"

* * * * *

The old man walked back to his room. He was carrying a dozen cans of
beer, but the load was light and he walked upright. He felt fine, like a
million dollars. And he was beginning to remember.

When he entered the room he saw the knife and when he saw the knife he
smiled. A man had to be smart and a man had to be prepared. They were
smart ... wicked and smart ... but he was smarter. He'd bought the
knife a long, long time ago, in a different world--they couldn't fool
him that way. They were clever all right, they fooled the whole world.

He put his beer on the bureau, then walked into the bathroom and turned
on the water in the tub. He came back out and started to undress. He was
humming to himself. When he finished undressing he went over to the
bureau and opened a can of beer. He carried it into the bathroom, put it
beside the tub, and lowered himself into the water.

Ah ... that was the ticket. Water and being clean. Clean and being
water. Being water and being candy and being smart. They fooled the
whole world, but not him. The whole, wide world, but they couldn't fool
him. He was going to fool them. All pretty and innocent. Hah! Innocent!
He knew. They were rotten, they were rotten all the way through. They
fooled the whole world but they were rotten ... rotten ... and he was
the only one who knew.

He finished the beer and stood up in the tub. The water ran off his body
in greasy runlets. He didn't pull the plug. He stepped out of the tub
and over to the bathroom mirror. His face looked fine, not puffy at all.
He'd fool them. He sprinkled himself with lilac water, put the bottle to
his lips, and swished some of it in his mouth. Oh yes, he'd fool them. A
man couldn't be too clever, they were clever, so he had to be clever. He
began to shave.

* * * * *

The Captain was on an audio circuit, talking to an Assistant
Commissioner. "Yes, Sir, I know that--Yes, Sir, it could be, but it
might be something else--Yes, Sir, I know Squirrel Hill has problems,
but we need help--Yes, Commissioner, it's over ninety now (The Captain
signaled wildly to Matesic; Matesic held up four fingers, then two) 94.2
and still going up--No, Sir, we don't know. Some guy gonna quit his job
... or kill his boss. Maybe he found out his wife is cheating on him. We
can't tell until we pick him up--Yes, Sir--Yes, Sir--Thank you, Sir."

The Captain hung up. "I hate