Sharyn carried a little bowl of strawberry ice cream into the living room, and then sat down next to Kling with her own bowl of low-fat chocolate swirl.

aThink about it,a Jennifer said slyly. a aWabe.a a Three of the heads seemed to be thinking furiously. Jenniferas head appeared to be smirking.

aLetas watch as.e.x and the City,a a Sharyn said.

aShhh, this is about aBanders.n.a.t.c.h,a a Kling said.

aBander-who?a aThe kidnapping, shhhh.a aHow do black people p.r.o.nounce the word awavea?a Jennifer asked.

aI p.r.o.nounce it awave,a a Lucy said.

aSo do I,a Halliday said.

aSo do I,a Sharyn said.

aBut I must admitaa aYou never heard the joke with the punch line, aOberlookina daribbera? For aOverlooking the rivera?a aThatas a racist joke,a Candace said.

aTell me about it, Blondie,a Sharyn said.

aHow come you never callme Blondie?a Kling asked.

aYou want me to call you Blondie?a aI know that joke,a Halliday said, nodding. aAnd itis racist, yes. But I must admit I can also see a covert connection between awabea and awave.a a aI canat,a Lucy insisted.

aNeither can I,a Sharyn said. aHow about you, Blondie?a aLet me taste that chocolate swirl,a Kling said.

aUh-uh.a aWhy not?a aCause once you taste black, ain no goin back,a Sharyn said.

Lucy Holden had her arms folded across her b.r.e.a.s.t.s now, clear and unmistakable body language.

aIall bet Blondie thinks thatas a stroke of pure genius,a Sharyn said. aInviting a redheaded Irish girl to find all the racist references while the beautiful sistuh with att.i.tude takes the high road.a aThe same sort of black English has its echoes in the word araths,a a Jennifer said. aGo to any ghetto in America, youall hear African-Americans calling rats araths.a The same way theyall use the word amensa for amen.a Or aunderwearsa for aunderwear.a a aI have never in my life called a rat arath, a Lucy said.

aHave you ever in your life evenseen a rat?a Jennifer shot back.

aWho do you find more attractive?a Sharyn asked. aThe redhead or the sistuh with att.i.tude?a aIs that another trick question?a Kling asked.

aThe one place I really detect clear racism is in the use of the words aJubjub bird,a a Halliday said. a aBeware the Jubjub bird.a That is clearly a racist warning.a Lucy Holden rolled her eyes.

aHow do you find that racist?a Candace asked.

aWell, Candy, I donat know what Iam permitted to say on the air here.a aThis is cable, go right ahead.a aIam sure the Jubjub bird refers to the Johnson.a aThewhat! a Sharyn said, and burst out laughing.

aUh-huh,a Candace said. aDo you agree, Jennifer?a aAbsolutely.a aThat the words aJubjub birda as used in the song, referaa aActually, those words arecode for the Johnson,a Halliday said.

aJennifer?a aCode words for the Johnson, yes,a Jennifer agreed, nodding.

aAnd whatis a Johnson?a Candace asked, and smiled encouragement.

Sharyn was leaning forward now, clasping her knees, her eyes wide, her mouth virtually hanging open. There was a long hesitation. The screen was split into two parts now, showing Jenniferas face on one half and Candaceas on the other. Jenniferas face was blank. It suddenly occurred to Sharyn that neither of these two erudite white women knew what a Johnson was. She kept watching the screen, waiting. This was the highest suspense shead seen on television since the O. J. Simpson white Bronco chase out there in the wilds of Los Angeles.

