Part 64 (1/2)

Sherman is knocked backward by two thras.h.i.+ng forms. Quigley Quigley. Quigley has a tall white boy around the neck with one arm and appears to be trying to drive his nose back up into his skull with the heel of the other hand. The white boy is going Aaaaaah, aaaaaah Aaaaaah, aaaaaah and bleeding terribly. The nose is a b.l.o.o.d.y pudding. Quigley is grunting and bleeding terribly. The nose is a b.l.o.o.d.y pudding. Quigley is grunting Unnnnh unnnh unnnh Unnnnh unnnh unnnh. He lets the white boy fall to the floor, then smashes the heel of his shoe into his arm. A dreadful Aaaaah. Quigley takes Sherman by the arm and pushes him backward.

”Come on, Sherm!” Sherm Sherm. ”Let's get the f.u.c.k outta here!”

I drove my forearm into his belly-and he went Ooooooo Ooooooo and hit the floor and hit the floor. One last look at the dangling earring- Now Quigley is pus.h.i.+ng him backward and Killian is pulling him.

”Come on!” yells Killian. ”You outta your f.u.c.king mind?”

There was only a little semicircle of court officers, plus Quigley, between the mob and Sherman and Killian and the judge, his secretary, and the clerk, who squeezed back through the door into the judge's chamber, shoulder to shoulder, jostling about. The demonstrators-plenty for them to be furious about now! One of them is trying to push through the door...Brucie can't hold him back...Quigley...He's pulled his revolver out. He holds it up in the air. He thrusts his face toward the demonstrator in the doorway.

”Okay, f.a.ggot! You want a new hole in your f.u.c.king nose?”

The man freezes-freezes like a statue. It's not the revolver. It's the look on Quigley's face that gets him.

One beat...two beats...That's all they need. The court officer with the big tire of flab has the door to the judge's elevator open. They're herding everybody on-Kovitsky, his secretary, the big clerk, Killian. Sherman backs in with Quigley, Brucie and Quigley right on top of him. Three court officers remain in the chamber, ready to draw their guns. But the mob has lost steam, lost heart. Quigley. The look on his face. Okay, f.a.ggot. You want a new hole in your f.u.c.king nose? Quigley. The look on his face. Okay, f.a.ggot. You want a new hole in your f.u.c.king nose?

The elevator starts down. It's overpoweringly hot inside. All jammed together. Aaah, aaaahh, aaaaaah, aaaaahhh Aaah, aaaahh, aaaaaah, aaaaahhh. Sherman realizes it's himself, gulping for air, himself and Quigley, too, and Brucie and the other court officer, the fat one. Aaaaaah, aaaahhhhh, aaaaahhhhh, aaaahhhh, aaaaahhhhhhh Aaaaaah, aaaahhhhh, aaaaahhhhh, aaaahhhh, aaaaahhhhhhh.

”Sherm!” It's Quigley, talking between gasps, ”You cold-c.o.c.ked...that c.o.c.ksucker...Sherm! You...cold-c.o.c.ked him!”

Sank to the floor. Doubled up. The earring dangled. Now!-and I triumphed. He's consumed with cold fear-they'll get me!-and soaring antic.i.p.ation. Again! I want to do it again! Again! I want to do it again!

”Don't congratulate yourselves.” It was Kovitsky, in a low stern voice. ”The whole thing was a f.u.c.king fiasco. You don't even know how bad it was. I shouldn't have adjourned the court so fast. I should've talked to them. They...don't know. They don't even know what they've done.”

”Judge,” said Brucie, ”it ain't over yet. We got demonstrators in the halls and outside the building.”

”Where outside?”

”It's mainly on the front steps, on 161st Street, but some a them are around on Walton Avenue, too. Where's your car, Judge?”

”The usual place. The pit.”

”Maybe one a us oughta drive it around to the Concourse entrance.”

Kovitsky thought for a moment. ”f.u.c.k it. I won't give 'em the satisfaction.”

”They won't even know about it, Judge. I don't mean to alarm you, but they're already out there...talking about you...They got a sound system and everything.”

”Oh, yeah?” said Kovitsky. ”They ever heard of obstructing governmental administration?”

”I don't think they ever hearda nothing except raising h.e.l.l, but they know how to do that.”

”Well, thanks, Brucie.” Kovitsky began to smile. He turned to Killian. ”Remember the time I ordered you off the judge's elevator? I can't even remember how you got on.”

Killian smiled and nodded.

”And you wouldn't get off, and I said I was holding you in contempt? And you said, 'Contempt of what? Contempt of elevator?' You remember that?”

”Oh, you better believe I remember that, Judge, but I always hoped you you wouldn't.” wouldn't.”

”You know what burned me up? You were right. That was what burned me up.”

Even before the elevator reached the first floor, they could hear the tremendous BRAAANNNNNGG BRAAANNNNNGG! of the alarm.

”Christ. What jerk set that off?” said Brucie. ”Who the h.e.l.l they think's gonna respond? Every officer in the building's already at a station.”

Kovitsky was somber again. He was shaking his head. He looked so small, a bony little bald-headed man in voluminous black robes squeezed into this sweltering elevator. ”They don't know how bad this is. They just don't f.u.c.king know...I'm their only friend, their only friend...”

When the elevator door opened, the noise of the alarm-BRAAANNNNNGGGGG!-was overpowering. They emerged into a little vestibule. One door led to the street. Another led to the ground-floor hallway of the island fortress. Brucie shouted to Sherman, ”How you figuring on getting outta here?”

Quigley answered, ”We got a car, but Christ knows where it is. The f.u.c.king driver was terrified just f.u.c.king driving up to the building.”

Brucie said, ”Where's he supposed to be?”

Quigley said, ”The Walton Avenue door, but if I know that f.a.ggot, he's halfway to f.u.c.king Candy.”

”Candy?”

”It's the f.u.c.king town he comes from, in Ceylon, Candy. The closer we get to this f.u.c.king building, the more he starts talking about this f.u.c.king town he comes from, Candy. The f.u.c.king town is called Candy.”

Brucie's eyes opened wide, and he yelled, ”Hey, Judge!”

Kovitsky was heading through the door that led into the interior hallway of the building.

”Judge! Don't go in there! They're all over the halls!”

Now! Again! Sherman bolted for the door and ran after the little figure in black. Sherman bolted for the door and ran after the little figure in black.

Killian's voice: ”Sherman! What the h.e.l.l you doing!”

Quigley's voice: ”Sherm! Jesus Christ!”