"You didn't tell me the end of the first story," she said.

"Which?"

"The automobile claims case. What finally happened?"

"I lost it," he said.

"The woman who came to me was lying completely."

The afternoon of the next day Thomas walked down Third Avenue to the Nineteenth Precinct. He asked for Detective Aram Sha.s.sad by name and was shown through a large squad room cluttered with desks, chairs, and patrolmen in uniform. Then he was guided upstairs to where Sha.s.sad sat alone in the small s.p.a.ce he shared with Hearn.

"I'm Thomas Daniels," said Thomas, offering his hand.

"I received a note saying you wanted to see me."

"Seventy-third Street?" asked the harried Sha.s.sad.

"Yes , "Of course. Sit down."

"I don't know how much I'll be able to help you Thomas said.

"I.

didn't know the victim."

"We're talking to everyone" said Sha.s.sad.

"Formality really."

"I understand. I'm an attorney-, "I see" said Sha.s.sad.

"Single? No wife?,? Thomas nodded.

At that time Patrick Hearn entered the cubicle, drew up a chair and sat at his own desk. Sha.s.sad introduced his partner brusquely to Daniels.

He also sought to dispel the inner dislike and distrust he had of lawyers. Lawyers and judges, to Sha.s.sad, were the people who kept the felons on the street.

Sha.s.sad briefly outlined the problem with which the police were posed.

A homicide had been committed in front of Daniels's building. Was Thomas home that night or at that hour, they asked, and had he seen or heard anything at all unusual? They omitted mentioning that they had linked the dead man with a woman, and that the victim had stepped from Daniels's building just prior to being murdered.

"To tell you the truth" said Thomas routinely,

"I left the building in the middle of the night' Hearn's attention perked, as did Sha.s.sad's.

"Why did you do that?" asked Hearn politely.

Thomas explained about the fire in his office.

"Do you know what time it was?"

Thomas thought for a moment.

"Yes, I should be able to recall exactly. Let me think." He pondered it for a moment then answered a.s.suredly.

"Three forty-five."

Hearn and Sha.s.sad recognized the almost pinpoint time of the slaying.

But they refused to even exchange a glance.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure," said Thomas, 'almost to the minute."

"Why?"

-The night janitor at my office building. Kind of a cantankerous old character. He wanted to know exactly when I'd be going out the door or when I'd be there. He had the fire department there. I guess he wanted to know."

"So you think you left at three forty-five?" asked Hearn casually.

Sha.s.sad was making notes.

"I know I did."

"But you didn't see anything in front of the building?" asked Sha.s.sad.

According to Minnie Yankovich, two men had been lurking there for half an hour.

"No" said Thomas.

"But I wouldn't have. I left by the back exit. It comes out on the avenue."

"Why'd you do that?"

"I was going to my car on Seventy-fourth Street. It's a shortcut."

"And you heard nothing?"

Thomas started to say no. But then he stopped in mid-sentence.

"Come to think of it . he began, having dismissed the incident in the travail of that particular night.

"Yes?"

"I heard someone come out of the apartment below me. Three c "A man or a woman?"

"I couldn't tell. I heard the voices of each. And frankly, I had other things on my mind. h.e.l.l, my office-' "Did one of them go downstairs?"

Thomas I thought.

"Yes. There were footsteps. I waited till they were gone." He eyed both cops.