He was going downtown.

`Where's our other car?' Graves said.

Lewis picked up the car radio receiver. `701 to 702. Where are you?'

There was a hiss of static. "701, we're at Third and B, going downtown.'

Lewis glanced at Graves, who nodded.

`Very good, 702,' Lewis said, and clicked off.

The second car, the dry cleaning van, was running in advance of the limousine. That was standard procedure - one car tailing from the front, one from behind. In cities on really big jobs, they sometimes used four cars, working all around the suspect car. That made it impossible to lose the suspect. But Graves didn't want a four-car tail, and in any case Phelps would never have approved the expense.

The limousine went down Third to Avenue A, then turned left going west.

`702, you have him?F

'We still have him.'

Lewis followed the limousine as it went crosstown on A and stopped, pulling up in front of a warehouse. Lewis pulled to the kerb half a block behind. They watched as Wright got out and went inside.

Graves lit a cigarette, and they waited. But after only a minute or so, Wright reappeared and got back into his car. The limousine started off.

`Wonder what that was about?' Lewis said.

As they passed the warehouse, Graves read the lettering. He was surprised to find it wasn't a warehouse at all.

Containers of all sons

`Damned if I know,' Graves said. He made a note of the name and address in his notebook and then looked up at the street. The limousine was going north now. It went two blocks and turned left, then left again. It pulled up in front of another warehouse.

`It seems he's doing some shopping,' Lewis said.

`He's in the wrong part of town.'

`I'll drive past,' Lewis said, and continued smoothly past the warehouse and the parked limousine. Graves looked out of the corner of his eye. He saw George, the chauffeur, lighting a cigarette. He saw the large glass windows of the warehouse, which was also a salesroom of some kind. Inside he saw Wright standing at the counter receiving a package. In the window were displayed various shining pieces of laboratory equipment.

SANDERSON SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY

Serving Hospitals and Laboratories

Since 1953

Graves had to smile. Only in California would a date like 1953 seem proof of ageless service to the consumer. `We'll wait for him here,' he said, and Lewis pulled over at the end of the block and cut the engine.

Graves checked his watch. It was 8:39. A moment later the limousine sped past them while he was making a note of the scientific supply company and its address. Lewis followed a short distance behind.

The limo again went uptown and pulled over in front of a machine shop. Wright got out and was met at the door by a man carrying a small paper bag. Wright shook hands with the man, who was dressed in dungarees and a blue work shirt. Then Wright opened the paper bag to look inside. He removed one small, shiny metal object, nodded, exchanged a few more words with the man, and got back into his car.

The limousine drove off.

As they passed the machine shop, Graves noted the address and the name. He stared at his list. `A plastics manufacturer, a scientific supply house, and now a machine shop.'

`He isn't buying presents for his girls,' Lewis said, and laughed.

`Did you check out that purchase last week?' The week before, Wright had also visited several small industrial manufacturers.

`Yeah,' Lewis said. `It was two twelve-foot lengths of flexible hosing. Very unusual.'

`What's unusual about that?'

`It was stainless steel.'

`Meaning?'

Lewis shrugged. `The guy I talked to said that nobody bought flexible stainless steel hosing any more. People use either plastic or something like aluminium. Stainless is only used for piping very corrosive materials.'

`Such as?'

`Concentrated dyes, corrosive gases, that kind of thing. The guy said it was pretty uncommon. Most highly corrosive stuff is pumped through glass piping. But of course, glass isn't flexible.'

`And Wright bought two lengths of flexible steel?'

`Right. Twelve-foot lengths. At eighty-three dollars a foot.'

Graves nodded and watched the car. `He's buying a lot of specialized equipment. Why?'

`You mean, why is he doing it?'

`No,' Graves said. `I mean, why is he doing it himself, in person?'

`I don't follow you. Why shouldn't he do it himself?'

`Because he's too smart for that,' Graves said.

The limousine went uptown twenty blocks and pulled over in front of another building. The sign said HARRELSON GARMENTS AND CUSTOM GOODS. They watched Wright get out of the limo and go inside.

`I'll be goddamned,' Graves said.

`What is it?' Lewis said.

'Harrelson was in the papers a year ago. They made rubber suits and whips and things like that; there was a minor scandal.'

Lewis shook his head: `It really is true, then.'

`What?'

`About your memory.'

Graves shook his head. He'd been through all this before. `I don't have a photographic memory,' he said. `I have a better than average memory, that's all.'

`Are you trying to convince me?'

`No, just telling you.'

`You sound sore.'

`You better understand,' Graves said, `that I don't have any special powers. None at all. I just plod along, doing a job.'

`Here he comes,' Lewis said. He pointed to Wright emerging from the store with an armful of packages wrapped in brown paper. George, the chauffeur, jumped out and came around to help carry the packages. Wright indicated that they were to go into the trunk of the car. George locked them there, then came around, shut Wright's door, and drove off.

`I'd like to know what was in those packages,' Graves said, making notes in his book.

`Bet you anything it's kinky rubber clothing,' Lewis said.

`What will you bet?'

At that, Lewis laughed. He knew you didn't bet with Graves. Nobody bet with Graves. He might deny special skills until he was blue in the face, but the fact was that Graves was the best gambler, bettor, poker player that any of them had ever seen.

They followed the car for another five minutes. Then it pulled up in front of a sporting goods store. Wright again got out. He said something to George, who nodded and went across the street to a coffee shop. The car was left alone. It could not be seen easily from either the sports store or the coffee shop.

`Looks like we have our chance,' Graves said. `Pull over.'

As Lewis pulled the sedan over, Graves opened the glove compartment and took out a large, circular key ring. On it were keys to Wright's apartment in New York, his apartment in San Diego, his limousine, his Alfa sportscar, his summer house in Southampton, his winter house irr Jamaica. And several others as well. They were all neatly tagged.

Lewis said, `Isn't this a little risky '

`We're going to arrest him today,' Graves said. `It doesn't matter now.' He got out of the car, feeling the heat of the morning air. He walked forward to the limousine. It took just a moment to insert his key in the trunk and open it. He raised the trunk lid partway and looked at the brown paper packages. There were three, closed with strips of tape. He opened a c. -aer of one and peered inside.

The package contained black rubber belts, about six inches wide, formed into loops of varying diameters. He closed the package and squeezed the others. They all seemed to contain belts.

Frowning, he shut the trunk. And then, because he was in a gambling mood, he walked into the sporting goods store. As he went through the door he glanced back at Lewis. Lewis looked horrified.