Vince glanced at Gladys and said, “Shut up.” He looked at the pistol.
“I’m sorry about this, officer,” he said. He looked up and then he seemed to recognize Elrick, and something close to a smile arrived on his lips. “Sure, I remember you.”
“That’s good, Vince. That’s swell. It’s going to make things easier.”
“What things?” Vince said, a worried frown on his brow.
“A lot of things,” Elrick said. He held the pistol stiffly and with his other hand he rubbed the back of his head. He moved to one side and leaned against the dresser. He looked at Gladys. She was sitting on the bed, sobbing. Then he looked at Vince. The short, heavyset Vince was shaking his head and Elrick attributed this to a certain amount of despair.
“Come on, Vince,” the cop said, “let’s save ourselves a lot of trouble. Let’s get the whole thing settled now.”
Vince nudged Gladys’ shoulder and pointed to Elrick.
“What’s he talking about?” Vince asked.
“Aw, come on!” Elrick said. “The longer we play around, the worse it’s gonna be. You talk straight to me, Vince, and I’ll do what I can for you. After all, it’s not as bad as it seems. You might even be able to plead self-defense.”
“You’re crazy!” Vince screeched. “You got the wrong number somewhere! I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about!”