The address was on Central Park West. They took a cab; Hiram had no wish to involve Anthony or the Bentley in whatever unpleasantness might ensue.
Inside the heavy glass-and-iron doors of the apartment building, a doorman sat at an antique desk. Behind him was a bank of security monitors. He was built like a linebacker, and there was an obvious silent alarm built into the top of his desk, an inch or so from his hand. He could hardly have expected any trouble from a fat man in a tuxedo and a nondescript fellow in a cheap brown suit. “Yes?” he asked them through the intercom when they approached the door.
Jay Ackroyd made a gun out of his right hand, pointed at the doorman through the glass, and said, “Here’s looking at you, kid.” The man disappeared with a pop of in-rushing air.
Hiram rocked lightly on the balls of his feet, glanced around nervously. “Where did you—” he began.
“The main stacks of the New York Public Library” Jay said. “He looked like he needed to get caught up on his reading.” He took out his wallet, removed a credit card, and opened the door in the blink of an eye. “Never leave home without it,” he told Hiram as he slipped the card back into his wallet. They went into the lobby.
Latham lived in the penthouse, just as Hiram had expected. Jay pressed the button fbr the roof.
The embossed bronze plate above the doorbell said ST. JOHN LATHAM. Jay pressed it, and they waited in nervous silence by the elevator. He wasn’t home, Hiram thought, of course he wasn’t home, he was out somewhere, he was-then the door gave a soft buzz and swung open slowly.
They walked into a small foyer, empty but for a bentwood hat rack and an umbrella stand. The kitchen was to the right, a closet to the left. Ahead was a huge living room with a sunken conversation pit, a wet bar, and a solid wall of floor-to-ceiling glass that opened on a roof garden, a magnificent view of Central Park and the city and stars beyond. A lavish bedroom suite and den both opened off the living room, their doors standing wide. Voices were coming from the den. Hiram walked lightly, small quiet steps, but Jay’s heels clicked loudly on the gleaming parquet floor as they crossed the room.
“That’s fine. Yes. Yes, at all costs. Phone in when you have news.” The man touched a button; the speakerphone disconnected. The only light in the room came from a brass banker’s lamp with a green glass shade. Latham sat with a stack of maps under his left hand, his right hand working the keyboard of an IBM PC. He wore the vest and trousers of a gray chalk-stripe Armani suit, a perfect white shirt with the top button undone, and a dark foulard tie, the knot pulled down and to one side. He did not look up when they entered. “Do I know you?”
“My name is Worchester,” Hiram said. “Hiram Worchester. My associate is Jay Ackroyd, a licensed private investigator-“
“Who earlier today illegally detained a client of Latham, Strauss, violating his constitutional rights and causing him untold psychological distress, not to mention disorientation, damage to his good name, and fear for his life and safety,” Latham said. He still did not look up from the keypad. The screen displayed a grid of some sort. “An error in judgment that is going to cost Mr. Ackroyd a considerable sum of money, and probably his license.” He finished his entry, stored it, and wiped the grid off the screen. Only then did he deign to swivel his high-backed chair to look at them. “If you’re here to propose a settlement, I’m certainly willing to listen.”
“A settlement?” Hiram was aghast. “You’re suggesting we pay money to that unspeakable thug who-“
“I’d caution you aginst slander, Mr. Worchester. You’re in sufficient trouble already.” The phone rang. Latham didn’t bother to pick it up. He reached out, touched the speaker phone button, and announced, “Not now, I have company. Call back in ten minutes.” The caller hung up without identifying himself. “Now, Mr. Worchester, what were you about to say?”
“Your client is scum,” Hiram said clearly. “Frankly, I’m shocked that a distinguished man like yourself would even consider representing him.”
“I’m a little curious about that myself,” Jay Ackroyd said. He slouched against the doorway, hands in his pockets. “Usually you’ve got a little more class than that.”
“I seldom involve myself in criminal matters,” Latham said, “and I am not, in fact, the attorney of record in this case. But I make it a point to familiarize myself with all our pending litigation, even the most trivial, and Mr. Tulley briefed me on this matter only this afternoon.”
