Time was something I had too little of, but I had too little of her too. "Well-why?"

"Because I'm coming into your big city."

"Isn't it kind of late?"

"No. I have to be there at ten p.m. to see a friend of yours and since I see no sense of wasting the evening I thought that whatever you have to do you can do it with me. Or can you?"

"It takes two to dance, baby."

She laughed again. "I didn't mean it that that way." way."

"Sure, come on in. If I said not to I'd be lying. Who's my friend you have a date with?"

"An old friend and new enemy. Captain Chambers."

"What is this?"

"I don't know. He called and asked if I could come in. It would simplify things since his going out of his jurisdiction requires a lot of work."

"For Pete's sake-"

"Mike-I don't mind, really. If it has to do with Leo's death, well, I'll do anything. You know that."

"Yeah, but-"

"Besides, it gives me an excuse to see you even sooner than I hoped. Okay?"

"Okay."

"See you in a little while, Mike. Any special place?"

"Moriarty's at Sixth and Fifty-second. I'll be at the bar."

"Real quick," she said and hung up.

I held the disconnect bar down with my finger. Time. Seven years' worth just wasted and now there was none left. I let the bar up and dialed Hy Gardner's private number at the paper, hoping I'd be lucky enough to catch him in. I was.

He said, "Mike, if you're not doing anything, come on up here. I have to get my column out and I'll be done before you're here. I have something to show you."

"Important?"

"Brother, one word from you and everybody flips. Shake it up."

"Fifteen minutes."

"Good."

I hung up and pushed the phone back. When I did I uncovered a heart scratched in the surface with something sharp. Inside it was a V V and an and an M. Velda and Mike. M. Velda and Mike. I pulled the phone back to cover it, climbed into my coat and went outside. Just to be sure I still had the night to myself I walked down, out the back way through the drugstore then headed south on Broadway toward Hy's office. I pulled the phone back to cover it, climbed into my coat and went outside. Just to be sure I still had the night to myself I walked down, out the back way through the drugstore then headed south on Broadway toward Hy's office.

Marilyn opened the door and hugged me h.e.l.lo, a pretty grin lighting her face up. She said, "Hy's inside waiting for you. He won't tell me what it's all about."

"You're his wife now, not his secretary anymore. You don't work for him."

"The heck I don't. But he still won't tell me."

"It's man talk, sugar."

"All right, I'll let you be. I'll get some coffee-and Mike-" I turned around.

"It's good to have you back."

When I winked she blew me a kiss and scurried out the door.

Hy was at his desk inside with his gla.s.ses up on his forehead, frowning at some sheets in his hand. They were covered with penciled notations apparently culled from another batch beside his elbow.

I pulled up a chair, sat down and let Hy finish what he was doing. Finally he glanced up, pulling his gla.s.ses down. "I got your message across."

"So?"

"So it was like I dropped a bomb in HQ. Over there they seem to know things we don't read in the paper here." He leaned forward and tapped the sheets in his hand. "This bit of The Dragon is the hottest item in the cold war, buddy. Are you sure you know what you're up to?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, I'll go along with you. The Reds are engaged in an operation under code name REN. It's a chase thing. Behind the Iron Curtain there has been a little h.e.l.l to pay the last few years. Somebody was loose back there who could rock the whole Soviet system and that one had to be eliminated. That's where The Dragon came in. This one has been on that chase and was close to making his. .h.i.t. n.o.body knows what the score really is." He stopped then, pushed his gla.s.ses back up and said seriously, "Or do they, Mike?"

"They?"

I should have been shaking. I should have been feeling some emotion, some wildness like I used to. What had happened? But maybe it was better this way. I could feel the weight of the .45 against my side and tightened my arm down on it lovingly. "They're after Velda," I said. "It's her. They're hunting her."

Hy squeezed his mouth shut and didn't say anything for a full minute. He laid the papers down and leaned back in his chair. "Why, Mike?"

"I don't know, Hy. I don't know why at all."

"If what I heard is true she doesn't have a chance."

"She has a chance," I told him softly.

"Maybe it really isn't her at all, Mike."

I didn't answer him. Behind us the door opened and Marilyn came in. She flipped an envelope on Hy's desk and set down the coffee container. "Here's a picture that just came off the wires. Del said you requested it."

Hy looked at me a little too quickly, opened the envelope and took out the photo. He studied it, then pa.s.sed it across.

It really wasn't a good picture at all. The original had been fuzzy to start with and transmission electrically hadn't improved it any. She stood outside a building, a tall girl with seemingly black hair longer than I remembered it, features not quite clear and whose shape and posture were hidden under bulky Eastern European style clothing. Still, there was that indefinable something, some subtlety in the way she stood, some trait that came through the clothing and poor photography that I couldn't help but see.

I handed the photo back. "It's Velda."

"My German friend said the picture was several years old."

"Who had it?"

