‘Whose gun is it?’
‘Santa’s,’ Henkins said. ‘The other Santa.’
‘Let me get this straight,’ Carella said again. He was having a difficult time getting it straight. He knew only that Henkins had come out of Gruber’s with a sackful of zippered plastic bags containing—according to the count made before the cash was delivered to the property clerk’s office—eight hundred thousand, two hundred fifty-two dollars in cash plus a sizable number of personal checks. Henkins had drawn a gun —identified and tagged as a .32-caliber Smith & Wesson Regulation Police—and a silencer fitting that gun had been found in the cashier’s office at Gruber’s, alongside the body of one of the victims, a woman named Helen Ruggiero, who incidentally had four marijuana joints in her handbag. The police officer on duty had shouted the customary warning and then shot him. He was currently at Headquarters downtown, filling out all the papers that explained why he had drawn his service revolver in the first place and why he had fired it in the second place.
‘Let me explain it,’ Henkins said.
Brown knew he was about to tell a whopper.
‘I went in Gruber’s to use the facilities,’ Henkins said.
‘What facilities?’
‘I went up the sixth floor to take a leak.’
‘Then what?’
‘I ran into Drits in the men’s room.’
‘Arthur Drits.’
‘Arthur Drits, who I knew from long ago.’
‘Yeah, go ahead,’ Brown said.
‘Drits was dressed as Santa Claus. Also he had the gun you’re now saying was my gun.’
‘How’d you get the gun?’
‘Drits gave it to me.’
‘Why?’
‘He said, “Merry Christmas,” and gave it to me.’
‘So you took it.’
‘It was a present.’
‘So when you came out of Gruber’s you had the gun.’
‘Exactly.’
‘And you pulled the gun.’
‘Only to give it to the police officer, because by then I was having second thoughts about it.’
‘What kind of second thoughts?’
‘Who knew but what that gun may have been used in a crime of some sort?’
‘Who indeed?’ Brown said.
‘Where’d you get the sackful of money?’ Carella asked.
‘That was the Puerto Rican’s.’
‘What Puerto Rican?’
‘The one with all the wrist watches. He had the watches in the sack. When he bumped into me, the watches and the money fell out of the sack.’
‘So the gun belonged to Drits, and the sack belonged to the Puerto Rican.’
‘You’ve got it,’ Henkins said. I’m an innocent dupe’
Carella looked at Brown again.
‘There are barbarians in this city,’ Henkins said. ‘You should have seen all those people scrambling to pick up that money.’ He shook his head. ‘On Christmas Eve!’
‘Let’s talk about this Arthur Drits character,’ Brown said.
‘Yes, sir,’ Henkins said.
‘You say he was a friend of yours?’
‘An acquaintance, sir,’ Henkins said.
Brown knew from all the ‘sirs’ that he was onto something.
‘You said you knew him from long ago.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘How long ago?’
‘Oh, four or five years ago.’
‘And you ran into him accidentally in the men’s room at Gruber’s.’
‘That is exactly what happened, sir,’ Henkins said. ‘I swear on my mother’s eyes.’
‘Leave your mother out of this,’ Brown said.
‘My mother happens to be dead,’ Henkins said.
‘So are two people in Gruber’s cashier’s office,’ Brown said. ‘Who were killed with the gun you were carrying.’
‘Drits’s gun,’ Henkins said.
‘Who you met long ago.’
‘Four, five years ago.’
‘Where?’ Brown said.
‘Where what, sir?’
‘Where’d you meet him?’
‘Well, sir, that’s difficult to remember.’
‘Try,’ Brown said.
‘I really couldn’t say.’
Brown looked at Carella.
‘You understand,’ Carella said, ‘that we’re talking two counts of homicide here, don’t you? Plus…’
‘Drits must have killed those two people,’ Henkins said.
‘Where’d you meet this Drits?’ Carella said. ‘If he exists.’
Henkins hesitated.
‘Forget it,’ Brown said to Carella and then turned to Henkins. ‘You’re under arrest, Mr. Henkins. We’re charging you with two counts of homicide and one count of armed robbery. In accordance with the Supreme Court ruling in Miranda-Escobedo...’
‘Hey, hold it just a minute,’ Henkins said. ‘I’m a fuckin’ innocent dupe here.’
‘It was Drits and the Puerto Rican, right?’ Carella said.
‘It was Drits gave me the gun. I don’t know where the Puerto Rican got all that money those animals were scrambling for.’
‘Where’d you meet him?’ Brown said.
‘On the sidewalk outside. He crashed into me on...’
‘Not the Puerto Rican,’ Brown shouted, ‘Drits! Where the fuck did you meet him? Was he in on this with you? Did the two Santa Claus outfits have something to do with... ?’
‘I told you once, I’ll tell you again. I was taking a leak in the men’s room when Drits...’
‘The first time!’ Brown shouted. ‘Where’d you meet him the first time?’
‘Well...’
‘Make it fast,’ Brown said. ‘My Christmas is waiting.’
‘Castleview, okay?’ Henkins said.
‘You did time at Castleview?’
‘A little.’
‘How much?’
‘I grossed twenty.’
‘For what?’
‘Well ... I got thirsty one night.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘I went in this liquor store.’
‘Where?’
‘Calm’s Point.’
‘And?’
‘I asked the guy for a fifth of Gordon’s.’
‘And?’
‘He didn’t want to give it to me.’
‘So?’
‘I had to persuade him.’
‘How’d you persuade him? With a gun?’