“Who are you really working for?” Hiram demanded. Jay Ackroyd groaned. Hiram gave him a dirty look and then went on. “This is extortion, you know it and I know it. I want to know who’s behind it, and I want to know now.” He crossed the room, leaned over the desk, and stared in the lawyer’s face. “I warn you, I’m an ace, and not an inconsiderable one, and I’ve had a very bad day.”
“Are you threatening me, Mr. Worchester?” Latham asked in terms of polite interest.
“I don’t feel so well,” Ackroyd whined from the doorway. Hiram looked back in annoyance. Ackroyd was clutching his stomach, and his features did have a slight greenish tinge, but maybe that was just the light. “I wouldn’t have eaten so much if I’d known I was going to get tear-gassed.” He belched. “Where’s the john?” he asked with some urgency.
“Through the master bedroom, to the right,” Latham told him. Ackroyd bolted for sanctuary, and a moment later they heard the sound of retching. “Charming,” Latham said.
Hiram turned back on him. “Never mind about him. Your client and his friends sent a decent, honest man to the hospital today. They broke his arm and two of his ribs, knocked out several of his teeth, and gave him a slight concussion. They also burned his delivery truck and vandalized his place of business. They poisoned my lobsters with gasoline, Mr. Latham.”
“Did you see our client commit any of these alleged crimes? No? I thought not. Did Mr.. Ackroyd?”
“Damn it, Latham. I was there this morning, I saw what they were trying to do—”
“Who? “
“Them,” Hiram said. “His men. Three of them, they were called, ah, Eye and Cheech and, well, I don’t recall the other one’s name. Eye was the joker”
” I have no idea who you’re referring to,” Latham said. “In any case, Mr. Seivers is not a part of any gang.”
“Mr. Seivers?” Hiram was momentarily confused.
“I believe he’s sometimes known as the Bludgeon. If you’re going to persecute the man on account of his appearance, you might at least trouble yourself to learn his real name, which as it happens is Robert Seivers.”
Both of them heard the toilet flush. Latham leaned back in his chair. “Your friend is finished. Unless you care to propose a settlement, I believe our business is finished too. As you can see, I’m quite busy.”
Jay Ackroyd reentered the room, looking a bit pale, dabbing at his lips with a handkerchief:
“Get out,” Latham suggested coolly. “Both of you.”
“You can’t just—” Hiram began.
“Would you prefer I call the police?”
As they waited by the elevator, Hiram glared at Jay in indignation. ” A fat lot of good you were,” he said.
“You’ve got a great touch for interrogation, Hiram,” Ackroyd said. “I didn’t want to spoil your rhythm.”
The doors opened and they got inside the elevator. “That got us exactly nowhere,” Hiram said, pressing the button for the lobby with rather more gusto than required.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Ackroyd replied. He looked at his watch. “If Loophole’s as smart as I think, he’s searching his bathroom by now.”
Hiram was lost. “Searching his bathroom?”
“Bedroom too. I didn’t really expect him to buy my little tummyache,” Jay said. “He’s got to figure I ran to the john to plant some kind of bug.”
“Ah,” Hiram said, “so he wastes time searching…”
“I hope not. Hell, I didn’t hide it very well. It’s on the phone by his bed, how obvious could I get?”
Hiram gaped at him. “You planted a bug, but you want it to be discovered. Why?”
“Gives him something to find,” Ackroyd said. “Once he has it, he ought to be satisfied. He thinks we’re chumps anyway, and he’s got other things on his mind tonight.”
“Where did you get a bug?” They’d reached the lobby. The doors opened, and they stepped out of the elevator. Ackroyd shrugged. “Oh, I carry a few around. They’re good for making people nervous. I get them real cheap at this place in Jokertown, this guy sells me all his broken ones, six for a dollar. Unless Loophole knows a lot more about microcircuitry than I figure, he’ll never know the difference.” Ackroyd glanced at his watch again. “By now he should have found it, locked it up somewhere, and gone back to business, but let’s give him a few more minutes just to play it safe. Did you notice the computer?”
“Eh? Yes, certainly, what of it?” Hiram opened the door and they walked outside.
