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"And how long will you pay ure out so that'll make us both happy," I said "I'll let you knohen I do"

"If you e pays that has to be worked out," I said "You'll hear froe in the bar at the Hotel Pierre at seven o'clock Froer's office I walked to another bar, one on Madison Avenue It turned out to be a hangout for advertising people, and the noise level was high and the tension unsettling I had some bourbon and left

On my way up Fifth Avenue, I stopped at St Tho after I left the force and moved away from Anita and the boys I don't knohat it is about them, exactly They are about the only place in New York where a person has room to think, but I'ical to assuh I've no real idea what it

But they are perfect places to sit and think things out I sat in St Thohts didn't lead anywhere in particular If he'd had a ht have learned soive hih to nail the Spinner when the Spinner was already on guard, he'd be clever enough to give damned little away to me

I had trouble seeing hi him as a blackmail victim He didn't know it, and it was hardly time for me to tell him, but he should have told Spinner to take his dirt and shove it So ets spread around to brush soresehter had coh prosecutor one for vehicular hoe would have been involuntary hter and the sentence would have been suspended Given those facts, there was really nothingafter the fact There h to ruin either his business or his daughter's life

So on the surface he had littlehim Unless there was er and Ethridge and Huysendahl, and they had all been paying silence money to Spinner until one of them decided to make the silence permanent All I had to do was find out which hich

And I really didn't want to

For a couple of reasons One of the best was that there was no way I could have as good a shot at the killer as the police could All I had to do was duood Homicide cop and let him play it out The department's determination of tiue estiiven me They could check alibis They could put the three possibles through intensive interrogation, which all by itself would alh to open it all up

There was just one thing wrong with that: The killer would wind up in slam, but the other tould co it on to the cops anyway, figuring that none of the three had spotless faces to begin with A hit-and-run killer, a hooker and con artist, a particularly nasty pervert-Spinner, with his personal code of ethics, had felt that he owed those innocent of his ht nothing fro

The police would always be an option If I never got a handle on things, they would re to make a try, and so I had e, I had dropped in on Henry Prager, and I would see Theodore Huysendahl sometime the next day One way or another, they would all find out I was Spinner's heir and that the hook he'd had in theroup of tourists passed in the aisle, pointing out things to each other about the elaborate stone carvings above the high altar I waited until they went by, sat for another ot toboxes at the doors You had your choice of furthering church work, overseas missions, or homeless children I put three of Spinner's thirty hundred-dollar bills in the slot for hos I do without knohy Tithing is one of theoes to whatever church I happen to visit after I've received the et most of my business, not because I'm partial to them but because their churches are more apt to be open at odd times

St Thomas 's is Episcopal A plaque in front says they keep it open all week long so that passers-by will have a refuge from the turmoil of midtown Manhattan I suppose the donations from tourists cover their overhead Well, they now had a quick three hundred toward the light bill, courtesy of a dead blackmailer

I went outside and headed uptown It was ti Spinner Jablon's place Once they all kneould be able to take it easy I could just sit back and relax, waiting for Spinner's killer to try killing e in the Pierre is illuminated by small candles set in deep blue bowls, one to a table The tables are small and well separated from one another, round white tables with two or three blue velvet chairs at each I stood blinkingfor a woman in a white pants suit There were four or five unescorted wo a pants suit I looked instead for Beverly Ethridge, and found her at a table along the far wall She earing a navy sheath and a string of pearls

I gave my coat to the checkroom attendant and walked directly to her table If she watched my approach, she did so out of the corner of her eye Her head never turned in my direction I sat down in the chair across fro so me

"I'm Matthew Scudder," I said

"Is that supposed to ood," I said "I like your white pants suit, it beconize you so that you would knohether I had the pictures or not I suppose that's clever, but why not just ask ?"

Her eyes returned, and we took a few minutes to look at each other It was the same face I'd seen in the pictures, but it was hard to believe it was the same woman I don't know that she looked all that reat deal more mature More than that, there was an air of poise and sophistication that was quite incoirl in those pictures and on those arrest sheets The face was aristocratic and the voice said good schools and good breeding

Then she said, "A fucking cop," and her face and voice turned on the words and all the good breeding vanished "How did you coed I started to say so, but a waiter was on his way over I ordered bourbon and a cup of coffee She nodded at hi I don't knohat it was It had a lot of fruit in it

When he was gone I said, "The Spinner had to leave town for a while He wantedin his absence"

"Sure"

"Sos happen that way"

"Sure You collared hiet himself picked up by a crooked cop"

"Would you be better off with an honest one?"

She put one hand to her hair It was straight and blonde, and styled in what I think they call a Sassoon cut It had been considerably longer in the pictures, but the same color Maybe the color was natural

"An honest one? Where would I find one?"

"They telltraffic"