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I kept walking all the way to Arot there I went in and ordered a piece of pecan pie and a cup of coffee I kept ht hand ineverybody out After I was done with the pie I put my hand back in my pocket and drank my coffee left-handed
After awhile I orderedTrina answered it, walked over to the bar There was a heavyset fellow there with dark blonde hair She said so to him and he went to the phone He talked for a few minutes, looked around the room, came over to my table Both of his hands here I could see thehtner, I don't think we met" He pulled a chair out and sat in it "That was Joe just now," he said "There's no activity out there, nothing at all They're laying doggo in the Mercury plus he's got two sharpshooters in second-floor s across the street"
"Good"
"I'm in here, and there's the two fellows at the front table I figured you made us when you walked in"
"I ured you were either a cop or the killer"
"Jesus, what a thought This is a nice place Youout here, huh?"
"Not as much as I used to"
"It's pleasant here I'd like to co instead of coffee They're selling a lot of coffee tonight, ith you and ood coffee"
"Yeah, it's not bad Better than the shit in the station house" He lit a cigarette with a Zippo lighter "Joe said there's no activity elsewhere either There's two irlfriend There's a couple others with the three hookers on the East Side" He grinned "That's the detail I shoulda drawn Can't win 'e you want to stay here? Joe's guess is that the guy's either set up by now or he's not gonna ht We can cover you every step froainst the possibility of a sniper firing frohWe did a rooftop check earlier but there's no guarantee"
"I don't think he'll do it froood shape And you're wearing the bulletproof vest"
"Yes"
"That's a help Of course it's mesh, it doesn't always stop a blade, but nobody's about to let hiure if he's out there he'll make a move between here and the doorway of your hotel"
"That's what I figure, too"
"When do you want to run the gauntlet?"
"A few ht as well finish this coffee"
"Listen," he said, rising, "what the hell Enjoy it"
He returned to his spot at the bar I finished ot up, went to the lavatory There I checked my32 and made sure I had a round under the hammer and three more rounds to back it up I could have asked Durkin for a couple es to fill the eun withthe32 and I hadn't wanted to tell hi to have to shoot anybody The killer was supposed to walk right into our ar to happen that way
I paid the check, left a tip It wasn't going to work I could feel it The son of a bitch wasn't out there
I walked out the door The rain had let up sos across the street, wondering where the police sharpshooters were planted It didn't ht Our quarry wasn't taking the bait
I walked down to Fifty-seventh Street, staying close to the curb just in case he'd ed to find a spot in a dark doorway I walked slowly and hoped I was right and he wouldn't try to do it from a distance, because a bulletproof vest doesn't always stop a bullet and it doesn't do anything to protect you from a head shot
But it didn't matter He wasn't there Damnit, I kneasn't there
Still, I breathed easier when I walked into my hotel I may have been disappointed but I was also relieved
There were three plainclothesht away I stood around with them for a few minutes, and then Durkin came in alone He went into a huddle with one of them, then came over to me
"We struck out," he said
"Looks that way"
"Shit," he said "We didn't leavebut I don't see how Or otŠ± yesterday and we're setting a trap for somebody who's on another continent"
"It's possible"
"You can go get some sleep, anyway If you're not too wired to unwind Have a couple of drinks, knock yourself out for eight hours"
"Good idea"
"The guys have had the lobby staked out all night There've been no visitors, no check-ins I'ht"
"You think it's necessary?"
"I think it can't hurt"
"Whatever you say"
"We gave it our best shot, Matt It's worth it if we can set anyplace coet lucky and sometimes you don't"
"I know"
"We'll catch the cocksucker sooner or later You know that"