"And discreetly, Phil. Like I said, he's a brother-in-law of one of my partners. He would get p.i.s.sed in a second if he heard I'd asked you to check this guy out."

"I understand."

"I'll give you fifty an hour, plus all your expenses, if you can get on this right away, Phil."

"I told you, Joey, I'm up to my a.s.s-"

"This is important to me, Phil, but I would hate to think you're trying to hold me up. We have a good relationship here. . . ."

"I wasn't talking about money. I was talking about other jobs I have, Joey."

"No offense, Phil."

"No offense taken, Joey. I'll get on it as soon as I can."

"I appreciate that, Phil," Joey said.

He got up behind his desk and put out his hand.

"You get me something on this guy I can take to my partners, something solid, and there'll be a bonus in this for you, Phil."

"If there's something there, I'll find it," Phil said.

"Jesus, I just had a thought," Joey said.

"What?"

"Let me throw this at you. I don't know why I didn't think of it before."

"Think of what before?"

"If anybody knew if my Howard Johnson motel is being used as a f.u.c.king drug supermarket, it would be the narcotics cops, right?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe, my a.s.s. They did one drug bust there. They had to have a reason, a suspicion, that something was going on there."

"So what?"

"Could you ask them? You know any of them?"

"No, and no. I don't know any of them, and if I did know one of them, and asked him something like that, he'd tell me to go f.u.c.k myself."

"I thought you cops got along pretty well," Joey said visibly disappointed.

"I'm a retired cop, which is the same thing as saying, so far as they're concerned, that I'm a civilian. They don't tell civilians anything. So far as that goes, they don't tell other cops anything."

"If they knew-even suspected; we wouldn't need any proof-about something going on at my motel, that would settle this thing in a hurry. Which is what I'm after, Phil, finding out yes or no in a hurry."

"I told you, Joey, if the Narcotics Unit knew knew that drug deals were going on every hour on the hour at your motel, they wouldn't tell me." that drug deals were going on every hour on the hour at your motel, they wouldn't tell me."

"You couldn't explain the situation to them?"

"Jesus, you don't know how to take 'no' for an answer, do you?"

"Not when I'm about to lose a lot of f.u.c.king money, I don't," Joey said. He paused. "The bonus I was talking about would kick in, of course."

Phil shook his head. "No."

"Well, how about this? Get me a couple of names of detectives in the Narcotics Unit. Get me two two names of the detectives who did the drug bust at my motel last Thursday. I'm a very reasonable guy. I can talk to them, explain my problem." names of the detectives who did the drug bust at my motel last Thursday. I'm a very reasonable guy. I can talk to them, explain my problem."

"I'll see what I can do," Phil said. "No promises."

"One promise. You get me two names, I pay you for ten hours of your time, and throw in the bonus."

"I'll see what I can do, Joey," Phil repeated.

From the gla.s.s-walled office that had been loaned to him by Vice President James C. Chase of the First Harrisburg Bank & Trust Company, Detective Matthew Payne of the Philadelphia Police Department devoted a good deal of his attention throughout the morning to the bank's employees and customers.

He was looking for someone who might be an FBI agent, on surveillance duty, and charged with keeping an eye on the safe-deposit box leased by Miss Susan Reynolds, who was aiding and abetting the Chenowith Group in their unlawful flight to escape prosecution for murder and their partic.i.p.ation in a series of bank robberies.

It had been agreed between them that in the event Matt saw someone who might be the FBI, he was to signal Susan cleverly-with a negative shake of the head-on her arrival in the lobby. If he gave such a signal, she was not to go to her safe-deposit box but, instead, come directly to his office, from which they would go to lunch.

If he did not give her a negative shake of the head, she would go to her safe-deposit box, take out the bank loot, and then come to Matt's office. After transferring the money to his brand-new hard-sided attache case, they would then go to lunch.

The only person he saw who even remotely looked like a police officer of any kind was the gray-uniformed bank guard, who was about seventy years old and had apparently learned to sleep on his feet with his eyes open. Matt didn't think he would notice if someone walked into the lobby and began to carry out one of the ornate bronze stand-up desks provided for the bank's clientele.

There was something unreal about the whole thing, starting with the fact that someone like Susan would even know someone who robbed banks, now with a homemade movie-style machine pistol. And it was, of course, absolutely unbelievable that, in violation of everything that, before the Hotel Hershey, he had believed was really important to him, he was actively involved in the felony of concealing evidence in a capital criminal case.

Or as unbelievable as what had happened-or at least how many times it had happened-in his hotel room that morning, before Susan finally got out of bed and put her clothes back on just in time to go to work.

But that was true, and so was the fact that he was a yet-undetected criminal.

He wondered, idly, once or twice during the morning if this detachment from reality was the way it was for real criminals-he changed that to "other criminals"-and might explain the calm, I don't give a s.h.i.t I don't give a s.h.i.t behavior many of them manifested. behavior many of them manifested.

And then, at ten to twelve-Susan said she would probably be at the bank at 12:05-he spotted a familiar head walking across the marble floor to the bronze gate to the safe-deposit room door.

The familiar head needed both a shave and a haircut. The man was wearing blue jeans and a woolen, zippered athletic jacket.

