sy."

At fifteen of eleven, the Police Commissioner called. He spent ten
minutes telling me that I was going to be visited by a VIP and giving
me exact instructions on how to handle the man. "I'm depending on you
to take care of him, Roy," he said finally. "If we can get this
program operating in other places, it will help us a lot. And if you
need help from my office, grab the nearest phone."

"I'll do my best," I promised him. "And thanks, sir."

The Commissioner was a lawyer, not a cop, so he wasn't as tied to the
system as Kleek and the others were. He was backing me all the way.

I punched Sergeant Vanney's number on the intercom. "Inspector Royall
here, Sergeant. Do me a favor."

"Yes, sir."

"Go down to the library and get me a copy of Burke's 'Peerage.'"

"Burke's which, sir?"

I repeated it and spelled it for him. He didn't waste any time; he had
it on my desk in less than twenty minutes. When the VIP arrived, I had
already read up on Chief Inspector, The Duke of Acrington.

Here's how he was listed:

_ACRINGTON, Seventh Duke of (Robert St. James Acrington) Baron
Bennevis of Scotland, K. C. B.: Born 7 November 1950, B.S., M.S.,
Oxon.,_ cum laude. _Married (1977) Lady Susan Burley, 2nd dau.
Viscount Burley. 2 sons, Richard St. James, Philip William._

[Illustration]

_Joined Metropolitan Police (1975); C. I. D. (1976); dep. Insp.
(1980); Insp. (1984); Ch. Insp. (1990). Awarded George Medal for
extraordinary heroism during the False War (1981)._

_Author_ Criminal Law and the United Nations, The Use of Forensic
Psychology (_police textbook_), _and_ The Night People (_fiction;
under nom de plume R. A. James_).

_Clubs: Royal Astronomical, Oxonian, Baker Street Irregulars._

_Motto: Amicus Curiae._

I had to admit that I was impressed, but I decided to withhold any
judgment until I had met the man.

* * * * *

He was right on time for his appointment. The car pulled up to the
parking lot with a sergeant at the wheel, and I got a bird's eye view
of him from my window as he got out of the car and headed for the
door. I had to grin a little; the Commissioner had obviously wanted to
take the visitor around personally--roll out the rug for royalty, so
to speak--but he had had a conference scheduled with the Mayor and
some Federal officials, and, after all, the duke was only here on
police business, not as Ambassador from the Court of St. James. So he
ended up being