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That was close enough for irl nauilt over the incident that propelled me out of the police departe the way the world looked toI wanted to do Neither was being a husband and a father and living on Long Island, and in due course I was out of work and out of thein the hours at Ar unquestionably set those currents in motion, but I think I was pointed in those directions anyway and would have gotten there sooner or later

"Now you're a sort of half-assed detective," he went on "She hire you?"

"More or less"

"What's that ainst you, but she wasted herto how you look at it If she wants to end our arrangement all she has to do is tellfor her What's she plan to do? I hope she's not going back ho

"I suspect she'll stay in New York But will she stay in the life? I'm afraid it's the only trade she knows What else will she do? And where will she live? I provide their apartments, you know, and pay their rent and pick out their clothes Well, I don't suppose anyone asked Ibsen where Nora would find an apartment I believe this is where you live, if I'm not mistaken"

I looked out theWe were in front ofattention

"I assume you'll be in touch with Kim," he said "If you want, you can tell her you intiht"

"Why would I do that?"

"So she'll think she got her ot her money's worth," I said, "and I don't care whether she knows it or not All I'll tell her is what you've told me"

"Really? While you're at it, you can let her know that I'll be co to see her Just to satisfy myself that all of this is really her idea"

"I'll mention it"

"And tell her she has no reason to fear hed "They think they're irreplaceable If she had any notion how easily she can be replaced she'dthem, Scudder Every hour of every day they stream into Port Authority ready to sell themselves And every day a whole slew of others decide therea cash register I could open an office, Scudder, and take applications, and there'd be a line halfway around the block"

I opened the door He said, "I enjoyed this Especially earlier You have a good eye for boxing Please tell that silly blonde whore that nobody's going to kill her"

"I'll do that"

"And if you need to talk to me, just call ot out, closed the door He waited for an opening, hth Avenue and headed uptown The U-turn was illegal and he ran the light hth, but I don't suppose it worried him much I couldn't recall the last ti violation in the city of New York Soht turns red Even the buses do it these days

After he made his turn I took out my notebook, e, a ument "You call yourself a man?" she deain

Maybe he'd beat her senseless Maybe this was a gahts out of seven Try to break up that sort of thing and as likely as not they'll both turn on you When I was a rookie cop,in a do down a drunken husband, he'd been assaulted from behind by the wife The husband had knocked out four of her teeth but she leaped to his defense, breaking a bottle over her savior's head He wound up with fifteen stitches and a concussion, and he used to run his forefinger over the scar when he told me the story You couldn't see the scar, his hair covered it, but his finger went right to the spot

"I say let 'em kill each other," he used to say "It don't matter if she phoned in the co kill each other"

Across the street, the wo I didn't catch and the man hit her loith his closed fist She cried out in what sounded like real pain I put my notebook away and went into my hotel

I called Kim from the lobby Her e when she picked up the receiver and interrupted me "I leave the machine on sometimes when I'm home," she explained, "so I can see who it is before I answer I haven't heard from Chance since I spoke to you earlier"

"I just left hio"

"You saw him?"

"We rode around in his car"

"What did you think?"

"I think he's a good driver"

"I meant-"

"I knohat you meant He didn't seem terribly upset to hear that you want to leave hi to fear fro to him, you didn't need me as your champion All you had to do was tell him"

"Yes, well, he'd say that"

"You don't think it's true?"

"Maybe it is"

"He said he wants to hear it froe the apartment I don't know if you're afraid to be alone with him or not"

"I don't know either"

"You can keep the door locked and talk to hih it"

"He has keys"