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I followed Deveraux from room to room while she checked for herself Paint on the walls, still fresh Loveseat and ar room, still new A recent television set A fancy VHS player Even the pots and pans and knives and forks in the kitchen showed no nicks or scratches fro-term use

There were no clothes in the closet older than a couple of seasons No old prom dress wrapped in plastic No old cheerleader outfit No photographs of family No keepsakes No old letters No softball trophies, no jewelry box with a busted ballerina No battered stuffed animals preserved from childhood years

"Does it matter?" Deveraux said "She was just a random victim, after all"

"She&039;s a loose end," I said "I don&039;t like loose ends"

"She was already here when I got back to town I never thought about it I o all the ti about her background?"

"Nothing"

"No rumors or assumptions?"

"None at all"

"Did she have a job?"

"No"

"Accent?"

"The Midwest, maybe Or just south of it The heartland, anyway I only spoke to her once"

"Did you fingerprint the corpse?"

"No Why would we? We kneho she was"

"Did you know?"

"Too late now"

I nodded By now Chapers like a soft old glove It would be wrinkling and tearing like a wet paper bag I asked, "Do you have a fingerprint kit in the car?"

She shook her head "Butler does the fingerprinting here The other deputy He took a course with the Jackson PD"

"You should get him here He can take prints from the house"

"They won&039;t all be hers"

"Nine out of ten will be He should start with the tampon box"

"She won&039;t be on file anywhere Why would she be? She was a kid She didn&039;t serve and she wasn&039;t a cop"

I said, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained"

Deveraux used the radio in her car out in the rino had to replace Butler at Kelhaate She caet back I have work to do You wait here But don&039;t worry Butler should do it right He&039;s a reasonably srino?"

"Everyone is srino"

I asked, "Will you have dinner with me?"

She said, "I have to work pretty late"

"How late?"

"Nine o&039;clock, maybe"

"Nine would be fine"

"Are you paying?"

"Absolutely"

She paused a beat

"Like a date?" she asked

"We ht as well," I said "There&039;s only one restaurant in town We&039;d probably end up eating together anyway"

"OK," she said "Dinner Nine o&039;clock Thank you"

Then she said, "Don&039;t shave, OK?"

I said, "Why not?"

She said, "You look good like that"

And then she left

I waited on Janice May Chap chairs Both old ladies watched me from across the street Deputy Butler showed up just inside his allotted twenty rino&039;s He left it where Deveraux had left hers, and unfolded himself frouy, and well put together, so hair for a cop, and a square, solid face First glance, he wouldn&039;t be the easiest guy in the world to e But maybe not impossible

He took a black plastic box out of his trunk and walked up Chapot out of my chair and held out my hand Always better to be polite I said, "Jack Reacher I&039;m pleased to meet you"

He said, "Geezer Butler"

"Really?"

"Yes, really"

"You play bass guitar?"

"Like I haven&039;t heard that one before"

"Was your dad a Black Sabbath fan?"

"My mom too"

"Are you?"

He nodded "I&039;ve got all their records"

I led hi around I said, "The challenge here is to get her prints and no one else&039;s"

"To avoid confusion?" he said

No, I thought To avoid a Bravo Co up the system Better safe than sorry

I said, "Yes, to avoid confusion"

"The chief said I should start in the bathroom"

"Good plan," I said "Toothbrush, toothpaste, tas that were boxed up or wrapped in cellophane in the store No one else will have touched the back so as not to crowd him, but I watched him pretty carefully He was extreood prints, all sreed that was an adequate saave ot out of Butler&039;s car outside the Sheriff&039;s Department and walked south to the hotel, where I stood on the sidewalk and wrestled with a dileo buy a new shirt, but I didn&039;t want Deveraux to feel that dinner was supposed to be more than just dinner Or in reality I did want her to feel dinner could be more than just dinner, but I didn&039;t want her to seeit I didn&039;t want her to feel pushed into anything, and I didn&039;t want to appear overeager

But in the end I decided a shirt was just a shirt, so I hiked across to the other side of Main Street and looked at the stores Most of them were about to close It was after five o&039;clock I found a men&039;s outfitters three enterprises south of where I started It didn&039;t look pro In the as a jacket littered and shone in the lights It looked like it had been knitted out of ato choice was the phar a dollar T So I went in and looked around

There was plenty ether from dubious fabrics, but there was plenty of plainer stuff too There was an old guy behind the counter who seemed happy to let me poke around He had a tape e of office Like a doctor wears a stethoscope He didn&039;t say anything, but he see for shirts and he either frowned and tutted or beamed and nodded as I a warmer and colder in my search

Eventually I found a white button-down hteen and the sleeves were thirty-seven inches long, which was about my size I hauled my choice to the counter and asked, "Would this be OK for a job in an office?"

The old guy said, "Yes, sir, it would"

"Would it impress a person at dinner?"

"I think you&039;d want so finer, sir Maybe a pinpoint"

"So it&039;s not what you&039;d call for chalk"

"OK, I&039;ll take it"

It cost uy wrapped it in brown paper and taped it up into a little parcel I carried it back across the street I planned to dump it in my room I made it into the hotel lobby just in ti hurry He turned when he heard the door, and he saas me and he stopped He was out of breath He said, "Your uncle is on the phone again"

39

I took the call alone in the back office, as before Garber was tentative froo, which made me uneasy His first question was, "How are you?"

"I&039; down there?"

"Bad," I said

"With the sheriff?"

"No, she&039;s OK"

"Elizabeth Deveraux, right? We&039;re having her checked out"