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That was close enough, so I said yes I told him I'd call him in a day or two I already had his office nuave me his home number as well "But please try to call me at the office," he said

BURGHASH Antiques Imports was on University Place between Eleventh and Twelfth I stood in one aisle surrounded by the residue of half the attics in Western Europe I was looking at a clock just like the one I had seen on Gordon Kalish's wall It was priced at 225

"Are you interested in clocks? That's a good one"

"Does it keep time?"

"Oh, those pendulum clocks are indestructible And they're extraordinarily accurate You just raise or lower the weight to make the at is in particularly good condition It's not a rare model, of course, but they're hard to find in such nice shape The price otiable if you're really interested"

I turned to take a good look at hiflannel slacks and a powder-blue turtleneck sweater His hair had been expensively styled His sideburns were even with the bottoms of his earlobes He had a very precise moustache

I said, "Actually, I'm not interested in clocks I wanted to talk to someone about a boy who used to work here"

"Oh, you must mean Richie! You're a police?"

"Did you know him well?"

"I hardly knew hi I used to work at the auction gallery down the block, but it was terribly hectic"

"How long had Richie worked here?"

"I don't honestly know Mr Burghash could tell you He's in back in the office It has been pure hell for all of us since that happened I still can't believe it"

"Were you working here the day it happened?"

He nodded "I saw hi Then I was on a delivery all afternoon, a load of perfectly hideous French country furniture for an equally hideous split-level chateau in Syosset That's on Long Island"

"I know"

"Well, I didn't I lived all these norance that there even was a place known as Syosset" He re about, and his face turned serious again "I got back here at five, just in time to help close up shop Richie had left early Of course by then it had all happened, hadn't it?"

"Thetraffic on the Long Island Expressway" He shivered theatrically "I had no idea until I caught the eleven o'clock news that night And I couldn't believe it was our Richard Vanderpoel, but they hed and let his hands drop to his sides "One never knows," he said

"What was he like?"

"I hardly had time to know him He was pleasant, he was courteous, he was anxious to please He didn't have a great knowledge of antiques, but he had a good sense of the with a girl?"

"Hoould I have known that?"

"He ht have mentioned it"

"Well, he didn't Why?"

"Does it surprise you that he was living with a girl?"

"I'ht about it one way or the other"

"Was he homosexual?"

"How on earth would I know?"

I stepped closer to hi his feet I said, "Why don't you cut the shit"

"Pardon ay?"

"I certainly had no interest in him myself And I never saw hi anyone"

"Did you think he was gay?"

"Well, I always assuay"

I found Burghash in the office He was a little man with a furrowed brow that went aled moustache and two days' worth of beard He toldout of his ears and he had a business to run I told him I wouldn't take o back to Thursday, the day of the murder Did Richie behave differently than usual?"

"Not really"

"He wasn't agitated or anything like that?"

"No"

"He went hoht He didn't feel hen he came back from lunch He had some curry at the Indian place around the corner, and it didn't agree with hi him to stay with bland food, ordinary Aestive systeree with him"

"What time did he leave here?"

"I don't keep track He caht away to take the rest of the day off You can't ith your guts on fire He wanted to tough it out, though He was an aestion like that, and then an hour later he'd be all right again, but this tiet the hell out and go home He must have left here, oh, I don't know Three? Three thirty? So for you?"

"Just about a year and a half He went to work for o last July"

"HeDecember Did you have a previous address for him?"