“Manhattan streets,” Jay said. “Times Square area. There were maps on his desk. Some kind of search is in progress, and our friend Loophole is coordinating it, I’d bet. Staving right by his phone, keeping everyone in touch with everybody else, charting the players on the computer. Real interesting.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hiram said. “Remember our little tete-a-tete at Tachyon’s place? Tall-green-and-scaly was looking for some kind 4 book, and he didn’t strike me as a real heavy reader. I think Loophole’s looking for the same thing.”
“I don’t care a fig about stolen books,” Hiram said. “I want something done about Bludgeon.”
“Maybe the same guy owns them both,” Jay said. He shrugged. “Or maybe not. Let’s find out.” He ambled back over by the building and began poking around in the shrubbery.
Hiram crossed his arms and scowled. “What are you doing?”
Popinjay looked back. “I’m going to hide in these bushes. I’m real good at hiding in bushes. Its the first thing they teach you in detective school.”
“How are you going to find out anything that way?”
“I’m not,” Ackroyd said. He shaped his right hand into a gun and pointed a loaded finger. “You are,” he finished. Hiram never heard the pop.
Fortunato’s black tie and long coat were a little out of place in the Jokertown station house. It was like a human garbage dump. The dominant smell was a blend of cheap wine and vomit and stale sweat. The main hall was standing room only, with a special section for hookers. The sight of their streaked makeup and stained, gaudy clothes was more than Fortunato could stand.
It took him ten minutes to find Black’s office. The door was open and Black was on the phone. Black was good looking in a five-o’clock-shadow, rolled-sleeve, cheap-haircut sort of way. Fortunato waited in the hall until Black hung up. Then he stepped in and closed the door.
“The name didn’t mean much,” Fortunato said. “But I recognize you now. It was seven years ago. I spent the night in a cell here while a woman I cared a lot about got her brain fried. You had a Sergeant Matthias and a guy named Roman interrogate me. They decided they weren’t interested and turned me loose. You probably don’t remember.”
“Remember? I’ve never seen you before, or this bimbo you’re talking about.” Black was scared and not hiding it well. Fortunato liked that.
“You’re going to tell me everything you know. I’m not going to fuck around, because I’m in a hurry. So you’re just going to tell me, right now.”
It was easy. Black wasn’t an ace, just an ordinary guy. Fortunato was weak, but would never be ordinary again. Black leaned back in his swivel chair, tense but unresisting.
“What do you want to know?” Black said tonelessly. “The Astronomer. He’s escaping tonight. He’s got a ship, some kind of spaceship. I need to know where it is.”
“Spaceship? Like aliens from space? Like Dr. Tachyon and that kind of shit? You must be crazy.”
Fortunato gave him another little jolt of power. He was starting to feel dizzy. “He must have been planning to take you with him. Otherwise he would have killed you.”
Black looked puzzled. “Yeah, he was… but he decided to keep me here, keep me alive for ‘contingencies.’”
“Like pulling the guards off Kafka?”
“Yeah. Like that.”
“And where is it he’s going?”
“It’s funny. I really can’t remember.”
“Funny,” Fortunato said. He let himself come loose from his physical body and went into Black’s mind. The man wasn’t lying. The memory of the ship, where the Astronomer got it, where it was hidden, where he was taking it, was gone. Neatly cut away. Just the way the Astronomer had cut up Eileens brain.
Fortunato turned to go.
“You’re just … going to leave me here?”
“You’re no use to me.”
“But … aren’t you afraid I’d try to get back at you?”
“Yeah,” Fortunato said. “I suppose you’re right.” With the last of his strength he reached into Black’s chest and stopped his heart. Black made a noise like a cough and slumped sideways in his chair.
“Her name was Eileen,” Fortunato said, and walked away.
Hiram’s right foot was soaked up to the ankle; he’d appeared half-standing in the toilet, and it was sheer good fortune that an ongoing phone conversation had covered up the splash he made when extricating himself. As it was, he got nervous every time he took a step, fearful that the squishing sound would give him away. So he tried not to move much. He crouched in the bedroom, near the door to the spacious living room. It was open, as was the door to the adjacent room. He couldn’t see a thing but the empty living room, but he could hear everything, and that was what mattered. He’d been there twenty-odd minutes now, and he’d heard more than enough.
