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don't bring it up again.”
      They didn't talk back. A few of them shrugged. One of them sighed resignedly. It wasn't that they were afraid of Rafer. It was simply that they all drew weekly paychecks from Grogan and they needed the employment. They had wives and children, and they couldn't afford to risk getting fired.
      Grogan lifted himself from the chair. For a moment he looked thoughtfully at the two corpses. Then he said, “All right, now here's how we handle this. We'll hafta call the law and show them what we got here. We tell the law they tried for a heist. They wanted money and that's all they wanted. Not a word about them wanting me.”
      “That understood?” Rafer frowned sternly at the five men. “You say it just like he tells you to say it.”
      “They got it,” Grogan murmured. He gave Rafer a weary look. “Go on, make the call.”
      Rafer went to the desk, rolled up the top and reached for the phone. As Rafer dialed, Corey was standing near the table, apart from the group. Corey was thinking, It adds up to a question mark. What's all this cover-up? Whatever it is, it's got Grogan scared. You know he's scared. It don't show in his face, but somehow you can tell he's really scared. So what about that? Well, you've known Walter Grogan all your life, and you've never seen him scared before.
       

3

          About five minutes later the police car arrived. Then more police came in. And after that it was the captain from the 37th Precinct. Finally it was a few plainclothes men from city hall. Questions were asked and answers given. There were no complications; it went exactly the way Grogan wanted it to go. The plainclothes men made some notes for their reports and walked out. The police stayed around while the two corpses were placed on stretchers, then hauled away in the morgue wagon. It was cut-and-dried, it was over and done with in a quarter of an hour.
      The captain was the last to leave. At the door, the captain and Grogan stood with their arms around each other's shoulders. They were close friends and Grogan was asking about Sally and the kids. The captain said they were fine. More friendly talk, some chuckling, and then the captain gave Grogan a playful punch in the stomach and said, “Still hard as a rock.”
      Grogan smiled. “It's the rowing, Tommy. You oughta try it.”
      “Who's got time for rowing? And who needs exercise? I get enough from Sally.”
      They both chuckled again. Then they were quiet and looked at each other in a long moment of deep communication. As they shook hands, they smiled warmly.
      The captain opened the door and said “Good night, Walt.” Then he leaned close to Grogan and added in lower tones, “For Christ's sake, be careful, will you?”
      Grogan said, “I'm always careful, Tommy. You know that.” The Captain patted Grogan on the shoulder, turned and walked out.
      Rafer and the five men had resumed their seats at the table. There were no cards on the table and they were just sitting, some of them smoking and others cleaning their fingernails. Corey stood alone on the other side of the room. He was thinking about the police from the 37th Precinct.
      They didn't even say hello , he thought. Aside from the routine questions, they didn't so much as look at me. And the captain. Good old Captain Tommy. He walked right past me as if I wasn't even here.
      So what?
      So nothing , he told himself. And he shrugged.
      At the table, someone produced the cards and started shuffling. Grogan walked to the table and sat down. The shuffling went on and Rafer said, “All right already. Let's have 'em.”
      The dealer passed the cards around. Grogan leaned back in his chair, ignoring the cards. He was looking at Corey Bradford. They were waiting for Grogan to bet, he was high with a king.
      “Your bet,