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This was getting creepy now Whatever Julia had been reaching for, this was not it

"I’msorry" Julia tried to put herself intoshe could fall back on Get him to talk Put him at ease A lot of kidspeoplecaot a sister," he continued "Thirteen Looks just likememory"

"I’m sure your sisterreally loves you, Frankie"

He stared at his hands, corpse-pale in theout of his shoulders She thought the dangerous moment had passed

"She hates me," Frankie muttered "Gether here Show her"

His voice trailed off

Julia didn’t knohat he was talking about She just wanted out

"Look" She tried to sound upbeat, not at all afraid "I told my friends I’d call them, you know? Would you mind--"

"You told them you’d call"

"Yeah Kind of silly, but, ahwe had a bet"

He stared at her as if there were an insect crawling over her face, so poisonous "A bet About s--next se her own apart to the East Coast All that aiting for her, just a few miles back down the road

"It was just a joke," she ed

"You bet your friends I wouldn’t be able to perfor like that"

He slapped her It surprised her more than it hurt, but she saw a flash of yellow Her

"Stop it!" She used the saot out of hand "Take ive orders," he said "You don’t even look at rabbed her by her hair and opened his car door

The next thing she knew, she was being dragged outside, the grass scratching her legs She kicked helplessly at the gravel Her screaht air--no one around to hear it He threw her down, straddled her His hands closed around her throat

"Shut up," he warned

She couldn’t breathe He was a black shadow above her,on blond hair Her throat turned to ce up inside her chest

If I just don’t fight, she decided He will let o

He kept one hand around her throat as he ripped open her blouse, then began tugging at her skirt

He will let o

She prayed those words, over and over, but her hands still claeakly at his face The gravel and barbed wire dug into her back

His hand tightened on her throat, and she wanted to tell him she would behave herself She needed to breathe If she could just get his attention, he would surely re fire, as if her whole being were ht turned red, and the world faded into one s smothered under Frankie’s hand

Chapter 11

ETCH ARRIVED AT THE CRIME SCENE HOPING TO FIND MAIA Lee dead

Dispatch hadn’t told hi William between a man and a woman Lucia’s old address Etch prayed Titus Roe had done his work

Inside the yellow peri a shot-to-hell Volvo sedan onto a flatbed trailer The hbors wrapped in blankets shivered on their front lawns

No ambulance or ME van

Maybe the body was en route to the ue

Kelsey waited at the curb, his slacks splattered hat looked like coffee He was holding his jacket over his crotch, as if that would hide the probleh of an embarrass about his debacle of a car chase

"So," Etch said "The old lady you pulled over erous"

Kelsey’s ears turned purple "We were baited It was Arguello"

"You sure?"

"The old lady described the guys itched cars with her Arguello and a white guy"

"Navarre?"

"Maybe" Kelsey didn’t sound convinced "Whoever he was, he gave the old lady a hundred bucks and told her to keep the van No VIN Engine block numbers erased Completely untraceable"

"Christ"

"And then we got this" Kelsey waved toward the shot-up Volvo

Etch scanned the scene, trying to read what had happened The Volvo had been hit at least four tin of Lee’s black BMW

The shooting had started in the driveway of Lucia’s old house Forensics had circled a spent casing on the concrete Skid marks in front of the house indicated where the Volvo had peeled out

Perhaps Lee had parked the BMW soht She commandeered the Volvo, and Titus Roe had taken her down as she attempted to flee

Etch tried to like that scenario

He forced himself to look at Lucia’s house

The old fry cook who rented the place had trashed the front porch with beer cans and lawn furniture He’d desecrated the yard with his goddamn whirly bird decorations

The idea of Mike Flu in Lucia’s bedroom, always made Etch’s blood steam Flume must’ve invited Maia Lee here to poke around for scraps of the past God knehat else he’d told her Etch should’ve taken care of hi with Jaime Santos And as for Maia Lee