Lizotti said, 'You admitting you did it?'
'Yep.'
I put my coffee down, went to the bedroom, and got my gun. I brought it back into the kitchen, still in its clip- on holster, with the strap snapped. Lizotti's hand moved under his coat as I came back in. Belson shook his head.
'The weapon in question,' I said, and gave it to Belson. He removed it from the holster, opened the cylinder, shook out the fresh load I'd put in before I went to bed, snapped shut the cylinder, and handed me back the holster and the five rounds. He dropped the gun in his coat pocket.
Lizotti said, 'Been fired recently?'
I said, 'Yes.'
Lizotti said, 'Give it a sniff, Frank.'
Belson grinned at me and had a little more coffee.
'For crissake, Liz. The guy already confessed.'
'The slugs you dig out of those guys will match the ones you test-fire from my gun,' I said.
'How about the shotgun?' Lizotti said.
'It's in the river by the new locks,' I said.
'It belonged to Fat Willie Vance,' Belson said. 'Spenser took it away from him and shot him with it.'
I nodded.
Lizotti said to Belson, 'How come you're so sure?'
'How I got to be sergeant,' Belson said. 'Intuition.'
'That's who that was,' I said. 'It was kind of dark and I was rushed. I didn't even recognize him. Willie always uses a shotgun,' I said to Lizotti.
'Used,' Belson said.
'Yes.'
'It was Willie's crew,' Belson said. 'I figure someone hired him to hit you, and they were overmatched. What I don't know is who.'
'Quirk knows,' I said.
Belson looked at Lizotti.
'Okay,' he said.
'Get dressed. We'll go downtown and talk with Marty and you'll give us a statement, in which you'll claim self- defense, and we'll see what we think.'
i took the bagels out of the oven one at a time, juggling them to keep from burning my hands, and tossed them on the counter.
'Eat up,' I said. 'While I shower. Save me a bagel.'
'You put four of them down by yourself?' Lizotti said.
'Yeah,' I said. 'Not bad for a guy who'd wear a maroon velour robe, huh?'
I showered and dressed and ate my bagel on the way downtown. Lizotti didn't join us in Quirk's office. Just Quirk, Belson, and little old moi. Three hours later I took a cab home, free for the moment, maybe forever, carless, but licensed still to pursue my trade. The cops had kept my gun, but I had another one. All in all it had worked out much better for me than it had for Fat Willie. As far as I knew it was his only shotgun.
CHAPTER 35
Sherry Spellman and I took the elevator down from Vince Haller's office and went out onto Staniford Street in the heat of August.
'Haller will help you in any way you need,' I said.
She nodded.
'You understand the trust?'
She nodded.
'And that he's trust officer?'
'Yes.'
'He'll help you with organization, with your tax situation. He'll help arrange credit until the trust starts to generate income.'
'I understand,' she said.
'And you can call me anytime.' We turned left at Cambridge Street.
'I know,' she said. She put her hand on my arm and stopped me. 'I want to say thank you. But I want to say more than that and I don't know how.'
I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. 'My pleasure,' I said. 'The next step is Tommy.'