Ring. “Latham? This is Hobart. Subway’s secure. The Egrets are down on the platforms, no way anybody gets on any trains without us knowing. I’ve got men hanging around every turnstile. You sure she’s heading this way’?”
“Our friend from justice seem to think so. I spoke to Billy Ray a few minutes ago, he says that she’s heading up Broadway and he’s not far behind her. Wyrm has been informed, and he confirms. He’s on his way.”
St. John Latham of Latham, Strauss, obviously gave his clients a good deal more than legal representation.
Ring. “Cholly, man. We’re at the Port Authority. I’m in a phone booth, we got guys at all the doors. Lots of pimps and ho’s, man, but no sign of a white chick in a bikini.”
“Keep watching.”
The ringing of the phone was constant, as was the soft sound of Latham’s practiced fingers on the IBM keypad. Hiram edged closer to the door.
He felt sorry for the prey, whoever it was. Latham and his people were closing a net around the whole Times Square area. Each phone call pulled the weave a little tighter, and the phone kept ringing.
Ring. “Sinjin? This is Fadeout.”
“Where are you?”
“In front of Nathan’s. No sign of her. It’s not quite as bad as New Year’s Eve, but it’s not far off either.”
“You visible?”
“For the moment. Otherwise I’d have nat assholes bumping into me every other second. Besides, I may need the energy if she shows.”
“She’ll show. Wyrm is certain of it.”
“Where the hell is he?”
“In his limo, fighting traffic. Where are the rest of our people?”
“Egrets and Werewolves all over the place. Our jokers are all wearing Dr. Tachyon masks, so we know who they are. The Whisperer’s up by the Cohan statue, Bludgeon is hanging around outside the Wet Pussycat, Chickenhawk’s perched on top of the tower. He’s supposed to be watching, but he’s probably eating a goddamned pigeon. We’ve got a few guys in cabs too, in case she tries to hail a taxi, maybe she’ll get one of ours.”
Hiram tensed at the mention of Bludgeon’s name. When the next call rang through, and he heard a familiar razor-cruel voice come out of the speakerphone, he edged forward until he was in the doorjamb. “Loophole, you fucker,” the voice said. “It’s me.”
“Yes,” Latham replied in polite, icy tones.
“I just spotted the gash. I’m watching her tight little butt right now. You ought to see her, nothing on but a fuckin’ bikini, her titties just hangin’ out there. Should I kill her?”
“No,” Lathan said crisply. “Follow her.”
“Shit, I could twist her fuckin’ head off before she knew I was there.” He laughed. “Fuckin’ shame to waste the rest of her, though.”
“She is not to be killed, not until we have the book. Obviously she’s not carrying it. Keep her in sight, but don’t touch her. Wyrm is on his way.”
“Fuck,” Bludgeon said. “Can I have a little fun with her, after we get the shit back?”
“Follow her, Seivers,” Loophole said. He hung up. The penthouse was strangely quiet for a moment.
Then Hiram heard the creak of Latham’s swivel chair, followed by the soft sound of the lawyer’s footsteps. The bathroom, he thought in sudden panic.
The footsteps moved closer.
Spector pushed another plastic garbage bag to one side. A rat the size of a dachshund launched itself toward him. The animal scrambled up his arm toward his throat. He grabbed it by the tail with one hand and banged its head into the edge of the metal barge. The rat squealed and twitched convulsively. He let it drop.
The sparkler was burning low, singeing his fingers. Tiny flakes of burning metal were irritating the back of Spectors hand. He tossed the sparkler over the side of the barge. There was a faint hiss when it hit the water.
“God, I wish it was daylight. We might have a shot at finding them,” Spector said.
“If it was daylight, you’d have to fight the gulls. They swarm around these barges like bees to honey. Pick you to pieces if you’re not careful. Don’t give up yet,” said Ralph. He pulled another sparkler out of the box and lit it off the one he was holding, then handed it to Spector. “Those notebooks are on this barge somewhere, and we’re going to find them.”
Spector was feeling stronger as time passed. His foot didn’t hurt nearly as much as before. The stump was getting longer and separating at the end, like toes were trying to reform. The smell on the barge was so strong that even Spector was bothered by it. He wished for a breeze and started digging through the garbage again.