"A Red agent who was killed in a skirmish with some West German cops. It came off his body. I'd say he had been a.s.signed to REN too and the picture was for identification purposes."

"Is this common information?"

Hy shook his head. "I'd say no. Rather than cla.s.sify this thing government sources simply refuse to admit it exists. We came on it separately."

I said, "The government knows it exists."

"You know too d.a.m.n much, Mike."

"No, not enough. I don't know where she is now."

"I can tell you one thing," Hy said.

"Oh?"

"She isn't in Europe any longer. The locale of REN has changed. The Dragon has left Europe. His victim got away somehow and all indications point to them both being in this country."

Very slowly, I got up, put my coat and hat on and stretched the dampness out of my shoulders. I said, "Thanks, Hy."

"Don't you want your coffee?"

"Not now."

He opened a drawer, took out a thick manila envelope and handed it to me. "Here. You might want to read up a little more on Senator Knapp. It's confidential stuff. Gives you an idea of how big he was. Save it for me."

"Sure." I stuck it carelessly in my coat pocket. "Thanks."

Marilyn said, "You all right, Mike?"

I grinned at her a little crookedly. "I'm okay."

"You don't look right," she insisted.

Hy said, "Mike-"

And I cut him short. "I'll see you later, Hy." I grinned at him too. "And thanks. Don't worry about me." I patted the gun under my coat. "I have a friend along now. Legally."

While I waited, I read about just how great a guy Leo Knapp had been. His career had been cut short at a tragic spot because it was evident that in a few more years he would have been the big man on the political scene. It was very evident that he had been one of the true powers behind the throne, a man initially responsible for military progress and missile production in spite of opposition from the knotheaded liberals and "better-Red-than-dead" slobs. He had thwarted every attack and forced through the necessary programs and in his hands had been secrets of vital importance that made him a number-one man in the Washington setup. His death came at a good time for the enemy. The bullet that killed him came from the gun of The Dragon. A bullet from the same gun killed Richie Cole and almost killed me twice. A bullet from that same gun was waiting to kill Velda.

She came in then, the night air still on her, shaking the rain from her hair, laughing when she saw me. Her hand was cool when she took mine and climbed on the stool next to me. John brought her a martini and me another Blue Ribbon. We raised the gla.s.ses in a toast and drank the top off them.

"Good to see you," I said.

"You'll never know," she smiled.

"Where are you meeting Pat?"

She frowned, then, "Oh, Captain Chambers. Why, right here." She glanced at her watch. "In five minutes. Shall we sit at a table?"

"Let's." I picked up her gla.s.s and angled us across the room to the far wall. "Does Pat know I'll be here?"

"I didn't mention it."

"Great. Just great."

Pat was punctual, as usual. He saw me but didn't change expression. When he said h.e.l.lo to Laura he sat beside her and only then looked at me. "I'm glad you're here too."

"That's nice."

He was a mean, cold cop if ever there was one, his face a mask you couldn't penetrate until you looked into his eyes and saw the hate and determination there. "Where do you find your connections, Mike?"

"Why?"

"It's peculiar how a busted private d.i.c.k, a d.a.m.n drunken pig in trouble up to his ears can get a gun-carrying privilege we can't break. How do you do it, punk?"

I shrugged, not feeling like arguing with him. Laura looked at the two of us, wondering what was going on.

"Well, you might need it at that if you keep getting shot at. By the way, I got a description of your back alley friend. He was seen by a rather observant kid in the full light of the streetlamp. Big guy, about six-two with dark curly hair and a face with deep lines in the cheeks. His cheekbones were kind of high so he had kind of an Indian look. Ever see anybody like that?"

He was pushing me now, doing anything to set me off so he'd have a reason to get at me but sure, I saw a guy like that. He drove past me on the Thruway and I thought he was a tired driver, then he shot at me later and now I know d.a.m.n well who he is. You call him The Dragon. He had a face I'd see again someday, a face I couldn't miss.

I said, "No, I don't know him." It wasn't quite a lie.

Pat smiled sardonically. "I have a feeling you will."

"So okay, I'll try to catch up with him for you."

"You do that, punk. Meanwhile I'll catch up with you. I'm putting you into this thing tighter than ever."

"Me?"

"That's right. That's why I'm glad you're here. It saves seeing you later." He had me curious now and knew it, and he was going to pull it out all the way. "There is a strange common denominator running throughout our little murder puzzle here. I'm trying to find out just what it all means."

"Please go on," Laura said.

"Gems. For some reason I can't get them out of my mind. Three times they cross in front of me." He looked at me, his eyes narrowed. "The first time when my old friend here let a girl die because of them, then when Senator Knapp was killed a batch of paste jewels were taken from the safe, and later a man known for his gem smuggling was killed with the same gun. It's a recurrent theme, isn't it, Mike? You're supposed to know about these things. In fact, it must have occurred to you too. You were quick enough about getting upstate to see Mrs. Knapp here."

"Listen, Pat."