His father put on his shirt. “Do you think you have something with the Colucci-MacIver business? I had a look at what the boys sent to you.”

“I have a feeling about it. He went off the roof of Flatlands last August.”

“You told me. You think it was murder?”

“He was a wise guy. Mike is working on his books. What can you tell me about Clausen County?”

His father raised his hand quickly. “Come inside.” He led him into the bathroom, where he turned on the faucets. “Tell me what you have.”

Leland told him about the police calling late and the coroner’s inquest.

“I want you to be careful,” his father said. “There’s something happening in Clausen. Nobody seems to know what it is, but federal money is involved. About six months ago a man got drunk in a bar down here and started popping off. A plainclothesman, one of my best boys, picked up what he said. Not much, just that the Government was being taken for another ride. He mentioned Clausen. You know as well as I do that when that kind of loose mouth starts, the trouble isn’t far behind. There’s a good chance that it isn’t confined to Clausen alone. You remember Walter Dubner, who used to live on our block?”

“No.”

“Fat, pompous guy, called everybody Mister. He’s living in Clarendon now, the year around. He went to Europe last summer. His son bought a trucking outfit in Arizona. A couple from the block who were out there saw the son. That’s scanty, but Dubner’s over his head. He’s a Grade Two with Department of Finance. We know what he makes. He never had a quarter until a couple of years ago.

“Out in Clausen, they had a sewer scandal. Contractors used substandard materials and padded their estimates. Streets collapsed. The indictments will be handed up this month. They have a county fire department now and a call was missed—missed completely. They kept it out of the papers.

“That was July. By dumb luck nobody died, but there’s a suit for two million coming in. Three weeks ago, two on-duty cops were found in their squad car in a lovers’ lane with their girl friends. A couple of kids were there, and the boy happened to have a flash camera. He got upset at seeing the squad car and what was going on inside, so while he drove by slowly, his fiancée took a picture they delivered to the Clausen County Mail. It wasn’t printable. What was supposed to be the only copy went to the county headquarters, but other copies were made and circulated through the city rooms. There are dozens now. We saw them. How do you think we feel?