Not what one expects from the usually natty FBI. Which means that not only are they surveilling the safe-deposit boxes, but using an undercover agent to do it.

He felt bile in his mouth.

Christ, we're going to get caught! What made me think we could get away with this?

And then he realized, with mingled relief, chagrin, and surprise, that while the unshaven man in the jeans and athletic jacket was indeed a law-enforcement officer, he was not in the employ of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He gets his paychecks from the same place I do. That son of a b.i.t.c.h is Officer Timothy J. Calhoun of the Five Squad of the Narcotics Unit!

Matt's mind made an abrupt right turn: Christ, there's four paychecks in my desk. I've Christ, there's four paychecks in my desk. I've got got to find the time to go to the G.o.dd.a.m.n bank and deposit them! to find the time to go to the G.o.dd.a.m.n bank and deposit them!

And then returned to the lobby of the First Harrisburg Bank & Trust Company. He lowered his head and raised his hand to shield his face.

He won't expect to see me here, of course, but the son of a b.i.t.c.h is is a cop, and he just might recognize me. He gave me a long hard look the last time I saw him. a cop, and he just might recognize me. He gave me a long hard look the last time I saw him.

That flashed through his mind. He had been startled then, too, to recognize Calhoun, the first time he had ever laid eyes on him. He'd just come from going through the personnel records of Five Squad, which had included a photograph of clean-shaven Officer Calhoun taken on his graduation from the Academy.

But that had been enough for him to recognize unshaven undercover officer Calhoun in the Roundhouse parking lot. He had followed him into the building and watched as he and somebody else-Coogan, Officer Thomas P.-had processed prisoners into Central Lockup.

And the both of them looked at me long and hard when they saw me later in the parking lot. If he sees me here, he will recognize me!

But what the h.e.l.l is he doing here?

I've already cross-checked the names I got from his record against the names of people who rent safe-deposit boxes here, and there wasn't a match.

Which means either I was not doing my job well-which seems possible, since I have had other things on my mind-or that the box is rented in the name of somebody whose name I don't have.

I have to find out what box he's going into.

Calhoun was no longer in sight.

Matt looked across the lobby toward the office of Vice President James C. Chase. It was empty.

He quickly scanned the desktop looking for a list of telephone numbers under the plate gla.s.s. There was none. He pulled out first the left, then the right, shelf on the desk, and on the right found a list of telephone numbers.

Chase, James C. was not on it. was not on it.

Of course not, stupid. The guy whose desk this is d.a.m.ned well knows the boss's extension number by heart.

He punched one of the b.u.t.tons on the telephone and punched in the numbers listed on the phone.

"Good morning, First Harrisburg!"

"Mr. Chase, please."

"Mr. Chase's office."

"My name is Matthew Payne. . . ."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Payne. How can I help you?"

"I'd like to speak to Mr. Chase, if that's possible."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, but it's not. Mr. Chase won't be in until this afternoon. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"It'll wait. Thank you very much."

"Mr. Chase left instructions that you're to have anything you need."

Somehow, I don't think that includes asking you to walk across the lobby and find out what box the guy in the blue jeans and athletic jacket is going into.

And, Christ! They keep a record of who goes into what box, and the time. I don't need her.

"It's not important," Matt said. "It'll wait. Thank you."

"I'll tell him you called."

"Thank you," Matt said and hung up and looked at his watch. It was five to twelve.

He looked at the door through which Calhoun had disappeared. No Calhoun. He looked through the lobby.

Susan was at one of the stand-up desks, looking-nervously-his way.

What do I do? Send her in there with him? They're liable to both come out at the same time, and being normal, Calhoun will take a look at her tail, and then maybe spot me in here.

He fixed what he hoped was a smile of confidence on his face and winked at Susan.

She smiled in relief, and his heart melted.

What did you tell her about Poor Pathetic Jennie? That when Jennie knew what was going down was really wrong, she had a choice to make, and made the wrong one? Does that have an application here?

He watched Susan until she disappeared from sight, then got out the list of names of relatives of Officer Timothy J. Calhoun and stared at it, wondering again whether he had screwed up, or the name of the box Calhoun was going into wasn't one of his names.

He looked up, from behind the hand shielding his face, and saw Calhoun coming back into the lobby. Calhoun looked quickly around the lobby-a little nervously, Matt thought-and then walked out of the bank.

But I've got you, you son of a b.i.t.c.h!

Said Detective Payne, literally in the middle of the commission of a felony, with monumental hypocritical self-righteousness.

He shrugged, and reached for the telephone.

"Special Operations Investigation, Sergeant Washington."

"Officer Calhoun, Timothy J., just went into-at 11:54-a safe-deposit box at the First Harrisburg Bank and Trust."

"I am almost as glad to hear that as I am to hear your voice, Matthew. You have the number of the box? That will permit me to have the search warrant all ready for the signature of a judge at the auspicious time."

"Not yet."

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that banks keep records in minute detail of the time their clients gain access to their boxes?"

"That's right. You don't. But I want to get it-I want the guy from the bank to get it for me. He'll be in this afternoon."

"And you will relay the number to me immediately after you have it?"