murder."
"She Chinese?"
"Yes."
Good-looking?"
"Yes."
"I like Chinese women," Hawk said.
"Also Irish women, Aleut women, French women, women from Katmandu…"
"Never bopped nobody from Katmandu," Hawk said.
"Their loss," I said.
"Anyway. She didn't do me much good, but the next day her husband, Lonnie Wu, came to my office with two teen-aged Vietnamese gunnies, and told me to buzz off."
"How nice," Hawk said in his BBC voice.
"He's mastered the American idiom."
"Told me to stay away from his wife."
"Who wouldn't?" Hawk said.
"Told me to stay out of Port City, too."
"Awful worried 'bout his wife," Hawk said.
"Or something," I said.
"Or something," Hawk said.
"He say what he gonna do if you don't stay away?"
"I believe he mentioned killing me."
"Un huh." Hawk said.
"If he do, can I have your donut?"
"Yeah, but you got to finish that house in Concord for Susan."
"Sure." Hawk drank some coffee.
"Tongs use Vietnamese kids for muscle. Kids don't give a shit. Kill anything."
"Tongs?" I said.
"In Port City?"
Hawk shrugged.
"Big Chinatown," he said.
"Bigger than Boston."
"True," I said.
"You think it's a long thing?" Hawk said.
"I don't know."
"You think Wu's involved in the killing?"
"I don't know."
"You saying that a lot."
"Yeah. I'm thinking of having it printed on my business card."
The rain was slower than it had been last time I was in Port City, but it was steady and it made the fall morning dark. The light from the restaurant window reflected on the wet pavement. A Port City police car cruised slowly past, its headlights on, its wipers going.
The door of the Happy Haddock opened, bringing with it the rain-dampened smell off the harbor, and Jocelyn Colby came in wearing a belted tan raincoat and carrying a green-and-white umbrella. She closed the umbrella and put it against the wall and walked to our table.
"Thank God," she said.
"I saw you through the window. I need to talk."
I gestured at the empty chair. She looked uneasily at Hawk and sat. I introduced them.
"Coffee," I said.
"No. Yes. Black. Thank you."
I got up and got us three cups and brought it back. One of the old men at the counter poked the other one and they both stared at Jocelyn. The kid behind the counter went back to reading The Want Advertiser. Probably looking for a deal on moustache wax.
"What's new," I said when I sat down.
Jocelyn looked sideways at Hawk.
"May I speak freely?" she said.
"Sure."
"I… it's about the case."
I nodded. She hesitated.
"You can talk in front of Hawk," I said.
"He's too dumb to remember what you said."
"Lucky thing too," Hawk said, "Cause I a bad blabbermouth."
Jocelyn couldn't tell if she were being kidded. Her glance shifted back and forth.
"Hawk's with me," I said.
"You can talk to us."
Jocelyn held her coffee mug in both hands, took a swallow, held the mug against her lower lip, and looked at me over the rim.
"I'm being followed," she said.
Jocelyn waited, allowing the impact of her statement to achieve all it was going to.
"Lot of that going around," Hawk said.
"Tell me about it," I said.
"He's medium height and slender," Jocelyn said.
"Black coat and a black slouch hat pulled low."
"When did he start shadowing you?" I said.
"Two nights ago."
"And why not go to the cops?"
"Well… I mean, Jimmy said you were here because someone was stalking someone. And then I was hurrying along the street and I saw you…"
"Sure," I said.
"And I have such a kind face."
"Yes," she said.
"You do."
"So what would you like?" I said.
"Like? I… Well, I guess I thought you'd want to look into it.
I don't know exactly, but… in truth, I guess I thought you might want to, ah, protect me."
"Are you saying you want to hire me?"
"Hire?"
"Yeah. I do this for a living. Or I used to, before I came down here."
"Well… of course, I… I don't have any money."
"Lot of that going around too," Hawk said.
He was looking out at the street. Suddenly he put out his left arm and
"She Chinese?"
