"Do you want to swear out a warrant?"
"God, no! How would that look for the firm? I wouldn't have a client left. I just want you to find him..." Ethel raged on for several minutes, listing in graphic detail exactly what she'd do to her partner-now ex-partner-until Dean managed to get her to agree to sign a complaint so the police could begin a quiet search. Yes, she would come by the station with the names of all Arthur's known friends, all the little fairies, as she called them, and the addresses of his favorite haunts. He rocked back in his chair, catching his breath and ignoring the smiles and snickers of the others in the room.
Dean shuffled through the remaining telephone messages, recognizing most as unfinished business from pending investigations, but one caught his eye. It was from Cece Baldwin. He had nearly forgotten the young lady, the recipient of Jeffrey Byrne's kindness. Dean wondered if Jeff was not the saint she thought, not deceased, instead bopping along somewhere west of Kansas, with several million bucks in his pocket. He dialed the number but no one answered.
Before Dean could return any other messages, Leland Anderson stepped out of his office, looking like the March Hare.
"Announcement," he called. "The word's out the grand jury is inches away from returning an indictment against Big Daddy Delasandro!" A cheer went up from the squad room. Big Daddy, kingpin of the Philadelphia family, had been untouchable for as long as anyone could remember. "Dean," Anderson continued, "it looks like your buddy Baratto was a big help. Let's just hope the indictment clicks and they nail the fat bastard Delasandro to the courthouse wall."
When it quieted down, Dean explained Arthur Atherton's disappearance to the lieutenant. They agreed Lenny Harrigan should handle the matter in view of Dean's relationship with Ethel. Dean hurriedly left the office before Ethel showed.
Dean and Andy Sackler spent the rest of the day trying in vain to chase down the final movements of the late Mr. Homer Flanders before the Colombians enlarged his grin. They went through the motions of checking all the hotels and flophouses in the city, but no one had seen Homer in the days preceding his murder. One more unsolved gangland slaying. Dean tried Cece Baldwin's number several more times without success.
One more piece of unfinished business was put to rest when Dean arranged for two young friends of DeLeo to ferry Fred's rental car back to Scranton. The boys were glad to earn 50 bucks and DeLeo was polite enough not to ask why a 74-year-old man was renting a one-way automobile.