“That’s it. Don’t give up.” Ralph sorted through the trash quickly but carefully. But he’d had a lot of practice.
Spector liked Ralph, but he wasn’t happy about it. He couldn’t remember the last time somebody went out of their way to help him. He’d feel pretty rotten if he had to kill the guy, but it was probably the smart thing to do. He couldn’t have somebody running around who could connect him with the stolen notebooks.
“Say, friend. You never told me your name.”
“Allen,” Spector said. “Tommy Allen.” He didn’t know why he’d bothered to lie; he was going to snuff Ralph anyway. “Nice to meet you, Tommy.” Ralph extended a garbagesmeared hand. Spector hesitated, then grasped it and shook once. “What’s your line of work?”
“I’m, uh, an exterminator.” Spector took a few steps away from Ralph and dug into some fresh garbage. He tossed a couple of paper sacks aside and unearthed a broken-clown couch. The cushions were gone and the beige paisley fabric stained, but it looked okay otherwise.
“See what I mean?” Ralph was still right behind him. “Perfectly good stuff. I could clean it up with my Steamatic and it’d be almost as good as new”
Spector slumped onto the couch. The chance of finding the notebooks was getting worse and worse. Just his luck, to get hold of something like that and lose it right away. He could have nailed the Astronomer and set himself up for life.
Ralph sat down beside him and looked at Spector ‘s clothes. The stains from the garbage helped to disguise the blood. “Boy, those guys worked you over good. That’s one thing about living in a garbage dump, crime rate’s mighty low” Spector was silent. He stared directly at the sparkler, letting the magnesium brightness burn itself onto his retina. He wondered what the Astronomer was going to do to him. Things were probably going to get even worse than they were now, impossible as that seemed. Dying again was the simplest solution, but it wasn’t what he had in mind.
Ralph stuck the handle of his sparkler into the edge of the couch, then leaned over and shoved his arms back into the trash up to his elbows. He turned to look at Spector and furrowed his brow, then pulled out a plastic-covered package. “Look familiar?”
Spector grabbed the package and wiped it off on his pants leg. He was seeing spots from looking at the sparkler, but knew it was the notebooks. He hurled his sparkler as far out into the river as he could. “Goddamn. Maybe my luck’s changing.”
Ralph nodded and smiled. “Told you we’d find them. Garbage can’t hide anything from me for long.”
“Well, you were right.” Spector shoved the notebooks back into his pants. He wasn’t taking them out again until he handed them over to Latham.
“Writ here.” Ralph got up off the couch and began wading away through the garbage. “This calls for a real celebration.” Spector looked at his watch. It was 10:55. He had to get moving soon. There was no telling when the Astronomer would come looking for him, and he wanted plenty of tough company around by then. The Astronomer was saving Fortunato for last, so jumping Jack Flash and Peregrine were probably next on the list. Or maybe Tachyon. Taking them on was bound to push him to the limit, even with Imp and Insulin around to help out. Spector sighed. He might as well kill Ralph now and get it over with.
He saw Ralph light something at the other end of the barge, then move to another to touch it off. Two small flames slowly grew into cascades of colored light, fountaining twenty or thirty feet into the air. Ralph was standing well away from them, his back to Spector. He appeared to be keeping an eye on the fountains to make sure the barge didn’t catch on fire. Couldn’t have his ride home going up in flames.
Spector made his way to the shore end of the barge and stepped off The fireworks would attract attention and that was the last thing he wanted. There was no time to kill Mr. Garbage right now He’d do it later. If he survived the night.
He hobbled to the chain-link fence and climbed it slowly, trying to use his bad foot as little as possible. He hauled his body over the top and lowered himself down the other side. His foot still hurt if he tried to put his entire weight on it. He could see it now It was pink and there were toes taking shape. He might be fully healed by this time tomorrow. If he was still alive by then.
Spector had to contact Latham first. He dug into his coat pocket for the card with the lawyer’s phone number. Getting a taxi was going to be hell. He could always kill somebody and take their car, but he wanted to keep things as uncomplicated as possible.
He limped away down the street looking for a pay phone.