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"Where would you find a list like that?"

"You'd have to compile it, which is what someone very likely did once the autopsy results confirmed cyanide as the cause of Adrian's death We can be sure his own name didn't show up on the list, or we'd have read headlines about it He'd have thought of that If he needed to show ID in order to buy cyanide, he'd have made sure it was in another naain"

"Unless he'd already destroyed it, yes I don't i the two Johnsons together, one froer in New York"

"No"

He excused hi how lucky he was-there had been no one lurking in the bathrooh I wouldn't have made his list," he said, "if only because he already had a criminal lawyer on it Hell of an eclectic list he came up with, wouldn't you say?"

"Very ht-to-lifer, and a black rabble-rouser All along everybody's been trying to find the common denominator You'd think it would become apparent when you knoho did it, but it's still hard to spot"

"He only really needed a reason for the first one," I said, "and he had that There he was, brooding over his role in Richie Vollmer's release, and McGraw's column stirred him to action At that point he very likely intended just to cole act of uess is he found out he liked it"

"Got a thrill out of it, you ot the soul of a psychopath?"

I shook ine he suddenly blosso"

"Satisfying"

"I think so, yes"

"Killing people who had it co the world a better place for it That what youlike that"

"I suppose it could be satisfying," he said "Especially for a man who's under a death sentence himself 'What can I do to improve the world before I leave it? Well, I can take that son of a bitch off the boards There, I may not live forever, but at least I outlived you, you bastard' "

"That's the idea The first one's Richie The second one's because he wants to do it again, so he picks soer on He's had soative opinion of the man"

"And after that?"

"I would think theNumbers three and four were similarly untouchable Roswell Berry had clearly incited acts that led to the deaths of physicians perforlove on him I don't suppose there was a personal element in it, unless Adrian knew one of the doctors or had strong feelings on the subject of abortion rights"

"His sister," Ray said suddenly

"His sister? I didn't think he had any brothers and sisters"

"He told o, back when he used to put away a lot le-h I couldn't tell you the brand" He grinned suddenly "I can reh Isn't that a surprise? We were both about half lit and he told me about his sister She o or three years older than Adrian She ay at college when she died, and Adrian was in his last year of high school"

I thought I knew the answer, but I asked the question anyway "What did she die of?"

"Blood poisoning," he said "One of those infections that goes through you like wildfire That was all they told hiot the whole story from his mother She wouldn't tell hiure it out now"

"Yes"

"Septice a back-street abortion Did it transforhts? Not that you'd notice Maybe he wrote out a check once in a while, or voted for or against a candidate because of his stand on the issue, but he didn't sign a lot of petitions and open letters, and I never saw hi St Patrick's"

"But when it came time to draw up a little list-" He nodded "Sure Why not? 'This one's for you, Sis' " He stifled a yawn "Funny," he said "I never got tired when I drank It was always the easiest thing in the world to talk the night away"

"I'll go hoet soh yet Anyway, all we need is a little in to have what you could call proof," Ray Gruliow said "It's far too little for an indictment, let alone a conviction"

"I realize that"

"All of which isthe living" He settled back in his seat "And you weren't trying to sell it to a jury anyere you? I'uy you want to buy it"

"And?"

"And I suppose I'h evidence," I said, "once you had a ton of guys with badges looking for it Print up a few dozen photos of Adrian and show them to people at airports and hotels and you'll find someone who remembers him Pull NYNEX's records of local calls made from his home and office phones He probably made most of his calls from pay phones, but there may be soh his apartment and his office with the kind of detailed search I didn't have the time or authority for and who knohat kind of hard evidence you'll find"

"So what's the question?"

"The question is what do I do with this sleeping dog"

"Traditionally, you're supposed to let them lie"

"I know"

"Adrian's dead, and Will's officially retired He said so in his last letter What did he do, drop that in the mail on his way out of the courtroom?"