See Them Die полностью

"All right. I'm never going to forget it," Parker shouted. "Okay? Never. It taught me a lesson, buddy, and only a sap would…"

"What lesson, Parker?"

"It taught me you can't trust anybody in this lousy precinct, that's what it…"

"And it also taught you to be afraid," Carella said.

"What?"

"You heard me. Afraid."

"Look, mister, you'd just better stop right now, while you're winning. I still ain't forgotten the time you…"

"When are you going to make a real arrest, Parker? When are you going to stop pulling in junkies and drunks? When are you going to tackle the real troublemakers?"

"I do my job!" Parker shouted. "I keep the streets clean!"

"By picking up the wrong garbage!"

"It's all garbage here!"

"And you're afraid of it! You're afraid to take another beating!"

"You son of a bitch, I warned you to…"

"I'm waiting, Miranda!" Byrnes shouted, and both men turned their attention to the lieutenant. Carella's fists were bunched. Parker glowered at him, and then walked to where Byrnes was standing.

"How about it, Miranda? Give it up! You haven't got a chance."

"What chance do I have if I come out? That old lady died, didn't she?"

"What old lady?"

"The one I mugged," Miranda said. He went into a fit of coughing which lasted for several moments. Then his voice came from the apartment again. "Tell the truth, cop."

"That woman's still alive, Miranda."

"I shouldn't have hit her," Miranda said. His voice faded. "I needed money. I had to…" He paused for a long time. "She's dead, ain't she?"

"She's alive, I told you."

"You're lying to me. You'll never get me out of here, cop. You think I'm coming out to face a murder rap?"

"The woman's alive. If you force us to come in after you, you haven't got a chance."

"I got news for you, cop. I never did have one."

"Okay, so make it easy on yourself now."

"For what? In payment for all the crap I've taken from cops since I was old enough to walk?"

"You dished out a bit yourself, Miranda. Let's cut the talking. Yes or no? Do you come out with your hands up, or do we blast you out?"

"You want me, come and earn your salary."

"Okay, you're calling it. There's just no talking to you, is there? Okay, we're coming in."

"Hey… hey, cop!"

"What is it?"

"Listen, I… I want a priest."

"A what?"

"A priest. I… I wanna talk to a priest."

"Will you come out if we get you one?"

"Send him up here. I gotta talk to him."

"Why? Are you hit?"

"No, I ain't hit. Goddamnit, do I need a federal warrant to get a priest? Can't I get anything in this friggin' city without having to beg for it?"

"Just a minute, Miranda." Byrnes put down the megaphone. "What do you think, Steve?"

"It's a trick," Carella said.

"Sure," Parker said. "He don't want no priest. All he wants is a shield."

"I know," Byrnes said.

Carella stared at him. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pete?"

"Yes," Byrnes said. He put the speaker to his mouth. "Miranda?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm getting a priest for you."

There was something in Zip's eyes which had not been there before. Sixto studied his face and tried to figure out what it was. Zip looked as if he might begin crying at any moment. His. face was red, and his lips were tight, and his eyes seemed to blink too often, as if he were struggling to hold back tears. But at the same time, there was a strength to the rigid thrust of his back, an impatience to the way he clenched and unclenched his fists.

The boys were standing on the avenue opposite Alfredo's building. None of them wore the purple jackets now. Without the jackets, they seemed like four high-school kids discussing girls or baseball or swimming. But, of course, they were discussing murder.

"What do you think, Cooch? Is he up there or not?"

"I don't know," Cooch said, looking across at the building. "One thing for sure, he didn't go to church."

"Why we deetch dee jackets, hey?" Papa asked. "I lak dee purple jacket."

"The jackets are hot," Zip said impatiently. "Can't you keep your mind on what we're doing here?"

"But I lak dee jacket. I don't see why…"

"You think this is the right time, Zip?" Cooch interrupted. "The streets are crawling with bulls."

"It's exactly the right time. Every cop m the city's got his hands full with Pepe. We can move in on Alfie and get him before they even know what happened."

"What's dee sense havin' a jacket if you cann wear it, huh?" Papa persisted.