"Yes."
Good-looking?"
"Yes."
"I like Chinese women," Hawk said.
"Also Irish women, Aleut women, French women, women from Katmandu…"
"Never bopped nobody from Katmandu," Hawk said.
"Their loss," I said.
"Anyway. She didn't do me much good, but the next day her husband, Lonnie Wu, came to my office with two teen-aged Vietnamese gunnies, and told me to buzz off."
"How nice," Hawk said in his BBC voice.
"He's mastered the American idiom."
"Told me to stay away from his wife."
"Who wouldn't?" Hawk said.
"Told me to stay out of Port City, too."
"Awful worried 'bout his wife," Hawk said.
"Or something," I said.
"Or something," Hawk said.
"He say what he gonna do if you don't stay away?"
"I believe he mentioned killing me."
"Un huh." Hawk said.
"If he do, can I have your donut?"
"Yeah, but you got to finish that house in Concord for Susan."
"Sure." Hawk drank some coffee.
"Tongs use Vietnamese kids for muscle. Kids don't give a shit. Kill anything."
"Tongs?" I said.
"In Port City?"
Hawk shrugged.
"Big Chinatown," he said.
"Bigger than Boston."
"True," I said.
"You think it's a long thing?" Hawk said.
"I don't know."
"You think Wu's involved in the killing?"
"I don't know."
"You saying that a lot."
"Yeah. I'm thinking of having it printed on my business card."
The rain was slower than it had been last time I was in Port City, but it was steady and it made the fall morning dark. The light from the restaurant window reflected on the wet pavement. A Port City police car cruised slowly past, its headlights on, its wipers going.
The door of the Happy Haddock opened, bringing with it the rain-dampened smell off the harbor, and Jocelyn Colby came in wearing a belted tan raincoat and carrying a green-and-white umbrella. She closed the umbrella and put it against the wall and walked to our table.
"Thank God," she said.
"I saw you through the window. I need to talk."
I gestured at the empty chair. She looked uneasily at Hawk and sat. I introduced them.
"Coffee," I said.
"No. Yes. Black. Thank you."
I got up and got us three cups and brought it back. One of the old men at the counter poked the other one and they both stared at Jocelyn. The kid behind the counter went back to reading The Want Advertiser. Probably looking for a deal on moustache wax.
"What's new," I said when I sat down.
Jocelyn looked sideways at Hawk.
"May I speak freely?" she said.
"Sure."
"I… it's about the case."
I nodded. She hesitated.
"You can talk in front of Hawk," I said.
"He's too dumb to remember what you said."
"Lucky thing too," Hawk said, "Cause I a bad blabbermouth."
Jocelyn couldn't tell if she were being kidded. Her glance shifted back and forth.
"Hawk's with me," I said.
"You can talk to us."
Jocelyn held her coffee mug in both hands, took a swallow, held the mug against her lower lip, and looked at me over the rim.
"I'm being followed," she said.
Jocelyn waited, allowing the impact of her statement to achieve all it was going to.
"Lot of that going around," Hawk said.
"Tell me about it," I said.
"He's medium height and slender," Jocelyn said.
"Black coat and a black slouch hat pulled low."
"When did he start shadowing you?" I said.
"Two nights ago."
"And why not go to the cops?"
"Well… I mean, Jimmy said you were here because someone was stalking someone. And then I was hurrying along the street and I saw you…"
"Sure," I said.
"And I have such a kind face."
"Yes," she said.
"You do."
"So what would you like?" I said.
"Like? I… Well, I guess I thought you'd want to look into it.
I don't know exactly, but… in truth, I guess I thought you might want to, ah, protect me."
"Are you saying you want to hire me?"
"Hire?"
"Yeah. I do this for a living. Or I used to, before I came down here."
"Well… of course, I… I don't have any money."
"Lot of that going around too," Hawk said.
He was looking out at the street. Suddenly he put out his left arm and
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