"Check it."

"Bullshit," he said. He unlocked Boggs's right hand from the manacle attached to the waist chain. As soon as Boggs's hand was free, he combed his hair back over his head with his fingers, looked back at the car, then walked inside the rest room with the short, mincing steps that the leg chain would allow him. He clicked the bolt behind him.

This time I got out of the car.

"What's the matter with you?" Lester said.

"You're doing too many things wrong." I came around the front of the car toward him. The headlights were still on.

"Look, I'm in charge of this assignment. You don't like the way I handle it, you write up a complaint when we get back."

"Boggs has killed three people. He killed the bar owner with a baseball bat. Does that tell you something?"

"Yeah, that maybe you're a little bit obsessive. You think that might be the problem here?"

I unsnapped the holster on my.45 and banged on the rest room door with my fist.

"Open it up, Boggs," I yelled.

"I'm on the toilet," he said.

"Open the door!"

"I can't reach it. I got the shits, man. What's going on?" Boggs said.

"You're fucking unbelievable," Lester said.

I hit the door again.

"Come on, Boggs," I said.

"I'm going to get some cigarettes. You can do what you want to," Lester said, and walked toward the front of the station.

I stepped back from the door, rested my palm on the butt of the.45, and kicked the door hard under the knob. It didn't give. I saw Lester turn and stare at me. I kicked it again, and this time the lock splintered out of the jamb and the door crashed back on its hinges.

My eyes saw the paper towel dispenser torn apart on the wall and the paper towels scattered all over the floor even before I saw Boggs, his knees squatted slightly in a shooting position, the links of chain crimped tightly into his body, one manacled hand frozen against his side like a bird's claw, his right arm outstretched with a nickel-plated revolver. His spearmint-green eyes were alive with excitement, and his mouth was smiling, as though we were in this joke together.