The camera came in on Halliday again. He looked seriously concerned. aWell,a he said, aas I said earlier, I donat know what Iam permitted to say here.a aOh for G.o.das sake!a Lucyas voice erupted, and suddenly the screen was filled with her face alone. aThe Johnson is a manasp.e.n.i.s! a she shouted in closeup. aAs in the expression as...o...b..r the Johnson,a which means aKiss theaa a aWe have to break now,a Candace said at once, her smiling face suddenly filling the entire screen. aWeall be back in just a moment to pursue the question raised by Tamar Valparaisoas new video and CD. Is it aRace or Rapea? You decide! Stay with us.a aYou want to stay with these fools, Blondie?a Sharyn asked. aOr you want me to take off my unnerawears and s...o...b..r yo ole Jubjub bird?a Kling got up to turn off the television set.

WILLIS FIGURED317 Byrd Street was six or seven blocks away from the spot on the Ship Ca.n.a.l where two detectives from the Three-One had allegedly drowned a pair of prost.i.tutes whoad accused them of complicity in their illegal evil s.e.x deeds. In a city of contrasts, the newly gentrified Byrd glistened like a rare jewel in a tarnished bra.s.s setting. Here there were the coffee houses and the elegant restaurants, the crafts shops and boutiques, the book stores and even a multiplex movie theater. Lining The Ca.n.a.l a dozen blocks away, there were bars that served as wh.o.r.e houses to the hundreds of merchant seamen and sailors who poured into the area every day of the week.

According to the Eight-Sevenas hot car sheet, Polly Olson hadnat reported her Ford Explorer missing till eight-thirty this morning, a good ten hours after the kidnapping last night. This may have been mere oversight, or it may have been a clever diversion by a woman setting up an alibi. Who me? Involved in a kidnapping? h.e.l.l, my car wa.s.stolen, Ireported it stolen! In which case, Polly Olson might very well have been the woman accomplice on the Valparaiso kidnapping. In which case her two AK-47-toting pals might very well be with her tonight. Willis did not want to get shot tonight.

In fact, he did not want to get shot ever again.

The last time head got shot was in the thigh, and he thought that might be the last dance for him, verily, though it turned out he was still here, wasnat he? And Parker hadnat been along that night when a punk named Maxie Blaine from Georgia had virtually emptied a nine at the five cops coming through the door, luckilya"or unluckily, depending on your viewpointa"hitting the smallest target of them all. Willis had never been in a shootout with Parker by his side, so he didnat really know what kind of a backup he might make, but if there was going to be any gunplay within the next ten minutes or so, he could think of a lot of cops with whom head rather be paired.

Neither did he like what he saw when they got to the entrance door of the building. There was a vertical row of bell b.u.t.tons with lettered names alongside them and an intercom speaker above them. They would have to announce themselves before they were buzzed in.

Parker knew just what he was thinking.

aHit every f.u.c.king b.u.t.ton,a he said, and without waiting for Willis to comply, he hit ten or twelve b.u.t.tons.

Six or seven voices answered at once.

aPolice!a Parker yelled. aThereas a burglar on the roof. Buzz us in!a Only one answering buzz sounded, but it was enough to release the latch on the inner door.

aI learned that from Carella,a Parker said, grinning.

They climbed the steps to the third floor. The same choice greeted them outside apartment 3C. To be or not to be?

Willis knocked.

aYes?a a womanas voice said.

aPolice,a he said, and stepped to the side of the door in case anyone inside decided to pump a volley through it. aWe found your car, maaam,a he said. aWant to open the door, please?a Which gave her the option of going out the window and down the fire escape, which was better than her shooting at them through the wood.

They waited.

aTerrific!a they heard her say.

There was a rush of footsteps to the door. They stayed well back on either side of the jamb until they heard a series of locks and chains falling and tumbling, and finally the door opened and a woman in a red bathrobe over a long white nightgown opened the door wide and smiled out at them. She was a woman in her early fifties, Willis guessed, hair up in curlers, wearing pink bunny slippers, he now noticed, face scrubbed clean, beaming out at them in unexpected pleasure. Wow, they had really located her car!

Or else she was putting on one h.e.l.l of an act.

aI thought that old buggy was a goner for sure,a she said. aWheread you find it?a aAre you Polly Olson?a Willis asked.

