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She didn’t finish the thought She didn’t need to

"Just a couple of hours," I said "I’l cal you tonight"

She looked at Major Cooper, two tables away She shook her head

"You didn’t see what Gerry Far looked like e pul ed him out of the river, Tres" She slid out from the booth, pul ed on her raincoat "For Erainya’s sake, don’t wait too long"

When I got home to 90 Queen Anne, the two-story craftsman was dark except for my little in-law apartment on the side Rainwater strea away petals froos

Saht He was catchingthem like dice

"We need to talk," he said

"It’l cost you"

Sam studied me

I tried to remember if I’d ever seen him with a five-o’clock shadow before, or with his tie loosened

He said, "Cost s ful "

He released his moth, watched it flutter up the side of the screen door "So you know"

In er days, I would’ve hauled off and decked him, but I’dto breathe deep, thinking rational y, and invest the few extra un, load it, and shoot him

"Mi casa es tu casa," I told hi on the dead mouse Robert Johnson had left for ly on the kitchen counter He had one paw in the middle of his empty food dish A subtle hint

"Nice to see you, too," I said

I cleaned up the present and fil ed Robert Johnson’s dish with tortil a chips and flaked tuna

Sarand tour of my apartment That takes about thirty seconds Once you’ve seen the futon and the built-in ironing board and the tai chi sword rack above the toilet, you’ve pretty much seen it al

"Talk," I told Barrera "If I have to ask, the bathroo unsheathed"

Barrera sat down on the futon He opened that annoying notepad of his

"Sam, it’s not a lecture," I said "Put away the notes"

"Fourteen mil ion dol ars," he said, quietly

I set down the tuna can "Fourteen ers felt nue change A truckload of kitty nachos Two big goddas Al I could say was "Dao," Barrera said "He wants an exchange for Erainya Toht Any police involvereat, Sam So we just hop over to Stop-N-Go with our ATM cards, and we’ve got it covered"

"I don’t have any o I don’t knohat Erainya did with Fred’s share She sure as hel didn’t put it into the agency"

"Erainya’s been scraping for ot no hidden cash"

"She had to know"

I thought about the note to Erainya froe fro to believe it "You should’ve turned it in"

"We had to take it," Sam said "Stirman would’ve paid for the best defense That kind of cashwe didn’t even trust the cops Stirman had friends in the department, in the state attorney’s office We didn’t want any chance he’d get off the hook There was no choice"

"Doing your civic duty," I said "A real self-sacrifice What about Stirman’s baby, Sam? Was there no choice on that, too?"

His eyes took on the kind of deadness I was used to seeing in victims of violence, or col ared criminals

"We didn’t mean to," he said

Rain rattled at thescreens

Robert Johnson pushed his food dish around

I tried to think of soh

The phone rang I pul ed the ironing board away froot a phone behind your ironing board"

"You must be a detective" I reached into the alcove, which had been constructed by so carpenter in the sixties, and picked up the receiver "Tres Navarre"

Silence

Then Wil Stirman’s voice said: "Shitty little apartment, Navarre Can’t she afford to pay you better?"

I snapped et Barrera’s attention, but I’d lost hi to come to terms with the phone’s unorthodox location

"Put Erainya on, Stirnored my request "Instructions: I’l cal Barrera’s ht

I’l tel you where to bring the money You, Sa to bring Je kind of institution"

There was a pause I didn’t like at al"We’l al be better behaved with the kid around A lot less anxious for the guns to co about his tone I couldn’t quite nail down What the hel did he ith Je that happened to you was Erainya’s fault," I said "It damn sure wasn’t her son’s"

I looked out the dark s Stirht now Or in the al ey He could’ve cased o there was another , either I won’t hurt the Manoses, as long as you and Mr Barrow don’t disappoint me"

"What et it?"