Page 101 of Lion & Lamb

Chapter107

5:02 a.m.

THE TROLLEYCar, out on the fringes of Northeast Philly, was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, cash only. Cooper Lamb had always thought this was the perfect setup for armed robbery. Hit ’em right after Sunday brunch and walk away with a mint. Well, maybe not a mint. The prices were so reasonable, that stolen dough would get you as far as Allentown. Maybe.

Cooper chose the place and extended the invitation; Mickey Bernstein accepted it.

Yeah, Cooper was still stunned by that. He’d assumed he’d have to go knocking on the homicide cop’s front door once again, and it was very likely such an encounter would end with a fistfight and handcuffs. A diner was a neutral spot and a clue that maybe Bernstein was willing to share some information.

Either that or Bernstein wanted to lure Cooper to an isolated parking lot at crazy o’clock in the morning so he could finish what he’d started a few nights ago outside Maya’s apartment building.

After all, it wouldn’t be the first time Mickey Bernstein showed up early to a homicide.

Cooper was pretending to study the menu when Bernstein arrived a few minutes before the appointed time. He slid into the booth across from Cooper, who had arrived even earlier to choose this table: right in the middle of the dining room, in full view of pretty much everybody, next to the battered upright piano and microphone.

Yes, the Trolley Car featured live entertainment, although Cooper had never witnessed it himself.

“Need a minute to look over the menu?” Cooper asked.

“Pretty sure I have it memorized by now,” Bernstein said, then gestured to a waitress, who changed course immediately to take care of the celebrity cop’s order. “Black coffee, sweetie, and a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Thanks.”

Cooper hadn’t been planning on ordering anything, since he wasn’t hungry, and this meeting would most likely not be a pleasant one. But he mirrored Bernstein’s order, substituting a Diet Coke for the coffee.

“I’ll level with you,” the homicide cop said. “On everything.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

“Just one rule,” Bernstein said. “No tapes.”

“I promise, I’m not taping anything.”

“Yeah, I hear you saying the words, but I’m dead serious about this. I know all the tricks. Don’t make me dunk your watch in your Diet Coke.”

“Bernstein, I’m not even wearing a watch. I could give a crap about recording you. I just want to know the truth.”

“Fine. And I’ll give you the truth. But I don’t think you’re going to be very happy when you hear it.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because you’re going to realize what a freakin’ idiot you’ve been.”

Chapter108

THERE WEREthree reasons Cooper Lamb had chosen the Trolley Car for his meeting with Mickey Bernstein.

One: The physical location. Close enough to I-95 for Cooper to make a quick getaway if he had to, but the diner was also in Bernstein’s neck of the woods (the so-called Great Northeast), so it was in his comfort zone.

Two: The crowd. Plenty of potential witnesses in case things went sideways.

Three: The piano.

And this was key. Cooper remembered it from a long-ago trip here with the kids; they were mortified when he waved a lighter and shouted, “‘Free Bird’!” even though no musicians were around. (“Dad, you seriously need a therapist,” Ariel told him.) But the piano and microphone were perfect hiding places for secret recording gear.

Which was why he’d brought Victor here three hours earlier and promisedhim a heart-stopping omelet if he’d wire the piano and mic for sound.

As Cooper had said, Bernstein wouldn’t find any trace of a recording device…unless he decided to lift the lid of that upright and start poking around.

Transcript of conversation between Cooper Lamb and homicide detective Michael Bernstein

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