you're on the air."
"Jimmy, I love your show. I wanted to tell you that."
"Thank you. Do you have a question for our guest?" Jimmy said.
"Yeah. Mr. Spenser?"
"Yes, Clara?"
"You seen the bodies, right?"
"Yes."
"They were all undressed?"
"Yes."
"And raped?" Clara said.
"No, not in the traditional sense."
"Sure they was, he raped them and they ought to castrate the animal is what I say."
"You say that often, do you, Clara?"
"If they cut 'em off, he wouldn't be raping women and tying them up."
Jimmy said, "Thanks, Clara, we'll keep you in mind. We have Ronnie from Reading on the line. Hi, Ronnie, you're on the air."
"Jimmy?"
"Yeah, Ronnie, you're on the air. Go ahead."
"Jimmy, I think this whole thing is a media hype, you know.
Incidentally, I love your show."
"Thank you."
"I mean, after all, they're only killing each other, you know. I mean, it's not like they were… you know. Let's forget about it. My kids was talking about it in school the other day. What kind of thing is this for kids to be talking about. I say let it die, stop stirring up trouble." Jimmy said, "You're saying because everybody involved is black it shouldn't interest the rest of us?"
"They're just killing each other," Ronnie said.
"Ronnie, you listening to me, Ronnie?" Jimmy said. "I want you now to go out in the garage and start up your car and suck on the tail pipe."
He punched up the next button. More callers' names crawled across the television screen. "Marvin from Quincy, go ahead, you're on the air."
"I think Mr." ah, Spenser there, your guest, is right and I appreciate his courage, you unnerstand? I mean they cover stuff up all the time.
All they care, they want to look good in the papers, you know. Most of them got on the force so they could push people around…"
"I think the Negroes should take care of their own problems…"
"… think your mistake is quite simply attempting human solutions to a problem whose cause is elsewhere. Have you ever considered Beelzebub?
…"
"These crimes are symbolic of a larger sickness in this country. In a sense, every woman is bound and…"
And so it went. At ten-thirty I got a call from a guy who suggested that if I was deranged enough to be on this show, I wasn't likely to be much use solving a series of murders.
"Is this you, Goldman?" I said.
"I admit to nothing," the caller said. But it was Maynard Goldman, and I knew it.
"You saying there's something wrong with this show?" Winston said. I could hear the amusement in Maynard's voice.
"If only we could get it down to something," he said.
Winston made the cut sign to the engineer and Maynard was gone. Susan smiled at me encouragingly.
The last caller before the eleven o'clock newsbreak wanted to know, if I ever caught the Red Rose killer, what I'd do to him.
"Make him come on this show," I said.
Jimmy did the news segue and lit up another cigarette as I hung up my earphones and pushed my chair back.
"No need to crap on the show," Jimmy said. "We're the people's forum here. They got a right to their opinion."
"That's not opinion," I said. "That's pathology. This is a forum for public masturbation."
Jimmy shrugged and turned back to look at the opening promo copy. "Nice talking to ya," he said.
"Gee," Susan said, "behind all the glamour and glitter…"
She took my hand and we left.
CHAPTER 20
Hawk was taking a turn sitting with Susan while I went down to the office to look at my mail and bill a couple of clients. I walked up Berkeley Street with the wind coming off the river behind me and scattering McDonald's wrappers before me as I walked. Susan was all right as long as Hawk or I stayed with her, but it was no way to live, and I knew how much she hated needing someone to guard her.
Inside my office I picked up the mail from the pile on the floor beneath the mail slot and went to my desk and sat down with my feet up to open it. There were several calls flashing on my answering machine, and while I opened mail I
"Jimmy, I love your show. I wanted to tell you that."
"Thank you. Do you have a question for our guest?" Jimmy said.
"Yeah. Mr. Spenser?"
"Yes, Clara?"
"You seen the bodies, right?"
"Yes."
"They were all undressed?"
"Yes."
"And raped?" Clara said.
"No, not in the traditional sense."
"Sure they was, he raped them and they ought to castrate the animal is what I say."
"You say that often, do you, Clara?"
"If they cut 'em off, he wouldn't be raping women and tying them up."
Jimmy said, "Thanks, Clara, we'll keep you in mind. We have Ronnie from Reading on the line. Hi, Ronnie, you're on the air."
"Jimmy?"
"Yeah, Ronnie, you're on the air. Go ahead."
"Jimmy, I think this whole thing is a media hype, you know.
Incidentally, I love your show."
"Thank you."
"I mean, after all, they're only killing each other, you know. I mean, it's not like they were… you know. Let's forget about it. My kids was talking about it in school the other day. What kind of thing is this for kids to be talking about. I say let it die, stop stirring up trouble." Jimmy said, "You're saying because everybody involved is black it shouldn't interest the rest of us?"
"They're just killing each other," Ronnie said.
"Ronnie, you listening to me, Ronnie?" Jimmy said. "I want you now to go out in the garage and start up your car and suck on the tail pipe."
He punched up the next button. More callers' names crawled across the television screen. "Marvin from Quincy, go ahead, you're on the air."
"I think Mr." ah, Spenser there, your guest, is right and I appreciate his courage, you unnerstand? I mean they cover stuff up all the time.
All they care, they want to look good in the papers, you know. Most of them got on the force so they could push people around…"
"I think the Negroes should take care of their own problems…"
"… think your mistake is quite simply attempting human solutions to a problem whose cause is elsewhere. Have you ever considered Beelzebub?
…"
"These crimes are symbolic of a larger sickness in this country. In a sense, every woman is bound and…"
And so it went. At ten-thirty I got a call from a guy who suggested that if I was deranged enough to be on this show, I wasn't likely to be much use solving a series of murders.
"Is this you, Goldman?" I said.
"I admit to nothing," the caller said. But it was Maynard Goldman, and I knew it.
"You saying there's something wrong with this show?" Winston said. I could hear the amusement in Maynard's voice.
"If only we could get it down to something," he said.
Winston made the cut sign to the engineer and Maynard was gone. Susan smiled at me encouragingly.
The last caller before the eleven o'clock newsbreak wanted to know, if I ever caught the Red Rose killer, what I'd do to him.
"Make him come on this show," I said.
Jimmy did the news segue and lit up another cigarette as I hung up my earphones and pushed my chair back.
"No need to crap on the show," Jimmy said. "We're the people's forum here. They got a right to their opinion."
"That's not opinion," I said. "That's pathology. This is a forum for public masturbation."
Jimmy shrugged and turned back to look at the opening promo copy. "Nice talking to ya," he said.
"Gee," Susan said, "behind all the glamour and glitter…"
She took my hand and we left.
CHAPTER 20
Hawk was taking a turn sitting with Susan while I went down to the office to look at my mail and bill a couple of clients. I walked up Berkeley Street with the wind coming off the river behind me and scattering McDonald's wrappers before me as I walked. Susan was all right as long as Hawk or I stayed with her, but it was no way to live, and I knew how much she hated needing someone to guard her.
Inside my office I picked up the mail from the pile on the floor beneath the mail slot and went to my desk and sat down with my feet up to open it. There were several calls flashing on my answering machine, and while I opened mail I
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