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And he’s right-and Peter made it clear he agrees with him-I probably would learn a hell of a lot I don’t know and should if I went to one of the districts as a uniform sergeant.

But I don’t want to be a uniform sergeant, spending my time driving around a district waiting for something to happen, getting involved in domestic disturbances, petty theft, and all that.

I like being a detective. I like working in civilian clothing.

And I didn’t come up with that ruling that the high-five guys get their choice of assignment. They offered that prize, and I won it, fair and square, and I want it.

That’s what I’ll tell him.

When all else fails, tell the truth.

“What did your mother have to say?” Commissioner Coughlin asked.

“My father went to Washington,” Matt replied. “He’s going to meet Mother in Wilmington, and they’ll spend the night. So I’ll have to wait until they get back to tell them. And I couldn’t get Amy on the phone; she teaches all day on Monday.”

“Is he still pushing you to go to law school?”

Here it comes: “Maybe you should think about it, Matt.”

“With great subtlety and even greater determination.”

“He means well, Matty,” Coughlin said.

“I know.”

“What’s Peter got you working on?” Coughlin asked.

I’m not supposed to tell you. But on the other hand, you’re Deputy Commissioner Coughlin. You have every right in the world to ask.

“A cop-on-the-take question. Captain Cassidy, of the Eighteenth, is driving to his new condominium at Atlantic City in his new GMC Yukon XL. He gave his old one-last year’s- to his daughter, who is married to a sergeant in the Eleventh. They also have a condo at the shore.”

“Peter got it from Internal Affairs?” Coughlin asked.

“Until just now, I thought he got it from you,” Matt said. “Either you or Chief Lowenstein. He said he wanted answers before Internal Affairs got involved.”

Chief Inspector Matthew L. Lowenstein was chief of detectives.

“And have you? Come up with any answers?”

“Not so far.”

“What have you got so far?”

“His major expense is the condo,” Matt said. “The payment on the mortgage-$325,000-is about $2,400 a month. They furnished it from scratch, and the furniture payment is $323 a month. The Yukon-”

“What’s a Yukon?” Coughlin interrupted.

“I’m not really sure. What Cassidy has-and the old one, too, that he gave to his daughter-is the big GMC. Until I started this, I thought they called them ’Suburbans.’ ”

“Okay,” Coughlin said.

“Anyway, he bought the new Yukon-no trade-in-with no money down, on a four-year note. That’s $683 a month. That’s about-”

“Thirty-four hundred a month,” Coughlin interrupted. “Which is a large chunk out of a captain’s pay.”

“His house is paid for,” Matt said. “He lives in Northeast Philly, not far from Chief Wohl.”

“I know.”