‘Every cop in the City has been talking to me about Perelli. I’ve got nothing to tell you I haven’t told them.’
‘That doesn’t mean a thing, since I don’t know what you told them. Suppose you answer a few questions: questions I bet the police didn’t ask you.’
‘Well all right,’ he said with no enthusiasm. ‘So long as you pay for my time I don’t care.’
I rolled a cigarette across the desk to show him this wasn’t going to be a hurried session, and he wasn’t to get any false ideas about the value of his time, and lit one for myself.
‘Do you think Perelli kidnapped Dedrick?’
The small eyes blinked. He hadn’t been expecting that one.
‘What’s it matter what I think?’
‘Plenty. And, look, don’t let’s waste time. If you don’t want to answer questions, just hand back my dough and I’ll find someone who will.’
We stared at each other across the desk, and he decided I meant business.
‘Beer?’ he asked. ‘Might as well make ourselves comfortable.’