"Me? No." She laughed, concealing her teeth with her hand. "I'm a good kid. I can take a joke. Anyway your boyfriend don't owe me a cent, not after the gorgeous Christmas present he give me." Lennox swallowed painfully. "It was a television set, wasn't it, Aimee?" "Modest, ain't he? What a sweet guy. What did he give you, Gabrielle?" "Something I've always wanted, Aimee." "Jesus! Mink?" Gabby shook her head and smiled. Aimee examined the smile and tried to answer it. "Look at you. Up there on Cloud Nine, ain't you?" "Yes." "Well, fall easy." "Were you hurt when you fell?" "Me? I never was up." Aimee laughed and covered her mouth. "Strictly the subway type." "Listen, Aimee," Lennox smiled painfully. "I'd like to sit here yakking it up, but I'm in a jam and I need help." "You're our last hope," Gabby added. "Me? No." Aimee looked from one to the other and the archness peeled away from her malice. "Don't tell me a big-shot which can afford two names and two girls needs help." "I do," Lennox said. "Look, we met here Saturday night. What time was it?" "What are you checking up on?" "It couldn't have been too late because a store must have been open. We were able to buy you that set." "Strictly your idea, Clarence. You kept on running off at the mouth about bull fiddles." "Yes. I found out. So we went to a music store and ended up buying you a television set. Where?" "Who can remember?" Aimee answered, enjoying Jake's misery. "Please, Aimee," Gabby said. "This is very important." "Why is it important? I had enough trouble with your boy friend Saturday night. I don't want no more." "He's been getting threatening letters from a man he met some time Saturday night.... A man named Knott. Dreadful letters. We're trying to find Knott." "Did you go to the cops?" Aimee asked sharply. "Yes, I did." "You mention me?" "No. I'm working this out on my own. Let's see if we can't put it together, Aimee. I left Harlem and wandered down here. We met and went to a music store and bought the set. Right?" "It was around half past one," Aimee said grudgingly. "That place on Forty-second and Third. They was closed and doing up their accounts. You banged on the door until they let us in." "Thanks. Then what happened? We took the set up to your place?" "You got a hack and put it in. We must of hit a dozen joints on the way. Then we ate. We didn't get home until light." "Did we meet anybody named Knott? Did I talk to anybody named Knott? Did you see anybody write anything in this notebook of mine?" Lennox pulled the book out of his pocket and displayed it. "You're really leveling with this, huh?" Aimee said slowly. "You're really suffering, huh?" "Yes." "This Knott wrote something in your book?" "He did." "And you got to locate him or else?" "I do. Before Sunday." "Why before Sunday?" "Because that's the day he lowers the boom."