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"Well, we can find a use for it," she said "Thanks Do you want to talk to the boys?"

I did and I didn't They're getting to an age where it's a little easier for me to talk to them, but it's still aard over the phone We talked about basketball

Right after I hung up, I had an odd thought It occurred to ain Spinner had been a careful man by nature, a man who had made himself inconspicuous reflexively, a man who had felt most comfortable in deep shadows, and he still had not been careful enough I was accustoh in the open to invite a murder attempt If Spinner's killer decided to take a shot at ht ain It see important for me to say, just on the off chance that I'd taken on e to think what it ht be, and a few minutes later the iht It was just as well no one took a crack at er I'd left hiive it a yank His secretary told me he was busy on another line and asked if I would hold I held for a minute or two Then she ca in there, and then she put h to him

I said, "I've decided hoe'll work this so that you're covered There's so on me that they could never make stick" He didn't know I'd been a cop h evidence to ive that to you as part of our deal"

It was basically the arrangee, and it made the same kind of sense to hied to spot the joker in it, either: All I had to do was confess at great length to a criht , it would hardly enable anyone to hold a gun to ure out that part of it, so he liked the idea

What he didn't like was the price I set

"That's i it in bits and pieces You were paying Jablon two thousand a month You'll pay me sixty in one chunk, that's less than three years' worth, and it'll all be over once and for all"

"I can't raise that kind of e it"

"Don't be silly," I said "You're an important man in your field, a success If you don't have it in cash, you certainly have assets you can borrow against"

"I can't do it" His voice almost broke "I've had… financial difficulties Some investments haven't turned out to be what they should have been The econo crazy, just last week somebody raised the prime rate to ten percent-"

"I don't want an econoer I want sixty thousand dollars"

"I've borrowed every cent I could" He paused for a moment "I can't, I have no source-"

"I'll need the money fairly soon," I cut in "I don't want to stay in New York any longer than I have to"

"I don't-"

"You do so," I said "I'll be in touch with you"

I hung up and sat in the phone booth for a ave an impatient knock on the door I opened the door and stood up Theto say soed his h a wringer If he'd killed Spinner, thenhiht did not set ithhad co forfor the fast final settleet out of town before soh to put the last bit of pressure on Henry Prager

I'd been on the verge of ruling him out when I saw hih of a ood one after all

And I'd just given him another

I called Huysendahl a little later He was out, so I left my number, and he called around two

"I knoasn't supposed to call you," I said, "but I have soood news for you"

"Oh?"

"I'ed to turn up that ht"

"Very quick work," he said

"Oh, just sound detective procedure and a little bit of luck"

"I see It may take some time to, uh, assemble the reward"

"I don't have very much time, Mr Huysendahl"

"You have to be reasonable about this, you know The sum we discussed is substantial"

"I understand you have substantial assets"

"Yes, but hardly in cash Not every politician has a friend in Florida with that kind of money in a wall safe" He chuckled over the line, and seemed disappointed when I didn't join in "I'll need some time"

"How much time?"

"A month at the outside Perhaps less than that"

The role was easy enough, since I kept getting to rehearse it I said, "That's not soon enough"

"Really? Just how et out of town The cliree with me"

"Actually, it's been rather mild the past few days"

"That's just the trouble It's too hot"

"Oh?"

"I keep thinking about what happened to our mutual friend, and I wouldn't want it to happen to me"

"He must have made someone unhappy"

"Yeah, well, I've made a few people unhappy et the hell out of here within the week"

"I don't see how that would be possible" He paused for a o and cos have had a chance to cool down somewhat"

"I don't think I'd like to do it that way"