Chapters 21-24 Summary

Dirk goes to Richard's flat and fast-talks his way in past the police. One of the policemen is about to saw up the sofa which is stuck on the stairs so the police can get by, and Dirk, pretending to be a higher-up, orders him to guard the sofa instead. Then, Dirk asks if a wastebasket has been searched. He makes sure one of the policemen is kept busy searching and re-searching the trash. Then, Dirk heads upstairs, leaving the police in disarray and confused.

Dirk sees the answering machine tape, and he is about to grab it when he is distracted by Richard's computers. He sees Richard's sofa revolving on one monitor, and he finds the switch to send a note from one of Richard's computers to a keyboard. Dirk is still distracted when Sergeant Gilks comes in. He questions...