
“I never saw you,” George answered.
Returning to the locker room, Laurie slowly put on her street clothes. Then, with her things in hand, she walked the length of the morgue, past the mortuary office, and past the security office. At the morgue loading dock were several mortuary vans with HEALTH AND HOSPITAL CORP. stenciled on the sides.
Walking between the vans, Laurie emerged on Thirtieth Street. It was a gray, rainy, clammy day. Opening her umbrella, Laurie began to trudge up toward First Avenue. As far as she was concerned, it was the nadir of her life.
Tony got out of Angelo’s car. He was just slamming the door when he noticed that Angelo hadn’t moved. He was still sitting behind the wheel.
“What’s the matter?” Tony asked. “I thought we were going inside.”
“I don’t like the idea of going into the morgue,” Angelo admitted.
“You want me to go in there by myself?” Tony asked.
“No,” Angelo said. “I like that idea even less.” Angelo reluctantly opened his door and stepped out. He pulled an umbrella from the floor of the backseat and snapped it open. Then he locked the car.
At the security office Angelo asked for Vinnie Amendola.
“Go on into the mortuary office,” the guard said. “It’s just ahead, on your left.”
Angelo didn’t like the city morgue any better than he’d thought he would. It looked bad and smelled bad. They hadn’t been there three minutes and already he couldn’t wait to get out.
At the mortuary office he again asked for Vinnie. He explained that it was something about Vinnie’s father. The man asked Angelo and Tony to wait there; he’d be right back with Vinnie.
Five minutes later Vinnie came into the mortuary office in his green scrub clothes. He looked upset. “What about my father?” he asked.
Angelo put an arm around Vinnie’s shoulder. “Could we speak in private?” he asked. Vinnie let himself be led into the hall.
Vinnie looked him straight in the eye. “My father has been dead for two years,” he said. “What’s this about?”
“We’re friends of Paul Cerino,” Angelo said. “We were supposed to remind you that Mr. Cerino helped your father once with the unions. Mr. Cerino would appreciate having his favor returned. There’s a doctor here by the name of Laurie Montgomery—”
“She’s not here anymore,” Vinnie interrupted.
“What do you mean?” Angelo asked.
“She was fired this morning,” Vinnie said.
“Then we need her address,” Angelo said. “Could you get that for us? And remember, this is just between us. I’m sure I don’t have to spell it out for you.”
“I understand,” Vinnie said. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
Angelo sat back down, but he didn’t have to wait for long. Vinnie came back with Laurie’s address and even her phone number as speedily as promised. He explained he got the information from the on-call schedule.
Relieved to be leaving the morgue, Angelo nearly jogged back to his car.
“What’s the plan?” Tony asked once Angelo had started the engine.
“No time like the present. Let’s go to the broad’s apartment now. We’re even in the neighborhood.”
Fifteen minutes later they had parked on Nineteenth Street and were walking toward Laurie’s apartment building.
“How are we going to handle this?” Tony asked.
“We’ll try the usual way,” Angelo said. “Use our police badges. As soon as we get her in the car, we’re golden.”
In the foyer of Laurie’s building they got her apartment number from her mailbox. The inner door was not much of a barrier to the likes of Angelo. Two minutes later they were in the elevator heading for the fifth floor.
They went directly to Laurie’s door and pressed her buzzer. When there was no response, Angelo hit it again.
“She must be out looking for another job,” Tony said.
“Looks like quite a set of locks,” Angelo said, studying the door.
Tony’s eyes left the door and roamed around the tiny hall. His eyes instantly locked onto Debra Engler’s. Tony tapped Angelo on the shoulder and whispered, “We got one of the neighbors looking at us.”
Angelo turned in time to see Debra’s probing eye through her narrowly opened door. As soon as his eye caught hers, she slammed the door shut. Angelo could hear her locks clicking in place.