His eyes were looking past her into the apartment where a microwave dinner in a black plastic dish rested on a coffee table in front of which a television set was going. He was looking for two possible accomplices with two possible AK-47s. Parker was looking for the same thing. Their eyes must have been darting.

aHow rude of me,a she said, acome in, come in,a and stepped aside, either to welcome them or to allow a clean line of fire for her shooter buddies. They stepped into the apartment. n.o.body shot at them. Willis felt somewhat foolish.

aMaaam?a he said. aIs it your Ford Explorer that was stolen?a aIt sure was! Man, that was fast!a she said. aYou boys are to be commended.a aWhen did you report the car missing, maaam?a Parker asked, getting straight to the point. He was due to be relieved at eleven-forty-five, and it was now close to thata"well, actually, it was only eight-thirty, but he didnat want to be delayed by a lot of bulls.h.i.t here.

aThis morning. When I went down right after breakfast,a she said. aI get up early every morning to move the car. Itas alternate side of the street parking here. We can park it all night, but we have to move it in the morning. Even weekends. This is a busy street here, deliveries all the time.a aSo you went down at what time, lady?a Parker asked impatiently.

aJust before eight oaclock. Itas illegal to park between eightA.M. and six. I was going to move the car across the street, and then walk over to church. As it was, I missed the nine oaclock ma.s.s because I had to report the car missing and all. From where Iad left it.a aWhere was that, maaam?a aRight in front of the building. It wouldave been safe there until eight oaclock. Which is why I went down a few minutes before. Only to discover somebody had already moved itfor me. I came right upstairs and called the police. Took me forever to report it stolen. I missed nine oaclock ma.s.s, I told you.a aWhat time did you move it last night, maaam?a aFive to six. Thatas what the signs say. EightA.M. to six 6P.M. a aSo it had toave been stolen sometime after six last night, is that right?a aWell, yes,a she said. aI was home all last night. Watching television,a she said. aSame as tonight,a she said, and her voice was suddenly so forlorn that Willis wanted to give her a hug. Her mention of the television set caused all of them to turn toward the screen, where for perhaps the twentieth time that day, the Valparaiso kidnapping tape was being aired.

aDo I have to go for the car right now?a she asked, looking suddenly frightened. aI meanacan it wait till morning?a aYes, maaam, it can wait till morning,a Willis said, and was starting to give her the address of the One-Oh-Four, when all at once he heard himself saying, aIn fact, I can stop by and drive you there, if youad like.a aWhy that would be very nice, young man,a she said.

aTen oaclock be all right?a he asked.

aTen oaclock would be fine,a she said.

In the hallway outside, Parker said, aLove at first sight, Harold?a af.u.c.k you,a Willis explained.

CARELLAwas complaining that he felt like the father of the bride. Sitting beside him on the living room sofa, Teddy watched his lips and his signing hands, and then she herself signed,Well, in a sense you are.

aNo, darling,a he said, enunciating every word clearly, emphasizing them with his hands so that she wouldnat miss their meaning or their importance to him, anot inany sense am I the father of the bride. I am theson of the bride, and I am thebrother of the bride, but I am not in any way, shape, or form thefather of the bride.a Yes, but to your mother and Angela, you are thefatherof the bride, Teddy insisted.

aTheir perception has nothing toaa Youare the person whoall be giving them away.

aI know that. But that doesnat make me thefather of theaa At least theyare not asking you to pay for the wedding.

aOh, thatall be the day!a Carella said, and got off the sofa and began pacing. aMy motheras marrying a big ginzo fromaa Steve!her eyes snapped, and her fingers crackled.

aIs what heis, a Carella said. aHe speaks English the way mygrand father did when he first came to this country.a Luigi happens to speak Englisha aLuigi! Couldnat he have picked a moreaa aas well as you do. And heas a very nicea aawop-soundingaa You ought to be ashamed of youra aaname? Luigi! JesusChrist! a Well, Iam not going to shout over you,Teddy signed, and folded her hands in her lap.

