Page 26 of Crosshairs
After the initial round of questions, Mary Catherine moved into follow-ups. “How on earth did you end up in New York City from Bozeman, Montana?”
“I spent my first eighteen years in Montana. Then after four years in the Army, I was looking for a change. Plus, my sister and her kids don’t live too far away—they’re about an hour or two from here, up in Putnam County in a little town called Ludingtonville.” He gave the group a charming smile and said, “I used to think Bozeman was a big city.”
Mary Catherine asked, “What do you do when you’re not slaving away for the NYPD?”
“That’s another reason I moved here. I’m finishing up my degree using the GI Bill and a couple of grants that Columbia got to help veterans with their education.”
I broke in. “You’re taking classes at Columbia University?”
“So far, just one class a semester, except last spring when I took two.”
Jane said, “I just came from Butler Library at Columbia.” She leaned forward as if in a courtroom. “How does a Columbia student get a black eye?”
I liked how she sounded like a prosecutor about to spring a trap.
Trilling took a moment, as usual. “I was trying to put one ofmy heavier textbooks on a high shelf and it slipped out of my hand and hit me in the face.”
I noted that his excuse for the black eye had changed from when I asked him about it this morning. Clearly he didn’t want to talk about how he came by the injury. On the bright side, he was not a particularly good liar. That is a trait I appreciate in people. Good liars can manipulate you and lead you anywhere. Bad liars are usually basically honest people.
Trilling turned to Ricky and said, “This is the best pot roast I’ve ever had in my life. And our beef in Montana was as fresh as it could be.”
Ricky beamed at the recognition from an outsider.
My grandfather said, “How do you like working for the NYPD?”
Trilling hesitated.
I noted it and assured him, “Everything said at this dinner table stays at this dinner table.” I looked around at everyone’s heads nodding.
Trilling sat up straight and said, “I’m still adjusting. I thought it would be a lot more like the military. Turns out, every unit has a different agenda and different ways of completing that agenda. I like the work. I like continuing my public service. I’m still getting used to the politics.”
Mary Catherine said, “Michael says you’ve been a great help on this case. At least the department is using your military experience.”
“I wasn’t a sniper in the Army. We practiced with rifles a lot, but like I’ve been telling Mike, there’s a huge difference between a military sniper and someone who can shoot well.”
“That’s saying something, from a guy who can shootverywell,” I said. The conversation moved on from putting Trilling on the spot, and dinner was capped with ice cream for dessert.
I was surprised Trilling was willing to stay after dinner. He played video games with the boys for a few minutes, then continued to chat quietly with Juliana. It reinforced how young he actually was. He was much more comfortable with my kids than with me.
But I continued to gain appreciation for this quiet young man.
CHAPTER 33
I STROLLED INTO the Manhattan North Homicide office the next morning feeling pretty good. Rob Trilling had been a huge hit at dinner. I also felt like I understood the young man much better. Now all we had to do was catch some nut who could shoot long-distance, whom no one had ever seen, and who seemingly chose his victims at random. And we had no leads. Easy.
Harry Grissom was in early this morning as well. I could hear him talking to someone in his office. I was afraid the person might be from One Police Plaza, so I tried to scoot past the lieutenant’s door without saying good morning. It didn’t work. I heard Harry say, “Mike, come on in here for a second.”
When I stepped through the door into Harry’s office and saw who was sitting in the chair opposite his desk, I’ll admit I was surprised to the point of being shocked. Lois Frang from theBrooklyn Democratwas chatting pleasantly with my boss.
Harry said, “Why didn’t you ever introduce me to this lovely woman?”
Lois smiled. She had me and she knew it.
Harry said, “You know, she’s the one who came up with the nickname ‘the Longshot Killer.’”
“Really?”
I hadn’t seen this kind of glow around Harry since the last time the Jets made the playoffs. That had been a while ago. He said, “Anything new we can give her?” He turned his head to look at Lois.