"They may come in before then," Meyer said.
"You don't know me, huh?" Zuckerman said.
"Should I know you?" Meyer said.
"Alan Zuckerman. I was in all the papers last year this time." He looked at Carella. "Youdon't know me, either, do you?"
"I'm sorry, sir, I don't."
"Some cops," Zuckerman said.
Meyer glanced at Carella.
"This very precinct, they don't know me."
"Why should we know you, sir?" Carella asked.
"Because last October I shot two people came in the store to rob me," Zuckerman said.
"Oh," Carella said.
"Withthis !" Zuckerman said, and yanked the shotgun from under the counter.
Both detectives backed away.
"Bang!" Zuckerman said, and Meyer flinched. "One of them falls on the floor screaming!Bang , the other barrel! And the second one goes down!"
"I seem to recall that now," Meyer said. "Mr. Zuckerman, you can put up the shotgun now, okay?"
"Made all the papers," Zuckerman said, the gun still in his hands, his finger inside the trigger guard. "Shotgun Zuckerman, they called me, the papers. They had the story on television, too. Nobody tried no tricks here since, I can tell you that. It's been a year already, a little more than a year."
"Well, these people tonight," Meyer said, "Mr. Zuckerman, could you please put up the gun?"
Zuckerman slid the gun under the counter again.
"Thank you," Meyer said. "These people tonight, there are four of them. All of them armed. So your shotgun there, if all four of them start shooting hellip;"
"Shotgun Zuckerman can take care of them, don't worry."
"What we were thinking," Carella said, "is maybe we could lend you a hand."
"Sort of ride shotgun to your shotgun," Meyer said, nodding.
"Backups, sort of," Carella said.
"Only in case you need us."
"Otherwise we'll butt out."
Zuckerman looked at them.
"Listen," he said at last, "you want to waste your time, that's fine by me."
He yanked the phone from the receiver the moment it rang.
"Hello?" he said.
"Hi," Marie said.
"Where are you?"
"Metro West. I'm catching the ten forty-five home."
"How'd it go?"
"Tough night," she said. "Any trouble on your end?"
"Nope. They made identification, huh? I saw it on television."
"I was the one who made it. Where'd you leave the Citation?"
"Behind an A P near the river."
" 'Cause I don't think they found it yet."
"Who's on the case?"
"A salt-and-pepper team. Brown and Hawes. Big redhead, big black guy. In case they come snooping."
"Why would they?"
"I'm saying in case. They're both dummies, but you oughta be warned. They got a bulletin out hellip; they asked me for descriptions They're gonna be watching all the airports. What flight are you on?"
"TWA's one twenty-nine. Leaves at twelve-oh-five tomorrow afternoon."
"What time do you get to Frisco?"
"Four forty-seven."
"I'll try you at the hotel around six-thirty. You'll be registered as Jack Gwynne, am I right?"
"All the dead ones," he said, and laughed. "Like Sebastian the Great."
"Give me the number of the Hong Kong flight again?"
"United eight-oh-five. Leaves Frisco at one-fifteen Sunday, gets there around eight the next morning."
"When will you call me?"
"Soon as I'm settled."
"You think that passport'll work?"
"It cost us four hundred bucks, itbetter work. Why? You running scared?"
"Nerves of steel," she said. "You shoulda seen me with the cops."
"No problem with the ID, was there?"
"None."
"You did mention the cock?"
"Oh, sure."