"We have means of transportation, sir.”
"Oh, I'm sure you do. Must be yellow cabs all over the country, same as here. Big industrialized nation got the bomb now, can blow everybody to bits.”
"We live in a bad neighborhood, sir.”
"Bullshit," Ollie said. "Everybody lives in a bad neighborhood. This is a bad neighborhood right here. You see any nuclear bombs in this neighborhood?”
"we nave powetul ""-", .... "Ah, yes, m'boy, I'm certain you do, and what a pity it is. Are you in a hurry to get home now that your country's got the bomb? Go defend your nation against all these powerful enemies?”
"I am in no hurry, sir.”
"I'll bet you're not. What'd you live in there, a fuckin mud hut?”
"I had a proper apartment, sir.”
"I'll bet you made a fortune there, driving a yellow cab all over the place.”
"We are a poor country, sir, that is true.”
"But rich enough to build a fuckin bomb, huh?”
"We are only trying to protect ourselves, sir. America has the bomb, too, you know.”
"Oh, do we? But in America we don't marry off our six-year-old daughters, do we?”
"You're thinking of India, sir.”
"Gee, is that India? Where they marry off their six year-old daughters to their eight-year-old cousins? I thought it was Pakistan. Pakistan must be the place where you wipe your ass with your left hand, is that Pakistan? The unclean hand?”
"We are a proud nation, sir. And we are proud to have built the bomb, yes, sir.”
"Now all you got to do is use it, right? That should make you real proud. Two big industrialized nations in a hurry to blow up the world.
It's just ahead there, Abdul. Clarendon Avenue.”
"I know the street, sir.”
"Oh, I'm sure you do. I'll bet you could even get a job driving a cab in London, you know the streets so good.”
qlae cabbie pulled to the curb in front of 1114. The fare was six dollars and ten cents. Ollie gave him ten dollars and told him to take seven and give him a receipt. The cabbie gave him a receipt and three dollars in change. Ollie opened the door. There was not a word from the driver.
"What language do you speak in Pakistan?" Ollie asked.
"Urdu or Hindi," the cabbie said. "Why do you ask, sir?”
"Is there a word for "Thanks' in those languages?”
"Sir?”
"Because it's the custom with big nuclear powers to say thanks when somebody gives you a fuckin dollar tip on a six-dollar ride. Or are you too busy buildin bombs?”
"I said thank you, sir.”
"Bullshit," Ollie said, and got out, and left the door on the curb side open so the driver would have to get out of the cab to come around and close it.
1114 Clarendon was a six-story brick in a row of similar buildings.
Ollie checked the mailboxes in the entry, and found one for an L.
Hilbert in apartment 2A. He hit all the bell buttons under the mailboxes, heard a chorus of answering buzzers and pushed open the inside door. This was a nice quiet building, no cooking smells, no smells of piss in the halfway. He climbed to the second floor, found 2A at the top of the Stairs, looked for a bell button, found none, and knocked on the door.
"Yes?" a woman's voice called.
"Police," he said.
"What?"“
"Police, ma' am, would you open the door, please?”
“Police?" the woman said. "Yes, ma'am.”
He waited. He knocked again. The door opened almost at once. A girl who couldn't have been older than twenty, twenty-one, was standing there in jeans and a cotton T-shirt.
"Coralee Hilbert?" he said.
"Coral," she said.
"Okay to come in, Coral?”
"Why?" she said.
"You own a green Honda Accord with the license plate WU 3200?”
"I do.”
"Like to talk to you about a violation, ma' am. Is it okay to come in?”
"Let me see your badge," she said. "Shield," he corrected. "What?" she said.
"Never mind," he said, and took out the leather fob and showed her his gold and blue-enameled shield with the word DETECTIVE in an arc over the city's seal.
"A detective?" she said, surprised. "What kind of violation is this?”
"Just a parking ticket, miss," he said, "nothing to worry about," and closed the door behind him. "You know anybody named Sonny Cole?”
They were standing in a small kitchen in a neat apartment, living room beyond, doors leading off to what he supposed were two bedrooms.
Windows facing-south. Afternoon sunlight streaming in. The place titinrned with air-conditioning. It was cool and clean and pleasant. He wondered if the girl was a hooker.
"What about him?" she asked.
"Was he driving your car this past Friday night?”
"He's been driving my car for almost two weeks now.”
"How come?”
"I lent it to him.”
"What's your relationship with him, miss?”
"We're friends.”
“How long have you known him?”
"About three months.”
"And you loaned him your car?”
"He's a good driver.”
"Must be. Parked in a no-parking zone, must be an excellent driver.”
"So what's the big deal? A parking ticket? They send out detectives on parking tickets?”
"You know anyone named Juju Judell?”
"No.”
"Sonny ever mention him to you?”
"No.”
"When's the last time you saw Sonny?”
“He stops by every now and then.”
“When's the last time he stopped by?”
“Couple days ago.”
"Did he happen to stop by on Friday night?”
"No.”
"This past Friday night. Didn't stop by then?”
"No.”
"When did he stop by?”
cool and "Sunday?”
was a "Well, was it or wasn't it?”
"I just told you.”
"You made it sound like a question.”
9”
"No, it was Sunday. We went to the stree!
weeks Culver.”
"He isn't living here, is he?”
"No, I live here with my mother.”
"What do you do for a living, miss?”
"I'm a student?”
"You're not a manicurist?”
"A manicurist? What?”
"Do you know where Sonny lives?”
"No, I don't.”
"Never been to his apartment?”
an "Never.”
"He just stops by here, is that it?”
"Yes.”
"Gets his nails done, right?”
"What?”
"Where do you go to school, miss?”
"Ramsey U.”
"Studying what?”
"Communications.”
"Learning to communicate, huh?”
"Learning television broadcasting.”
"Why'd you lend him your car?”
"He's trying to collect money he lent his husband.”
"His what?”
"His cousin had an operation and Sonn) husband thousands of dollars to pay for it.”
"His cousin's husband, huh?”
"Yes. His first cousin. Well, they're separated now.
Which is why Sonny needed a car. So he could follow him and maybe he'd lead him to his cousin.”
"Where'd you get this story, miss?”
"It isn't a story. Sonny needs to find his cousin, the one who had the kidney operation ...”
He c "A kidney operation, I see." phon "So he can ask her to plead his case, tell her former ansv husband to pay him back the money." the "So he's trailing this guy around.”
"Yes." him "In your car.”
“
"Yes. He's a cop, you may even know him." ,”
"Who's a cop?”
WIThe guy who owes him the money.”
"Sonny Cole is trailing a cop ?" Ollie said.
"That's what he told me.”
Oh, Jesus, Ollie thought.
15.
He called the Eight-Seven the minute he found a pay phone. This was now around three-thirty. Parker answered the phone and told him Carella was in with the lieutenant just then.