The room went still.

aIam sorry,a he said.

You should be,Teddy signed.Itas going to be a lovely wedding.

aIam sure it will be,a he said. aIam sorry.a But he was sure it would not be. Because the issue here wasnat that his mother was about to marry a man from Italy, a realItalian, mind you, not somebody who was born here and who called himself Italian for G.o.d knew what obscure reasons, but someone actuallyfrom Italy, this was not the issue. The issue was that his mother was getting married atall. And so soon after his father was murdered. Before the funeral meats were cold, so to speak.

Which was theother thing that rankled about this double wedding impending in June, next month, right around the corner, for which he had been unanimously declared father of the bride when he didnat even choose to be either brother or son of the bride,brides, d.a.m.n it! Of all the men in this vast city, of all the available bachelors pounding on her door and sniffing at her heels, why had his sister chosen the man whoad prosecuted the case of thePeople v.Cole, and lost that case, allowed his fatheras murderer to walk free until another day? Why this particular man? Was there something f.u.c.king Electral about this? Something Carella was missing?

The telephone rang.

He looked up at the grandfather clock.

It was nine-thirty.

He went into the hall to answer it.

ah.e.l.lo?a he said.

aDetective Carella, please.a aSpeaking.a aThis is Special Agent Stanley Endicott,a the voice on the other end said. aIs this Carella?a aYes, it is.a aIam not waking you, am I?a aNo, Iam awake.a aIam in command of the Joint Task Force here at Federal Square,a Endicott said. aWeave been a.s.signed the Valparaiso kidnapping, and I understand you were the officer who caught the initial complaint, is that correct?a aWell, the Harbor Patrol was actually the first to respond,a Carella said, and wondered why whenever the FBI appeared on the scene he automatically started covering his a.s.s.

aBut you conducted the initial investigation, isnat that correct?a aYes, it is,a Carella said.

aAboard theRiver Princess, is the information I have here.a aYes.a aAnd youave been working the case since, more or less.a Carella liked to think the old Eight-Seven had been giving it their all, but he said nothing.

aHave you come up with anything so far?a Endicott asked.

aWeave been tracking a trio the Harbor Patrol stopped on the river, shortly before the kidnapping. Weave got a name for the guy who rented a boat that may have been used, but thatas all weave got. Thereas nothing on him in the computer, local, state, or federal. Weare thinking he used a phony credit card.a aWhat was the name?a aAndy Hardy,a Carella said.

aOh really?a Endicott said, and chuckled.

aWe also have an eye witness to the boat coming back in before midnight last nightawell, he didnat actuallysee the boat, but he gave us a good description of the three people who mightave been on the boataa aMightavebeen,a Endicott said.

aWeare fairly certain theyare the ones who brought the boat in. A man and two women. They drove off in a black Ford Exploreraa aFairlycertain,a Endicott said.

Carella was silent for a moment.

Then he said, aDo you want this or donat you?a aIam all ears,a Endicott said.

aSo cut the editorials, okay? Weave been busting our a.s.ses on this ever since we caught it.a aIam sure you have.a aLook, call my lieutenant, okay? Heas got all our reports, heall give you everything youaa aIad rather hear it from you.a aThe Explorer was reported stolen at eight-thirty this morning. We checked with the owner, last time she saw the car was six last night, when she moved it per parking regulations. The boat the three hireda"which may or maynot have been the one used on the gig, before you repeat it back to mea"was dusted by Mobile Crime top to bottom. It was wiped clean as a whistle. Also, weave set up a Tap and Tapeplus a Trap and Trace in Barney Loomisa office. We expectaa aSo he told us.a aWe expect the perps to call with a ransom demand sometime tomorrow. The office was closed today, and they have no way of knowing his home number. Plus, the girlas parents are divorced and living, one in Mexico, the other in Europe someplace. So Loomis is the one the perpsall most likely contact.a aSo he told us,a Endicott said again.

