The Frumious Bandersnatch полностью

“This is all politics,” Byrnes said. “We caught the squeal. If the Feebs crack the case, we look inept. If we’re the ones who nab these guys, we come off smelling of roses.”

“The Feebs don’t have anything yet. And neither do I,” Carella said.

“That’s why we’re here today, ain’t it?” Byrnes said, and turned away and said, “You ready to listen, men?” And immediately added, “Eileen?”

“Good save, Loot,” Eileen said, and everyone laughed. Score one for the frails, she thought, and crossed her splendid legs for emphasis.

Cotton Hawes thought of Honey Blair crossing her legs last night.

“Here’s what we’ve got,” Byrnes said. “You all know we caught this friggin kidnapping Saturday night…”

“Actually, I’m the one who caught it,” Andy Parker said.

“Bravo, you want a medal?” Byrnes asked. “The Joint Task Force moved in and the vic asked for Carella to…”

“Not the vic,” Carella corrected.

“Right, the CEO of the company that records the vic, you’ve seen her all over television. He asked for Carella on the case because he has some sort of rapport with him…”

“Must be the smile,” Meyer said.

“Must be,” Carella said, and flashed a toothy grin.

“Anyway, they get him down there and treat him like a country cousin, except when the CEO demands he go along on the ransom drop. Am I getting this right, Steve?”

“More or less,” Carella said.

“So last night, when they diss him yet again, he walks. Told Corky Corcoran…any of you know him?”

“A prick,” Brown said. “ ’Scuse me, Eileen.”

“Why?” Eileen said. “Heis a prick.”

“Anyway, Steve told him to shove his job.”

“Good for you,” Meyer said.

“Only trouble is,” Byrnes said, “I got a call from the Commish last night, soon as he heard what happened.”

“How’d he hear?” Genero asked.

“Corcoran called him. Filed a complaint.”

“The prick,” Eileen said.

“The Commish agrees. He wants Carella—he wants us—to stay on it. In fact, he would like nothing better than for us to crack it. Before The Squad does.”

“Fat Chance Department,” Parker said. “They’ve got technology pouring out of their wahzoo.”

“Didn’t help them locate the perps,” Carella said.

“What’d you learn down there, Steve?” Brown asked.

He told them about all the equipment the Feebs had set up, told them about the perps leading him and Loomis out to The Wasteland, told them about the dead Golden Retriever…

“Sons of bitches,” Parker said.

“So we’d know they’re ready to kill the girl,” Carella said.

“Could’ve made their point another way.”

“That’s what Loomis thought. He still thinks these guys are honorable, you know. That they’ll make a deal and stick to it. They asked for two-fifty large the first time around, and when we delivered it, they came back asking for a mil. But he still seems to think…”

“A mil more? ” Kling asked.

“No, altogether.”

“The girl’s worth it,” Hawes said. “Did you see that tape of the kidnapping? I saw it on a large screen down at Channel Four,” he said, and grinned sort of goofily.

“We got the MCU report, by the way,” Carella said. “The guy was limping.”

“What guy?”

“One of the perps. The lefthanded one.”

“Well,there’s something,” Parker said.

“We already put out a medical alert,” Hawes said.

“Anything?” Eileen asked.

“Not so far.”

“I mean, how many limping lefthanded guys are there in this city?” Parker asked reasonably.

“Who’s an experienced thief,” Carella said, nodding.

“How so?” Genero asked.

“Stole the Explorer he used on the night of the snatch. Also has a barrel full of stolen cell phones. So at least one of them’s a thief.”

“Means a record, maybe,” Hawes said.

“Maybe for the lefthanded one.”

“Who limps, don’t forget.”

“Any of you guys remember a movie called The Fallen Sparrow? ” Byrnes asked.

They all looked at him.

“The bad guy limps. Drags his foot. Scariest scene in the movie is John Garfield waiting for him, his face all covered with sweat, and all we hear is that foot dragging down the hall, coming closer and closer.”

“Who’s John Garfield?” Genero asked.

“That was suspense,” Byrnes said. “Nowadays, they put a lot of bullshit technology on the screen, the directors think that’s suspense.”

“Think we should put out a second med alert?” Eileen asked.

“Couldn’t hurt,” Brown said. “All these doctors are too busy to pay attention the first time around.”

“Too busy making money,” Hawes said.

“Too busy robbing Medicare,” Kling said.

“Come on, my uncle’s a doctor,” Genero said.

“Am I the only one going to have a second bagel?” Parker asked, and pulled himself out of the only easy chair in the room and went over to the table near the windows.

“So is this ours or is it theirs, or what?” Carella asked.

“My guess?” Byrnes said.

“Good as mine, that’s for sure.”

“My guess is it’s ours and theirs.”

“A fuckin horse race,” Parker said, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

“So let’s win it,” Byrnes said.