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"I hope so," said Kovano. "But it seemed only to stop when the sun came up. And when the constable arrived."
"Constable?" asked Valentine. "Just one?"
"He heads a volunteer police force," said Kovano. "Like the volunteer fire brigade. Two-hour patrols. We woke some up. It took twenty of them to quiet things down. We only have about fifty on the whole force, usually with only four on duty at any one time. They usually spend the night walking around telling each other jokes. And some of the off-duty police were among the ones trashing the bar."
"So you're saying they're not terribly reliable in an emergency."
"They behaved splendidly last night," said Kovano. "The ones who were on duty, I mean."
"Still, there's not a hope of them controlling a real riot," said Valentine.
"They handled things last night," said Bishop Peregrino. "Tonight the first shock will have worn off."
"On the contrary," said Valentine. "Tonight the word will have spread. Everybody will know about Quim's death and the anger will be all the hotter."
"Perhaps," said Mayor Kovano. "But what worries me is the next day, when Andrew brings the body home. Father Estevao wasn't all that popular a figure-- he never went drinking with the boys-- but he was a kind of spiritual symbol. As a martyr, he'll have a lot more people wanting to avenge him than he ever had disciples wanting to follow him during his life."
"So you're saying we should have a small and simple funeral," said Peregrino.
"I don't know," said Kovano. "Maybe what the people need is a big funeral, where they can vent their grief and get it all out and over with."
"The funeral is nothing," said Valentine. "Your problem is tonight."
"Why tonight?" said Kovano. "The first shock of the news of Father Estevao's death will be over. The body won't be back till tomorrow. What's tonight?"
"Tonight you have to close all the bars. Don't allow any alcohol to flow. Arrest Grego and confine him until after the funeral. Declare a curfew at sundown and put every policeman on duty. Patrol the city all night in groups of four, with nightsticks and sidearms."
"Our police don't have sidearms."