Persuader

major came command sergeant major, and there's only one of those in each regiment. After that came sergeant major of the army, and there's only one of those, period. So she would rise and then stop, whatever I said about it.
    "We have a tactical problem," she said. "Or strategic, maybe."
    "Why?"
    "The pointy-head, Gorowski? We don't think it's blackmail in the sense that he's got some terrible secret or anything. Looks to us more like straightforward threats against his family. Coercion, rather than blackmail."
    "How can you tell?"
    "His file is clean as a whistle. He's been background-checked to hell and back. That's why they do it. They're trying to avoid the possibility of blackmail."
    "Was he a Red Sox fan?" She shook her head. "Yankees. He's from the Bronx. Went to the High School of Science there."
    "OK," I said. "I like him already."
    "But the book says we should bust him right now."
    "What's he doing?"
    "We've seen him taking papers out of the lab."
    "Are they still doing the sabot?" She nodded. "But they could publish the sabot design in Stars and Stripes and it wouldn't tell anybody anything. So the situation isn't critical yet."
    "What does he do with the papers?"
    "He dead-drops them in Baltimore."
    "Have you seen who picks them up?" She shook her head.
    "No dice," she said.
    "What are you thinking about the pointy-head?"
    "I don't want to bust him. I think we should get whoever it is off his back and leave him be. He's got two baby girls."
    "What does Frasconi think?"
    "He agrees."
    "Does he?" She smiled.
    "Well, he will," she said. "But the book says different."
    "Forget the book," I said.
    "Really?"
    "Direct order from me," I said. "I'll put it in writing, if you want. Go with your instinct.
    Trace the chain the whole way to the other end. If we can, we'll keep this Gorowski guy out of trouble. That's my usual approach, with Yankees fans. But don't let it get away from you."
    "I won't," she said.
    "Wrap it up before they get done with the sabot," I said. "Or we'll have to think of another approach."
    "OK," she said.
    Then we talked about other things, and drank a couple more beers. After an hour there was something good on the jukebox and I asked her to dance. For the second time that night she told me No dice. I thought about that phrase later. Clearly it came from crapshooters' jargon. It must have originally meant foul, like a call, like the dice hadn't been properly rolled. No dice! Like a baseball umpire calling a grounder over the bag.
    Foul ball! Then much later it became just another negative, like no way, no how, no chance. But how far back in its etymology was she mining? Had she meant a plain no, or was she calling a foul? I wasn't sure.
    I was completely soaked when I got back to the house so I went upstairs and took possession of Duke's room and toweled off and dressed in a fresh set of his clothes. The room was at the front of the house, more or less central. The window gave me a view west all the way along the driveway. The elevation meant I could see over the wall. I saw a Lincoln Town Car in the far distance. It was heading straight for us. It was black. It had its headlights on, because of the weather. Paulie came out in his slicker and opened the gate well ahead of time so it didn't have to slow down. It came straight through, moving fast. The windshield was wet and smeared and the wipers were beating back and forth.
    Paulie had been expecting it. He had been alerted by the phone call. I watched it approach until it was lost to sight below me. Then I turned away.
    Duke's room was square and plain, like most of the rooms in the house. It had dark paneling and a big Oriental carpet. There was a television set and two telephones.
    External and internal, I guessed. The sheets were clean and there were no personal items anywhere, except for clothes in the closet. I guessed maybe early in the morning Beck had told the maid about the personnel change. I guessed he had told her to leave the clothes for me.
    I went back to the window and about five minutes later I saw Beck coming back in the Cadillac. Paulie was ready for him, too. The big car barely had to slow. Paulie swung the gate shut after it. Then he chained it and locked it. The gate was a hundred yards from me, but I could make out what he was doing. The Cadillac disappeared from view beneath me and headed around to the garage block. I headed downstairs. I figured since Beck was back it might be time for lunch. I figured maybe Paulie