aThatas what weave done so far, and thatas what weave got.a aWhich is essentially nothing,a Endicott said.

aWell, as I mentioned earlier,a Carella said, amaybe you ought to talk to my lieutenant. He can give you any furtheraa aNo, no, youave done splendidly,a Endicott said. aNot your fault these guys are smart. How about the crime scene itself? Has the lab come back to you with anything yet?a aThey said Iad have their report by six tonight. I waited in the office till seven.a aThink it might be there now?a aPossibly. I can call the squadroomaa aIf itas there, maybe you can bring it along with the rest of the stuff.a aWhat stuff do you mean, Agent Endicott?a aIta.s.special Agent Endicott, by the way, but you can call me Stan. What do people call you, Detective? Stephen? Steve? It says here Stephen Louis Caraa aSteve. People call me Steve.a aSteve, Iad like to go over whatever evidence you gathered at the sceneaa aThere wasnat much.a aWhatever there was. Itad be in your DD report, wouldnat it?a aYes, it would.a aYour various conversations with eye witnessesaa aYes.a aYour own evaluation of the crime sceneaa aYes, that would all be in our report.a aPhotographsaa aThose would be coming from the lab.a aPlus whatever else you may have got from Mobile this evening.a aIf thereis anything else, yes, Stan. It was a big crime scene, they were very busy there, insideand outside the boat. The perps came up a ladder, you know, on the side of the boataa aSo youare saying there might be footprint castsaa aIam saying I donat knowwhat they got or didnat get. Footprints or whatever. Thatas why Iam waiting for the report. The perps were wearing gloves, so the likelihood of latents is nil. But they came down these highly polished steps into the ballroom, and they moved across a dance floor with another sensitive surfaceaa aThatas the kind of stuff I mean,a Endicott said. aYour first hand impressions of the scene. To supplement whatever youave got in writing. When do you think you can get down here?a aDown where?a Carella asked.

aWhy, Federal Square, Steve.a aHow about first thing tomorrow morning?a Carella said.

aHow about right now?a Endicott said. aThe Squadas all hereaa The Squad? Carella thought.

aaand wead love to get a jump on this before those sons of b.i.t.c.hes call tomorrow. Think you can stop by your office first, see if that MCU report is in, and then head right on down here? Itas One Federal Square, nineteenth floor. Weall be waiting,a he said, and hung up.

Carella looked at the phone receiver.

The Squad, he thought. Is that what the Joint Task Force calls itself, The Squad?

He put the receiver back on the cradle.

The Squad.

aI have to go in again,a he told Teddy.

It was not the first time shead ever heard those words, but she pulled a face anyway.

6.

THERE WAS ONLYone building in Federal Square, and it was appropriately addressed One Federal Square. A forty-story limestone structure lit from below with daggers of light, it would have looked imposing, and a bit intimidating, even if it were not the sole edifice on a plot of ground some fifty yards square.

The Joint Task Force, a team of six crack FBI agents and an equal number of elite police detectives, occupied floors nineteen and twenty of the building. You could not enter those floors without a key. Carella did not have a key, which was why someone was meeting him downstairs in the lobby.

The someone was Detective-Lieutenant Charles aCorkya Corcoran.

In this whole wide world, there is no one with the surname Corcoran who does not also possess the nickname Corky. That is an indisputable truth. Male or female, if you are a Corcoran, you are also a Corky. Charles Farley Corcoran had been aCorkya when Carella met him some twenty-odd years ago at the Police Academy, and Carella guessed he was still Corky tonight, though there was clipped to his suit jacket pocket an ID card and a gold, blue-enameled detective shield hammered with the wordLIEUTENANT . Beaming a toothy smile, blue eyes crinkling in a face stamped with the map of Ireland, he extended his hand and said, aSteve, long time no see.a His grip was firm and dry and warm. He looked as fit and as young as he had, lo those many years ago, when they were both rookies climbing ropes and firing pistols in the Academy.