nine o'clock
Beer was all right , but a man needed whiskey when he was sick . He 'd have one , maybe two more , and then he 'd eat some breakfast . He did n't know why , but he knew he must n't get drunk . * * * * * At nine o'clock the needle on the dial climbed past seventy-five . Matesic asked for coverage . That meant that two patrolmen would be tied up , doing nothing but searching for an echo . And it might be a wild goose chase .