He snatched the dark-green tie and quickly slipped it under his collar and knotted it.

After that he loosened the wall boards in the closet, took out the badge and the card and the police pistol. He put the card in his wallet and was placing the pistol under his belt when he heard the soft sound of someone tapping on the door.

“Who is it?”

“McDermott.”

He went to the door, opened it and McDermott walked in. Corey frowned and deepened the frown as he watched the detective-sergeant move purposefully toward the window and pull down the shade.

“Just so nobody can see us in here together,” McDermott said.

“Nobody’s looking.”

“We don’t know that.”

“If they’re looking, they saw you come in.”

“I came in through the alley,” McDermott said. “And besides, there’s other roomers here. No way of telling what room I’m visiting.”

“They could check with the landlady.”

“She didn’t see me. The back door was open and I just slipped in.”

“For Christ’s sake,” Corey muttered irritably. “In broad daylight—”

“Quit worrying,” McDermott said.

Corey laughed lightly.

“What’s comical?”

“He says quit worrying.”

“So?”

“You don’t know this neighborhood.”

“I know every neighborhood.”

“Not this one,” Corey said. “To know this layout you gotta live in it. And not for a week or a month. You gotta be born and raised here. This is the Swamp and to know it, really know it, you gotta be a Swampcat.”

“I’m wise to that fact.”

Corey looked at him. There was something in the man’s voice that chilled the room. And from the man’s eyes, ice came out and sliced into Corey. It lasted for only an instant, but in that instant Corey had the feeling that he’d seen McDermott somewhere a long time ago.

The detective-sergeant looked around for a chair. There was no chair, so he sat down on the edge of the bed. Corey moved past the bed and leaned against the dresser. There was a long pause. Then McDermott said, “Got anything to tell me?”

“No,” Corey said.

It was quiet again.

McDermott looked at him. “I just thought you had something to tell me.”

“If there was anything to tell,” Corey said slowly and quietly, “I wouldn’t be sitting around waiting. I’da phoned in or reported in.”

“All right,” McDermott said mildly. “All right, Bradford.”

“You sure it’s all right?”

McDermott smiled at him. “Don’t get annoyed.”

“I’m not annoyed,” Corey said. He told himself to be extremely careful. He looked away from the detective-sergeant. “It’s just that I’m curious, that’s all. I just don’t get this routine.”

“But that’s all it is. Just routine.”

Tell that to the birds, Corey said to himself. He glanced at McDermott, then looked away and murmured, “You do this all the time, Sergeant?”

“Do what?”

“Come checking.”