Dirt

voice was saying.
    “Aw…” Martha responded, “and I just made myself look so pretty for you.”
    “I’ll miss that, baby, but there’s nothing I can do.”
    “Tomorrow, then?”
    “I’ll have to call you; it’s a rough week.”
    “Oh, all right,” she said, the disappointment heavy in her voice. The call ended.
    “How much did I miss?” Stone asked.
    “Nothing important.”
    “Did she make the call?”
    “No, he called her.”
    “Shit. If she makes any calls, can you extract the numbers from the keypad beeps?”
    “Sure.”
    “What about Caller ID? Can you pick up her incoming calls?”
    “Nope; that has to be done centrally, at the exchange. Nothing I can do about it.”
    “What did you find inside her apartment?”
    “Nice place; not large, but good furniture — antiques, nice upholstered pieces, a baby grand piano, out of tune. Her clothes are pretty dull, but there was a new black dress in a Saks bag that looked more elegant than her other stuff. I found some credit card bills; she’s got a balance on her Visa of six thousand and change, pretty high for a secretary, but she pays on time.” “She makes good money, so the Visa balance isn’t out of line,” Stone said. “What else? Any photographs of men?”
    “Nope, only one photograph; looks like her parents. She reads a lot, almost all hardbacks; there are a lot of bookcases in the place. She buys expensive-looking sheets and towels, there are a couple of good oriental carpets in the place. All in all, a fairly high-end joint, especially for a single woman.” “Anything else?”
    “I saved the best for last; her apartment’s already wired, and by the same guy who did your job.”
    “Jesus, that’s four residences they’ve gone after; these people must have some money behind them.”
    “Either that, or one of them knows his way around electronic surveillance. The equipment isn’t very exotic or very expensive, but whoever did it knew what he was doing.”
    Music suddenly came from the speaker in the van.
    “Sounds like WQXR, the classical radio station,” Cantor said. “Interesting lady; pity she’s not more of a looker.”
    “Where are you going to park the recorder?” Stone asked.
    “Right here; I’m in a legal parking spot, and I don’t have to move the van until tomorrow morning, when the alternate side parking rules change. I’ll just leave it until then.” “Good. No point in surveilling when she’s at work, either. Just check her between quitting time and bedtime; let’s see if the guy really calls back or if he’s just handing her a line.” “Okay. How long do you want me to keep the recorder going?”
    “The rest of the week, if you can check out the other two names I gave you while the recorder listens.”
    “Sure thing. Tell me, did you set your alarm when you left the house?”
    “Damn it, I forgot.”
    “They’ll come back, I promise you.”
    “How will I know if they do?”
    “You won’t, unless you know exactly what to look for.”
    Stone opened the door of the van. “I think I’d better get home.”
     
     
    The phone was ringing when he opened the front door.
    “Hi,” Arrington said. “How about tonight?”
    “I’ve got to do something tonight,” he said. “and I’m afraid you can’t help.”
    “I can be very helpful,” she said.
    “I know, but this one I need to do alone. How about tomorrow?”
    “You’re on; see you later.” She hung up.
    Stone walked around the house and took a good look at things; nothing seemed to have been disturbed in his absence. He switched on the living room lights and left the house by the front door, careful to set the alarm this time, then walked around to the other side of the block and rang the bell of a neighbor of his acquaintance.
    “Hi,” he said to the woman. “I’ve forgotten my front door key; could I go out the back door of your house? I’ve got a kitchen door key hidden.”
    “Sure,” the woman said, then let him into and out the rear of her house.
    It was dark now, but the lights in the common garden had not yet come on. Stone stood very still for ten minutes, sweeping the entire garden, looking for any sign of movement. There was none. He walked slowly toward the back door of his own house, as if out for an evening stroll, then stopped again at his back gate. Still no movement in the garden.
    He went to his kitchen door and let himself in, then disarmed the burglar alarm. Without turning on any lights, he went