Ed McBain - Kiss

A: May I see that, please, Miss Brand?

Q: Certainly, Counselor. Please have the record indicate that Mr. Keller is reading a Ballistics report dated January eighteenth and signed by DetectivestFirst Grade Anthony Mastroiani.

(Q and A resumed at 3:52 A.M.) Q: May I show this to Mr. Denker now?

A: Please. Q: Mr. Denker, would you take a look at this, please?

A: Thank you.

Q: Have the record show that Mr. Denker is now reading the same Ballistics report.

(Q and A resumed at 3:56 A.M.) Q: Mr. Denker, have you now read the report?

A: I have.

Q: Do you understand what it says?

A: I do.

Q: It says, does it not, that the test cartridges and bullets fired from this pistol ...

A: Well, there are expert witnesses who'll tell you ...

Q: I'm sure you know all about expert witnesses, but the report nonetheless states that the test cartridges and bullets fired from this pistol match exactly the bullets and cartridges recovered in apartment 12A at 907 Butler Street on the night of ...

A: Mr. Denker, I would strongly advise you to keep silent at this time.

Q: Mr. Denker? Do you understand what this report says?

A: I don't care what it says. It has nothing to do with me.

Q: Mr. Denker, this gun was fired by you at two detectives attempting to arrest you ...

A: I thought they were burglars.

Q: This gun was taken from you by the arresting detectives, and it now turns out it's the same gun that was used in a murder that took place last night. How do you explain ...”

A: I don't have to explain anything. This isn't a court of law. I can stop this anytime I want to.

Q: Mr. Denker, I show you certain items confiscated in your apartment tonight at the time of your arrest. Do you recognize these?

A: The previous tenant probably left all that in the closet.

Q: You're saying that whoever had the apartment before you occupied it ...

A: Yeah, that's probably what happened.

Q: Left behind a hundred thousand dollars in T-bills and cash, is that it? Plus jewelry worth ... do you have that list, Mr.

Carella?

A: (from Carella) Right here.

Q: Thank you. This is a typewritten list of the contents of the safe in the Butler Street apartment. I believe the detectives found it in a desk drawer ...

A: (from Carella) The living-room desk.

Kneehole drawer.

Q: It itemizes jewelry worth some fifty thousand dollars. The exact jewelry, piece for piece, that was found in your apartment.

The serial numbers on the T-bills match as well. Now, Mr. Denker ...

A: That's it. No more.

Q: Am I to take it that you wish the questioning to stop at this point?

A: (from Mr. Keller) You heard the man, he said no more. What does no more mean if it doesn't mean no more?

Q: Fine. If that's what you want, that's the way we'll play it. But you know, Mr.

Denker ... turn that off, will you, please?

The camera operator hit the OFF button.

The room was silent now. When Nellie spoke again, her voice was soft, almost gentle. Not the murmur of a threat in it. But Carella knew what she was about to do, and he watched her in silent admiration.

"If I can just offer a few words of advice,”

she said. "Off the record.”

"Sure," Denker said, and smiled confidently.

"I know you're from Chicago, so perhaps you don't understand how the law works here in this state. I can tell you we've got a very strong case with the murder weapon and the ...”

"Well, that's for a jury to decide, isn't it? Whether a case is strong or not.”

Still smiling confidently.

"Well, I think it's a very strong case, both the murder weapon and the jewelry. So I can tell you we'll be going for Murder Two-which is as high as we can go in this state unless you've killed a police officer or a prison guard or ... well, we won't go into all that just now.

Murder Two will be the charge, and I'm sure the grand jury will indict on what we've got, and if we get a conviction ... which I'm sure is a lock with everything we've got ... then the minimum mandatory sentence'll be fifteen to life, and the mandatory max'll be twenty-five to life, all depending on what judge you get.

We've got some pretty tough judges - in this city. And, of course," she said, almost casually, "you'd be serving your time in a state penitentiary.”

She paused for just a moment, and then repeated the words.

"A state penitentiary, Mr. Denker.”

And allowed them to sink in.

"Now I don't know if you're familiar with the state penitentiaries in this fine country of ours,”

she said, "but I don't think you'd find any of them very much to your liking.”

"I'm willing to take my chances," Denker said.

"Oh, I'm sure you are. Good-looking white guy ...”

The operative word was white.

The fear word.

Carella was still watching her, listening to her intently. There was something professionally cold-blooded about her performance, almost chilling, but there was also something extremely seductive about it.

He wondered what being married to her was like.

"Man who takes such good care of himself," she said, "dresses so beautifully ...”

"Thank you," Denker said, but he seemed to be paying more attention now.

"Very confident of yourself, I'm sure you think you'll be able to handle yourself just fine in a prison population where all at once you're the minority group.”

Playing on the fear again.

"Maybe a ratio of ten to one, Mr.

Denker, black to white, Hispanic to white, that's what you're likely to find. Streetwise hoodlums serving hard time, that's what you'll find in a state penitentiary. Running the show.

Calling the tune. A topsy-turvy world, all at once. Your ass'll be grass, Mr.

Denker. Literally.”

"Now see here," Keller said.

"This is all off the record," Nellie said.

"Even so.”

"I think Mr. Denker is listening, though.

Aren't you listening, Mr. Denker?”

"What's the upside?" he said.

Carella saw her eyes flash almost imperceptibly. She knew she had him hooked now, and she was going to reel him in.

"The upside would be a federal penitentiary.”

"Uh-huh.”

“Something like Danbury or Allenwood.”

"Uh-huh.”

"A country club.”

She let this sink in, too.

"Now I don't know what you may have done anyplace else but here," she said. "I know you did that murder last night, and I'm going to nail you for it, believe me. But if we can clear up anything else while we're at it, then maybe we can talk a shorter term in a federal pen, that's entirely up to you.”

"How short?”

"Well, I don't know what you've done yet, do I?”

"Nothing here.”

"Except for last night.”

"I haven't said anything about last night.”

"Okay, so where?”

"Chicago. Mostly.”

"Let's concentrate on Chicago then, okay? Let's say ... I'm not asking you anything yet and I'm not making any promises either ... but let's say you've done some things we can clean up for the feds there ...”

"Like what? I'm not saying I did anything ...”

"I understand. This is all off the record.”

"But like what kind of things did you have in mind?”

"Well, considering your line of work ...”

"I told you I'm a bodyguard, is what my line of work is. What kind of things did you have in mind?”

"Loan-shark collections?" Nellie said, and shrugged. "Laundering drug money? A little extortion here and there?" She shrugged again. "We'd be asking you to testify against anyone you may have done such work for. If there was anything like that, stuff I could talk over with the people in Chicago, it might help me get what you're looking for.”

"What is it you think I'm looking for?”

"Let's say ten to life in a federal pen, how does that sound to you? If I can swing it.”