Page 21 of NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority

Let them wonder.

“Is Cheryl here?” I asked.

“Not yet,” Nico said.

“I’ll wait for her out front,” I said.

Nico escorted Kylie to a table, and I stepped out to the center of the road so I could get an unobstructed view of the billowy swaths of red, orange, and gold as the sun slowly splashed down on the Hudson.

A few minutes later, a cab pulled up to the restaurant, and Cheryl emerged. Men unabashedly turned to check her out, starting as they invariably do, from the neck down. Women were subtler but just as curious about thisraven-haired,brown-eyedbeauty with the flawless caramel skin. On the outside, Cheryl has the smoldering Latina looks of her Puerto Rican grandmother. But that’s just a genetic anomaly. In truth, most of her DNA is pure Irish, with roots that go back to the auld sod.

She beamed when she saw me, and I felt the same rush I get every time I see her. How did I get this lucky?

“How’s the case going?” she whispered in my ear as she leaned in to kiss me.

Most detectives can’t share the details of their work with their girlfriend. But that’s not an issue for us. Cheryl is a cop doc—Dr. Cheryl Robinson, a psychologist with the department. She works with Kylie and me.

“I think we just caught a break,” I said. “I’ll know more tomorrow.”

“And how is my little project going?” she said.

Her little project.A month ago, Cheryl’s aunt Janet called and begged a favor. Her son Shane wasthirty-fiveyears old, but he was too busy cooking for people to settle down and procreate. Aunt Janet’s instructions were simple and to the point: “Find your cousin a nice girl. I want grandbabies.”

Cheryl decided that the mostShane-worthywoman she knew was Kylie. It took a bit of coaxing because Kylie was still digging out of the rubble of her failed marriage, but eventually she agreed. As soon as she said yes, Cheryl backed off. As she put it, “I wasn’t about to screw things up by telling her Aunt Janet would like to know where you stand on the reproductive process.”

“Your project seems to be going well,” I said. “Even if no progeny result from this alliance, at least we have a backstage pass to the hottest restaurant in town.”

Nico ushered us to a quiet booth in the back, where Shane, still in his chef’s whites, was sitting with Kylie. As soon as he saw us, he stood up. Unlike his cousin, Shane had the red hair, blue eyes, and fair skin of his Irish ancestry. He kissed Cheryl, gave me a bro hug, and signaled to his wait staff. “I didn’t know what you were in the mood for,” he said, “but Kylie said you guys were starved, so I told the kitchen to surprise us with some of everything and keep it coming till we beg for mercy.”

Wine was poured, and the first of many little tasting plates arrived.

“I know you can’t say much about the Hellman murders,” Shane said as soon as we started eating, “but Curtis Hellman and his wife had dinner here last week.”

“Wow,” Kylie said. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Just the two of them. They sat over there,” he said, pointing. “In Rebecca’s station.”

“Do you know how much he tipped her?” Kylie asked.

“No, but I can check the credit card records. Why do you ask?”

Kylie looked left, then right, and then edged closer to him, her face and body language all business. “Because,” she said in a near whisper, “if the son of a bitch stiffed her, Rebecca is definitely a suspect.”

She nailed us all. Me included.

“So I guess,” Shane said when he stopped laughing, “you’re not willing to discuss the case.”

“Correct,” Kylie said.

“Even though I bought you dinner.”

“If you’re trying to bribe me,” Kylie said, flirting with him over a forkful of sautéed zucchini ribbons, “you’re going to have to do a lot more than buy me dinner.”

I didn’t hear Shane’s reply. I was too busy looking at Cheryl, who was clearly enjoying how well her little project was going.

Not only was Shane a brilliant chef, he knew how to orchestrate a tasting menu. Each little plate was better than the one before it, and by the time thetwo-bitelollipop lamb chops infused with rosemary and garlic arrived, I publicly thanked Kylie for saving me from ending another long day with pepperoni pizza.

Fifteen minutes later, my phone vibrated, and even before I looked at the caller ID, I instinctively knew that my long day was about to get longer.

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