Invasion of Privacy

yet seen, seems to know about me.”
    Hendrix looked confused. “ Dees ? Yeah, I think that’s one of the names there. So what?”
    I shook my head. “The cat’s out of the bag, Boycie. Your Dees is a figment of the federal imagination. The real Dees died two days after graduating from college, up where,” I thumbed toward Coarse behind me, “one of your loyal troops has a relative on the force.”
    Now Hendrix sat stock-still, no expression on his face.
    I tried to phrase things as though I didn’t know about the Milwaukee connection. “I’m guessing Chief Braverman gave you guys the idea of using a real—or ‘formerly real’— identity for whoever your ‘cooperating witness’ was in his prior life, when he must have helped you or the FBI or somebody on a major case.”
    Hendrix worked his mouth, much like Fine had. “No comment.”
    “Terrific. Just listen, then. When I saw the guy you have as Dees , he knew I was reaching for a questionnaire before I ever showed it to him. So somebody must have put a call in to him. Maybe you, except I didn’t show or even refer to my form when I was here. That tells me you’ve got somebody in the complex with Dees, somebody who tipped you or him about the questionnaire I’d been using with the neighbors.”
    Hendrix was looking a little green around the gills.
    Thinking back to Robert Murphy at Boston Homicide, I said, “A watcher, maybe?”
    Greener still. I could hear Coarse breathing behind me.
    “Make a phone call, Boycie. We start up again when the watcher joins us.”
    Hendrix really didn’t like the turn things had taken, but I didn’t see a way out for him, and apparently he didn’t, either.
    His next comment was aimed above my shoulder. “Keep him here.”
    After Hendrix closed the inner door, Coarse rested a beefy hand on either side of my neck. I tensed, but all he did was say, “The chief’s my uncle,” then let go of me.

    When the inner door opened again, Fine came through first, apparently to make sure Coarse was still holding the fort. Then Hendrix followed him in. Tángela Robinette appearing behind Hendrix made us a quintet.
    “Ms. Robinette,” I said.
    “Mr. Cuddy,” watching me like Coco Cocozzo had. No smile, no frown, just concentration.
    I looked over at Fine. “Just so I can speak politely about everybody, what’s your name?”
    Fine looked to Robinette, not Hendrix, which confirmed something I’d already suspected. The woman glanced briefly to the side and then came back to me, nodding once.
    Fine said, “Kourmanos.”
    “A pleasure. And the gentleman behind me?”
    Coarse said, “Braverman.”
    “Thanks.” Back to Robinette. “Let me catch you up on the conversation so far. After I saw Hendrix here on—”
    “Boyce already filled me in, Mr. Cuddy. Who are you working for and why?”
    “I’m getting to that.”
    “Get to it now.”
    “No.”
    We looked at each other for a while. I had the feeling that Robinette wouldn’t blink first.
    I said, “All right. A client came to see me. Said she was a little concerned about her boyfriend-CM/n-fiance not seeming to have a background. She asked me to check into—”
    “Jesus fucking Christ,” said Hendrix. “His girlfriend is your client?”
    Without looking away from me, Robinette said, “Boyce? Please?”
    Hendrix shut up.
    I said, “I come to see Boycie—”
    “You say that one more time, fucker, and—”
    Robinette said, “Boyce,” again, this time with that steel core in her voice.
    Hendrix folded his arms across his chest.
    I looked at Robinette. “I come here, I visit you all at Plymouth Willows, then Dees at the photocopy shop, where he’s already upset about me. I head back to Boston , and you guys check me out. Not too thoroughly, I’m thinking, just enough to make sure I’m who and what I say I am, a licensed investigator. Then Kourmanos and Braverman try to convince me as unconstitutionally as possible that Hendrix Management is mob-connected, emphasizing how I can save my butt by butting out. Whose idea was that, by the way?”
    Robinette’s nostrils flared a little, as they had when I’d riled her back in the condo unit. “Let us just say it was not a unanimous decision.”
    “Well, it might have worked, I suppose. But it didn’t, because other than you all obviously being made nervous that anybody was asking any questions, you couldn’t have known I was after Dees in particular. That’s why I let my client know I’d been warned