"Who wants trouble?" Tommy asked gently. "Li'1 Killer and me, we asked your friend very politely to get the hell off that box, that's all. That ain't no trouble."
"That ain't no trouble at all," Phil said.
In that instant, Lieutenant Byrnes waved his arm at the rooftops, and the police opened fire. The firing was a precise, methodical operation designed to keep Miranda away from the front windows. At the same time, the distant echo of guns could be heard in the back yard, and over that, like a triangle player in a hundred-piece orchestra, the sound of shattering glass. Miranda appeared at the front windows for just an instant, looked into the street, saw what he was supposed to see, and ducked back into the apartment.
The cops of the 87th rushed the doorway to the left of La Gallina.
Miranda saw them the second before he ducked his head. Lieutenant Byrnes led the charge, shooting up at the windows as he ran. Behind him were Steve Carella and Andy Parker and half a dozen patrolmen, all with guns in their hands. Frankie Hernandez brought up the rear. One by one, the cops entered the tenement. Hernandez seemed to be following them and then, suddenly, at the last moment, he swerved to the right of the doorway and flattened himself against the front of the building.
At the same time, Captain Frick - who commanded the uniformed cops of the 87th - brought the megaphone to his mouth and shouted,
There was no answer from within the apartment.
In the hallway, Byrnes, Carella, and Parker crouched on the steps. They could hear the gunfire outside, could hear shouts from the cops, screams from the crowd, the sound of glass breaking and wood splintering, the high whistle of slugs that caromed and ricocheted.
Outside, Frankie Hernandez stealthily moved past the glass front of La Gallina, working his way toward the fire escape.
The crowd was suddenly hushed.
The only sound on the street now was the explosion of the revolvers on the rooftops and in the windows facing Miranda's apartment.
She came around the corner hurriedly.
There were tears on her face, and her blouse had pulled free from her skirt, and she thought she could still feel the imprint of Cooch's fingers where he had touched her. It was twenty minutes past twelve, and she hoped against hope that Jeff would still be there, hoped he had at least the faith to realize… to realize
He was not there.
She looked at the empty stools, and then she turned to Luis and she said, "Luis, there was a sailor…" and Luis nodded instantly.
"He left."
"I… I couldn't get away and then… the crowds in the street…"
"He left," Luis said again.
She turned from him quickly and went into the street again. She could hear the pistol shots, thunder on a sunny day. "China, hey, China!" She wished it would really rain, she wished the skies would open and - "China, hey, don't you hear me?" - rain would come down to wash the streets, wash all the…
"Hey!
She looked up suddenly. "What? Oh - oh, hello."
Zip was standing by the ices cart, grinning.
"Hey, how are you, China?"
"Fine," she said. "I'm fine, thank you."
"You want some ices?"
"No. No, thank you, Zip."
He studied her. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"You look like you was crying. Was somebody bothering you?"
She shook her head. "No, no."
"If anybody bothers you, you just let me know," he said. "I'll take care of them the way I'm gonna take care of Alfie."
"You leave Alfie alone!" she said sharply and suddenly, her eyes flashing.
"Huh?"
"Why do you want to hurt him? You have no right to hurt him!"
"Hell, I ain't afraid of
"Nobody said you were."
"It's just, he's got this coming, that's all."
"You know he didn't do anything, Zip. You
"He done plenty! I'm gonna bust him wide open. I'm gonna…"
She began crying suddenly and fitfully. "Why do you
Surprised by her sudden passion, he stared at her, speechless.
"What are you trying to show?" she asked, the tears running down her face. "What are you trying to do? Make it worse here than it really is? What's wrong with you? What the hell is
