Page 10 (2/2)

"You ht Now he doesn't have a particular hangout, but there are several places he frequents" I ran down the list "I wasn't able to learn where he lives I gather he keeps that a secret"

"No probleave us his phone nuet the address that way"

"I think the nu service"

"Well, they'll have a number for him"

"Maybe"

"You sound doubtful"

"I think he likes to keep himself hard to find," I said

"How'd you happen to find him? What's your connection to all of this, Scudder?"

I felt like hanging up I'd given the questions But I was a lot easier to find than Chance, and if I hung up on Durkin he could have me picked up in no tiht Miss Dakkinen asked me to intercede for her"

"Intercede how?"

"By telling hiet off the hook She was scared to tell him herself"

"So you told hiht"

"What, are you a pio frohtened on the receiver I said, "No, that's notfor a new connection?"

"What in-"

"Just watch your fucking s on a plate and I never had to call you at all"

He didn't say anything

I said, "Kim Dakkinen was a friend of a friend If you want to know about me there used to be a cop named Guzik who knew me Is he still at Midtown North?"

"You're a friend of Guzik's?"

"We never liked each other ht I told Chance she wanted out and he said it was fine with hi Then last night soured as ht?"

"Yeah, but that's approximate It elve hours later that they found her And the condition of the corpse, you know, the ME probably wanted toelse"

"Bad"

"The one I feel sorry for is that poor little chaal, barely speaks a word of English, and she had to walk in on that" He snorted "You want to look at the body, give us a positive 'll stick in your memory"

"Don't you have an identification?"

"Oh, yeah," he said "We got fingerprints She was arrested once a few years back in Long Island City Loitering with intent, fifteen days suspended No arrests since then"

"She worked in a house after that," I said "And then Chance put her in the aparthth Street"

"A real New York odyssey What else have you got, Scudder? And how do I get hold of you if I need you?"

I didn't have anything else I gave his to each other and I hung up and the phone rang I owed forty-five cents for going over the three ht me I broke another dollar at the bar, put the money in the slot, and returned to the bar to order another drink Early Tiht up, water back

This one tasted better And after it hit botto loosen up inside s they tell you it's the first drink that gets you drunk You have one and it triggers an irresistible co it you have another and another and you wind up drunk again Well, maybe I wasn't an alcoholic because that wasn't as happening I'd had two drinks and I felt a whole lot better than I did before I'd had them and I certainly didn't feel any need to drink anyh I stood there for a fewa third drink

No No, I really didn't want it I was fine the way I was

I left a buck on the bar, scooped the rest of 's and didn't feel like stopping in I certainly didn't have the urge to stop for a drink

The early Neould be out by now Did I want to walk down to the corner for it?

No, the hell with it

I stopped at the desk No entle codeine buzz, filling in the squares of a crossword puzzle