"All right," she gave in.

"But if you come near my door, I'll call the police ' The police, he thought. Lovely.

"Agreed," he said.

He hung up and turned He jolted to a halt. Two men were completely blocking his way out of the booth. He thought his heart would leap out of his chest. Or stop.

How could he have been so careless? How had he let them close in on him?

"Who were you talking to , Mr. Daniels?" the larger one with the Irish face asked.

"A lady, maybe?" asked the smaller, darker one.

Hearn and Sha.s.sad, respectively.

"If you'll excuse me" said Thomas, trying to push his way past.

Hearn's arm was quickly and blocked Thomas's route, keeping his back to the telephone booth.

"I'm afraid we can't excuse you,"

said Sha.s.sad.

"We'd like to talk with you."

"How about tomorrow?"

"How about now?"

Thomas grimaced at Sha.s.sad.

"You're forgetting" he said.

"I'm an attorney. I know my rights. Unless you have a specific-"

"Your janitor friend Jacobus was murdered this morning" said Hearn, "in case you didn't know." Thomas's eyes were riveted 'on the wiry man with the gaunt, sad face.

"Your girl friend, the one who's the hockey fan, was seen leaving jacobus home. You know who she is. You may even know where she is.

That makes you a material witness. If not an accomplice."

Thomas searched their faces, recalling Leslie's words not to talk to anyone familiar, not to trust a soul. just trust her, just once more.

"I don't believe you," he said.

"Want to see a body? Jacobus should be at the Medical Examiner's right now. We'll take you' "Sorry," he said.

"I'm not going.

Sha.s.sad grinned.

"Yes, you are. Unless that was your girl friend you were just talking to. If you'd like to take us to see her, we'd appreciate that, too' '

Thomas looked at both men again.

"All right" he said to settle them. They relaxed slightly and Thomas bolted."

It was hardly a race, Thomas had traveled no more than fifteen feet when Sha.s.sad grabbed the back of his jacket, slowing him enough for Hearn to grab him by the arm. Hearn chicken-winged Thomas's left arm and shoved him against the side of the building. Before Thomas knew what was happening, he was being frisked. They found the knife.

"What the h.e.l.l are we carrying this for?" demanded Sha.s.sad, as Hearn pulled out the knife and handed it to his partner.

"In case a steak floats by?- .

"It's a dangerous city," said Thomas. He was permitted to turn and face the detectives.

Sha.s.sad's face began to break into a sly smile.

"Some attorney you must be," he said.

"A second ago you were a mere witness. Now you're under arrest.

Concealed weapon " He gave a low whistle of satisfaction.

"That's serious stuff, Daniels. You know that?"

"I'm an attorney," Thomas said sourly.

"You don't have to remind me" "Seems I heard a saying once," said Hearn.

"The lawyer who pleads his own case has a fool for a client' The son of William Ward Daniels resisted a response. He was taken to the Nineteenth Precinct, pondering whether his client, the woman who'd be waiting in vain for him in Central Park, had a fool for a lawyer. It was ten fifteen.

Thomas Daniels sat with his arms folded in front of him. The lighting was abrasive in the stuffy small room with grim avocado walls. Patrick Hearn sat at one end of the table, Daniels at the other.

Sha.s.sad was more p.r.o.ne to being on his feet. As Daniels listened to him, circling back over the same subject matter an uncountable number of times, Sha.s.sad was also more p.r.o.ne to anger.

Thomas looked at his watch. It was one thirty in the morning.

"All right," said Sha.s.sad, "we'll start again from the top. Where were you at eight o'clock this morning?"

"I've already told you. Home in bed. The answer hasn't changed" "No witnesses?"

Daniels stared at him cynically,

"Unfortunately no' "When did you hear form your'client'last?"

"This morning at nine. She telephoned me, he repeated grudgingly.

"Why did she call you?"

"To discuss her case. I filed motions for her yesterday."

"Where is she?"