Page 7 (1/2)

You’d think, after twelve years, I would no longer stare

Everything about her stil startled ainst the V of her silk blouse, her fingers, her lips, her eyes She was a perfect mix of war and beauty, like a Zhou Dynasty noblewoht

"It’s been too long," I said

She gave me a dry smile "One week"

"Like I said"

"You could solve that probleood offer"

"Lee and Navarreyour stock value would plu about your na"

Maia let her offer float in the air, weightless and persistent, where it had lingered during our last few dinners together She snuck the cat a crab behindma?tre d’

"So, the Erainya Manos Agency," Maia said, trying hard to keep the distaste out of her voice "Things have been goodbounty-hunting and whatnot? Driving into floods?"

The stubborn side of me wanted to rise to Erainya’s defense, but Maia knew ator before Erainya turned ether in San Francisco, Maia had used ht al, ruthlessly effective ative blackot ht the other unprofessional, mostly because they both kept bad company--like ly"

"Maybe it’s her boyfriend Men affect one’s judgment"

I decided not to take the bait I watched the swol en San Marcos River turotto thirty feet below us The sky darkened The water churned red

"So you," Maia decided

"Those escaped convicts yesterday afternoon"

"The Floresvil e Five"

"How ed "Just what’s on national news Fugitive Task Force found a ured the convicts were heading south Then there was the holdup thisin New Braunfels, so ether and heading north, which is pretty unusual The ringleader, Wil ia"

"Erainya’s husband put Wil Stirlass "Fred Barrow The husband she shot"

"Fred and another private investigator Sao, they col aborated to put Stirman behind bars Now Erainya’s afraid Stirman wil come after them Barrera, for sure Maybe her, too"

"She told you this?"

"She won’t talk about it I read soency’s old files, some of her husband’s case notes"

"Behind her back?"

"I kind of borrowed her file cabinet"

"How do you kind of borrow your boss’s file cabinet?"

"We closed the Blanco office A lot of stuff went into storage I have the keys"

Maia looked at so across the rooled people across the border He was convicted on six counts of accessory to murder You find out details?"

I picked at a crabes I’d seen in Fred Barrow’s files, copies of old police crime scene photos "Yeah I found out details"

"Knife," Maia interrupted, suddenly tense She was looking overto say hel o

I held ers three inches apart "Knife?"

She held her hands apart twelve inches "Knife In four, three, two--"

I launched a backward elbow strike at groin level

Quentin Yates grunted, stuet He stabbed the table as I grabbed his shirt and used his own momentu her lass out of the way as Quentin went over our table, over the railing, and into space

A tiny galosh, the squawk of a startled duck, and al was quiet again except for the sound of the waterfal