was dead. Or at least he pretended to be very upset. He's not around, so we can't ask him.'
'And you're taking the position that Henry was responsible.'
'I'm saying I wouldn't vote for him for governor of New York.'
He finished his drink. He put the glass on the bar and sat down in his chair again, crossing one leg over the other.
He said, 'If I run for governor—'
'Then every major newspaper in the state gets a full set of those photographs. Until you announce for
governor, they stay where they are.'
'Where is that?'
'A very safe place.'
'And I have no option.'
'No.'
'No other choice.'
'None.'
'I might be able to determine the man responsible for Jablon's death.'
'Perhaps you could. It's also possible you couldn't. But what good would that do? He's sure to be a professional, and there would be no evidence to link him to either you or Jablon, let alone enough to bring him to trial. And you couldn't do anything with him without exposing yourself.'
'You're making this terribly difficult, Scudder.'
'I'm making it very easy. All you have to do is forget about being governor.'
'I would be an excellent governor. If you're so fond of historical parallels, you might consider Henry the Second a bit further. He's regarded as one of England's better monarchs.'
'I wouldn't know.'
'I would.' He told me some things about Henry. I gather he knew quite a bit about the subject. It might have been interesting. I didn't pay much attention to it.
Then he went on to tell me some more about what a good governor he would make, what he would accomplish for the people of the state.
I cut him short. I said, 'You have a lot of plans, but that doesn't mean anything. You wouldn't be a good governor. You won't be any kind of governor, because I'm not going to let you, but you wouldn't be a good one because you're capable of picking people to work for you who are capable of murder. That's enough to disqualify you.'
'I could discharge those people.'
'I couldn't know if you did or not. And the individuals aren't even that important.'
'I see.' He sighed again. 'He wasn't much of a man, you know. I'm not justifying murder when I say that.
He was a petty crook and a shoddy blackmailer. He began by entrapping me, preying on a personal weakness, and then he tried to bleed me.'
'He wasn't much of a man at all,' I agreed.
'Yet his murder is that significant to you.'
'I don't like murder.'
'You believe that human life is sacred, then.'
'I don't know if I believe that anything is sacred. It's a very complicated question. I've taken human life.
A few days ago I killed a man. Not long before that, I contributed to a man's death. My contribution was unintentional. That hasn't made me feel all that much better about it. I don't know if human life is sacred. I just don't like murder. And you're in the process of getting away with murder, and that bothers me, and there's just one thing I'm going to do about it. I don't want to kill you, I don't want to expose you, I don't want to do any of those things. I'm sick of playing an incompetent version of God. All I'm going to do is keep you out of Albany.'
'Doesn't that constitute playing God?'
'I don't think so.'
'You say human life is sacred. Not in so many words, but that seems to be your position. What about my life, Mr. Scudder? For years now only one thing has been important to me, and you're presuming to tell me I can't have it.'
I looked around the den. The portraits, the furnishings, the service bar. 'It looks to me as though you're doing pretty well,' I said.
'I have material possessions. I can afford them.'
'Enjoy them.'
'Is there no way I can buy you? Are you that devoutly incorruptible?'
'I'm probably corrupt, by most definitions. But you can't buy me, Mr.
Huysendahl.'
