“Out from under Jim Brennan’s thumb, too, I’m happy to say. Oh, I will be so happy to see him die. He was in his wheelchair today for the benefit of a sympathetic public. Can you believe it? His son’s corpse is lying in front of him and he’s playing the crowd. Your ears should have been burning this afternoon. He threw one of his fits, and you were among all the people he blamed for every bad thing that has ever happened to him in his life.”

“I thought he was an invalid.”

“That’s what he wants you to think. You and everybody else. He thinks people care. At his age. I’ve kept away from the both of them. They’re relentless. They chartered a yacht months ago to see tomorrow night’s fireworks, and by God they’re going to be on it. I was, too, until the sudden change in my status this week. Charlotte told me that I was a living painful reminder. Would I kindly fuck off? Not those words, not from her mouth, but you get the idea. If you want to see Maryellen, call the following number after nine A.M. tomorrow. It will do you no good to call earlier.” The number was in the 914 area, in New York State, north of the city.

“What is it, some kind of business?”

“You’ll find out,” Anita Brennan said.

“The yacht the Brennans chartered tomorrow—you wouldn’t happen to remember the name of it, would you?”

“The Seadancer, a sixty-foot motor yacht. Let me go now, please. I know you have your troubles, but you know I have mine.”

“Yes, I do know, and I’m sorry. I appreciate your help.”

“Good-bye, Mr. Devlin.”

8:53 P.M. …

8:53 P.M. …

He had the gypsy cabdriver take Sixth Avenue north to Herald Square, then Thirty-fourth Street east to Park Avenue, and then north again. Devlin wanted to be sure Steve Loncaric’s line hadn’t been tapped, and cops weren’t waiting for him outside.

At Fifty-second and Park Devlin had the driver stop. The sidewalks were nicely crowded—no green Styrofoam tiaras here. No cops, either. Devlin took his time crossing the northbound side of the avenue, allowing himself to get nailed at the dividing island by the red light. He couldn’t be too obvious about looking for people looking for him. There was no better way to be found. The light changed again and Devlin kept going, part of the herd.