Worst Fears Realized

opened it, he heard the police siren growing closer.

62
    THE CAR BARELY STOPPED MOVING FORStone to get in. He grappled with his seat belt as Dino spun the car to the left out of the driveway, spraying gravel. “Tell me about it, Dino,” he said, when the car was stable again.
    “A doorman at an apartment house on Park Avenue called,” Dino said, roaring around another car, lights flashing, siren wailing. “He recognized Peter Hausman from the sketch in the papers, but it took him some time to get up the nerve to call. Mitteldorfer has been living in his building, under the name of Howard Menzies.”
    “He’s sticking with his initials, then.”
    “Yeah; maybe he has monogrammed hankies. Anyway, Hausman showed up at the building after we busted his brother. Then, this evening, Mitteldorfer sells his brand-new Mercedes back to the dealer at a big loss, packs up, and heads for Kennedy. Said hewas taking his wife’s ashes back to her ’homeland.’”
    “And the ashes would be Eloise Enzberg?”
    “You guessed it. The doorman recognized her photograph when Andy Anderson showed it to him.”
    “So he’s headed for Germany?”
    “I’m not counting on it; there are flights leaving for London, Paris, Rome, and half a dozen other cities, in addition to four destinations in Germany, and they’re all going within the next hour. All the passenger lists are being checked for Menzies and Hausman. Andy’s meeting us at the airport; well know more then.” Dino swung right onto the shoulder to get around a truck.
    “If we live that long,” Stone said, gritting his teeth. Dino was a fast driver at the most relaxed of times, but an emergency brought out the Fanzio in him. “Did you crack Deacon?”
    “Nope; couldn’t get a word out of him; he’s too smart for that.”
    “Shit!”
    Dino grinned. “But I cracked Mick Kelly like an egg; cut him a deal.”
    “Can Kelly hang it on him?”
    “You bet he can. Deacon had blood on his shirt cuffs when Kelly saw him after the murder. He blackmailed Deacon for a spot in the DA’s Office. He’s lucky Deacon didn’t cuthis throat.”
    “Good going, Dino! What about Brougham?”
    “He had to know about the doctored tape, but we won’t get him unless Deacon testifies against him. He’s already resigned, though.” Dino was cutting cross-country, avoiding the Long Island Expressway, cutting through residential neighborhoods and commercial districts.

    Stone noted that their speed had never dropped below sixty, and at times was more than eighty. It was as fast as he’d ever traveled in an urban area.
    “How did your conversation with Eduardo go?” Dino asked.
    “Don’t talk, drive,” Stone said.
    “I drive better when I talk,” Dino said, jumping the curb and cutting across the lawn of a corner house to avoid a delivery truck. “What did he have to say?”
    “He said he thought that Brougham would never be a problem again.”
    “Yeah, he would be happy about that, wouldn’t he? Now Dante will get a new trial, and Eduardo can take credit for it with the goombahs.”
    “We couldn’t have broken this without him,” Stone said. “You might remember that.”
    “Yeah, it sort of takes the thrill away, you know?” Dino hit the six-lane approach to Kennedy, driving down the shoulder past heavy traffic. “Did Eduardo propose?”
    “Propose what?”
    “Marriage.”
    “What are you talking about, Dino?” Stone asked, closing his eyes tightly as they veered around a disabled car on the shoulder.
    “You know what he’s doing, don’t you? He’s arranging a marriage for Dolce.”
    “Dino, Dolce is already married.”
    “Oh, didn’t I tell you? Somebody capped Johnny Donato this afternoon.”
    Stone froze. “You’re kidding; tell me you’re kidding.”
    “I’m not kidding.”

    “Who did it?”
    “We’ll probably never know, but I wouldn’t have a heart attack if somebody told me it was Dolce herself. It was a straight mob hit, two rounds to the back of the head.” Dino chuckled.
    “It’s not funny.”
    “Sure, it is,” Dino said. He swung onto the drive to the international terminal and screeched to a halt. Andy Anderson came running to meet them.
    “I’ve alerted airport security,” he said. “Here comes their chief, now.”
    A man in a dark suit approached. “Lieutenant Bacchetti? I’m Sam Warren, head of airport security. Tell me what I can do to help.”
    “You’ve seen the pictures?”
    Warren nodded. “They’re being