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She shook her head "Stolen sweets are best," she said "Didn't your mother ever tell you that?"

She wouldn't let estion that we split it "I invited you," she said "Besides, I owe you ure that?"

"Ray Galindez I owe you a hundred bucks"

"The hell you do"

"The hell I don't Soht to be paying your regular rate, you know that?"

"I don't have a regular rate"

"Well, I ought to be paying you what a client pays I certainly ought to be covering the expenses Speaking of which, you flew to Cleveland and back, you stayed over at a hotel-"

"I can afford it"

"I' on your behalf," I went on "I'et at least as much as you are"

"You think so? He's probably a lot less likely to fuck you in the ass"

"You never knohat he learned in prison I' ininyou of inco at the detective agency in order toyour time, the least I can do is cover all the expenses"

"Why don't we split the around, you're the one putting your regular work on the shelf for the duration Besides, I can afford it better than you can Don't pout, for Christ's sake, it's no reflection on your ot a lot of money"

"Well, you earned it"

"Me and S our money the old-fashioned way I earned it and I kept it and I invested it, and I'm not rich, honey, but I'll never be poor I own a lot of property I ownwent co-op, and I own houses and hts, et checks every ement coot too big a balance in o out and buy another piece of property"

"A woman of independent means"

"You bet your ass"

She paid the check On the way out we stopped at the bar and I introduced her to Gary He wanted to know if I orking on a case "He let me play Watson once," he told Elaine "Now I live in hope of another opportunity"

"One of these days"

He draped his long body over the bar, dropped his voice low "He brings suspects here for grilling," he confided "We grill theized We got out of there, and she said, "God, it's glorious out, isn't it? I wonder how long this weather can last"

"As long as it wants, as far as I' like six weeks until Christ hoo? That we can walk to?"

I thought for a o to bars?"

"Not usually The place I' to say he was a friend of ot an's We took a table, and I went over to the bar to get our drinks They don't have waiters there You fetch what you want yourself

The fellow behind the stick was called Burke If he had a first na his lips he said, "If you're looking for the big fella, he was just here I couldn't say if he'll be back or not"

I brought two glasses of club soda back to the table While we nursed them I told her a couple of stories about Mick Ballou The most colorful one involved ato arouse Ballou's ire Then one night Ballou went in and out of every Irish saloon on the West Side He was carrying a bowling bag, so they said, and he kept opening it to show off Paddy Farrelly's disembodied head

"I heard that story," Elaine said "Wasn't there so about it in the papers?"

"I think one of the columnists used it Mick refuses to confirm or deny In any event, Farrelly's never been seen since"

"Do you think he did it?"

"I think he killed Farrelly I don't think there's any real question of that I think he went around showing off a bowling bag I don't know for sure that he ever opened it, though, or that there was anything in it"

She thought it over "Interesting friends you have," she said

Before our club soda ran out, she got a chance to meet him He came in with two much smaller men in too ave th of the rooh a door at the rear Some five minutes later the three reappeared The two smaller men walked on out of the bar and headed south on Tenth Avenue, and Ballou stopped at the bar, then calass of twelve-year-old Jameson in his hand

"Matthew," he said "Good man" I pointed to a chair but he shook his head "I can't," he said "I have business Thefor a slavedriver"