“Walked out. Walked across the lawn and climbed the gate and just kept walking, telling myself that with certain changes effected I could possibly go back to the world and live in it. But not as Henry C. Carpenter. It was simply the process of saying good-bye to Henry C. Carpenter and saying hello to Carp.”

There was a stretch of silence.

Then the little man said, “You understand, I can’t point the finger at Grogan. It’s a matter of insufficient evidence; so in my own private courtroom, I’ve thrown the case out of court.”

“But you know he hired that truck driver?”

“Yes, I’m quite sure he did,” Carp said. “But there’s nothing I can do about that. What I mean is, there’s nothing I care to do.”

“Then why’d you come to the Swamp?”

Carp smiled serenely. “To observe,” he said. “To observe Walter Grogan from day to day, getting older, the teeth of Time nibbling away at him. There’s some satisfaction in that, at least. Will you have more coffee?”

“No thanks,” Corey said. “I gotta be shoving.”

“But it’s still dark outside,” the little man said. He pointed to the window. “Look out there, see how dark it is.”

“I’m not worried,” Corey said. And then to himself, not much.

He smiled at the little man, quickly opened the door and walked out of the second-floor front. He went down the hall and down the stairs, heading for the front door that led out to Marion Street. He stopped short and thought for a moment, telling himself that Marion Street was possibly a trap, and at any rate it was a risk, too much of a risk.

You never know, he cautioned himself. Because that Kingsley outfit, they coulda been moochin’ around and puttin’ out some casual questions to the local citizens, especially the street-corner loafers who got nothing better to do than broadcast current events. So maybe that Kingsley outfit is all set and ready to pounce. Maybe someone mouthed it to them, saying that you were seen with Carp, that you and Carp were last seen headed for Marion Street, where Carp’s got a second-floor front. What I think you better do is cancel out Marion and make it to the alley.

He went down the hall and knocked on the door of the first-floor front. He knocked several times and finally the door opened. A woman stood there. She was tall and bony and most of her hair was white. She looked in her early sixties. There was some dried blood under her nose and she had a black eye. She muttered, “Whatcha want?”

Corey had the wallet out and he showed her the badge.