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“Sorry,” DelRaye said, and retrieved the card and handed it to Louise.

“The station sent you, I suppose, Mr. Mawson?” Louise Dutton asked.

“Actually, it was your father,” Mawson said.

“Okay,” Louise Dutton said, obviously pleased. She looked at Inspector Wohl and smiled.

“Gentlemen, may I have a moment with my client?” Mawson asked.

“You’re coming back?” Louise Dutton asked Inspector Wohl.

“Absolutely,” Wohl said. “I’ll just be a couple of minutes.”

“Let’s step out in the corridor a moment, Miss Dutton, shall we?” Mawson asked.

“What’s wrong with here?”

“I meant alone,” he said, gesturing at the one-way mirror. “And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there was a microphone in here that someone might inadvertently turn on.”

She got up and followed him out of the room, and out of the Homicide office into the curved corridor. Mawson saw her eyes following Inspector Wohl as he walked down the corridor.

“How far did the interview get?” Mawson asked.

“Nowhere,” she said. “The stenographer just got there.”

“Good,” he said. “I’ve been looking for you since

four this morning, Miss Dutton. Where have they had you?”

“Since four?”

“Your father called from London at half past three,” Mawson said.

“Okay,” she said.

“I went to your apartment, and they said you had been taken here, and when I came here, no one seemed to know anything about you. Where did they have you?”

“What exactly are you going to do for me here and now, Mr. Mawson?” Louise replied.

“Well, I’ll be present to advise you during their interview, of course. To protect your rights. You didn’t answer my question, Miss Dutton?”

“You can’t take the hint? That I didn’t want to answer it? They didn’t have me anywhere. Where I was, I don’t think is any of your business.”

“Your father is going to be curious, I’m sure of that.”

“It’s none of his business, either,” Louise said.

“We seem to have somehow gotten off on the wrong foot, Miss Dutton,” Mawson said. “I’m really sorry. Let’s try to start again. I’m here to protect your interests, your rights. To defend you, in other words. I’m on your side.”

“My side? The cops are the bad guys? You’ve got that wrong, Mr. Mawson. I’m on their side. I’ll tell the cops anything they want to know. I want them to catch whoever butchered Jerome Nelson.”

“You misunderstand me,” Mawson said.

“I want to be as helpful and cooperative as I can,” Louise said. “I just wasn’t up to it last night ... or early this morning, and that’s what that flap was all about. But I’ve had some rest, and now I’m willing to do whatever they want me to.”

“What ‘flap’?”

“There was some disagreement last night about when I was to come here,” she said. “But Inspector Wohl took care of that.”