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"I' And we've had quite the turnover here these past few reener pastures We're getting a lot of sht, then reives you lines and willed his face to return to its normal expression "I don'tlately Motorcycle boys, S-and-M types I don't really want anyone killed in my bar, you know Most especiallyabout it?"

"To be horribly candid, they scare me"

I finished my drink "There's an easy way for you to handle it"

"Do tell"

"Go over to the Sixth Precinct and talk to Lieutenant Edward Koehler Tell him your probleot to be kidding"

"Think about it Slip Koehler a couple of bucks Fifty should do it He'll arrange to raid you a few tiive your leather crowd a hard tiainst you, so it won't screw you up with the SLA Your liquor license won't be in jeopardy The motorcycle boys are like everybody else They can't afford hassles They'll find some other house to haunt Of course your business will fall off for a couple of weeks"

"It's off, anyway The little cunts are all beer drinkers, and they don't leave tips"

"So you won't be losingthe kind of clientele you want"

"What a devious ht work, at that"

"It should And don't give me too much credit It's done all the tiht to It would have when I was on the force, but everything's been going up lately, even bribery If Koehler wants more, he'll let you know about it"

"I don't doubt it Well, it's not as if I never gave money to New York's Finest They come around every Friday to collect, and you wouldn't believe what Christave the allowed to remain in business I didn't realize you could ask favors in return"

"It's a free-enterprise systeht try it, and I'll buy you a drink on the strength of it"

He poured a generous shot into lass I picked it up and eyed hi else you could do for me," I said

"Oh?"

"Ask around a little about Richie Vanderpoel I know you don't want to give me any names That's reasonable But see if you can find out what he was like I'd appreciate it"

"Don't expect h his beautiful blond hair "Do you really care what he was like, Matt?"

"Yes," I said "Evidently I do"

MAYBE it was a reaction to too ay in name alone I'm not sure, but on my way to the subway I stopped at an outdoor phone booth and looked up a number in my notebook I dropped in a dime and dialed it, and when she answered I said, "Elaine? Matt Scudder"

"Oh, hi Matt How's it going?"

"Not too bad I ondering if you felt like company"

"I'd love to see you Giveinto the shower"

"Sure"

I had coffee and a roll and read the Post The newa deputythat his prospective appointees were corrupt in any of several uninteresting ways There was an obvious answer, and he would probably hit on it sooner or later He was going to have to get rid of the investigative board

Some more citizens had killed each other since yesterday's edition went to press Two off-duty patrolmen had had a few drinks in a bar in Woodside and shot each other with their service revolvers One was dead, the other in critical condition A man and woman who had served ninety days each for child abuse had sued successfully to regain custody of the child from the foster parents who had had the kid for three and a half years The nude torso of an adolescent boy had been discovered on a tenement roof on East Fifth Street Someone had carved an X into the chest, presus and head

I left the newspaper on the table and got a cab

She lived in a good building on Fifty-first between First and Second The doorman confirmed that I was expected and noddedat the door for reen blouse She had gold hoop earrings in her ears and she smelled of a rich, musky perfume

I draped my coat over an Eames chair while she closed the door and fastened the bolt She came into ainst ood, Elaine"

"Let ed, rough-hewn sort of a way How've you been?"

"Pretty good"

"Keeping busy?"

"Uh-huh"

There was chamber , and I sat on the couch and watched as she walked to the turntable and inverted the stack of records I wondered whether the hip wiggle was for my benefit or if it came naturally to her I had alondered that

I liked the roo carpet, stark modern furniture more comfortable than it looked, a lot of primary colors and chrome A couple of abstract oils on the walls I couldn't have lived in a roo occasional time in it

"Drink?"

"Not just now"

She sat on the couch next to me and talked about books she had read and ood at small talk I suppose she had to be

We kissed a few times, and I touched her breasts and put a hand on her round botto sound

"Want to come to bed, Matt?"

"Sure"

The bedroom was small, with a lass laot undressed and lay down on the queen-size bed

She arer, with soft, perfumed skin and a tautly muscled body Her hands and , and after a few ently on the shoulder

"Relax, honey"