He found Kling in the Swing Room downstairs shortly after the Q and A was concluded. The room was dark, Carella hadn’t bothered to turn on the overhead lights because he was only on his way through to the back door of the building and the parking lot where he’d left his car. At first he saw only someone lying face downward on one of the cots. Then he realized that the person was crying. And then he recognized him as Bert Kling.
He went to the cot.
He sat on the edge of it.
He put his hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Tell me,” he said.