Page 16 (1/2)

"What the hell-" I began, but he held out both hands, pal Just don’t do that again, okay?" He looked genuinely spooked "We can’t stay here Get in the car Please Hurry!"

"Why was I in the trunk?"

"It was the only way I could get you out of there without" He darted anxious looks at the eet in the car, okay? Please?"

"I saw him kill that woman" I don’t knohy I said it; it was almost as if the words were under pressure; I couldn’t keep thee, that horrible silent pantomime of death "He stabbed her in the back"

Chaz’s face went even whiter, if that was possible, and his eyes had a blank, haunted look He grabbed my arm, moved me aside, and slaer side of the car, which I noas his roadold trione with the expensive Italian leather interior It felt cold and stiff againsthood and piled into the driver’s seat, put the car in gear, and scratched gravel out onto the road again

When the speedohty, he pulled a deep breath and said, "Look, you have a nasty buive me a chance here, honey-"

I held out a shaking finger at hiiveto kick your ass so hard you can read your underwear label Gotwheel in urgent Morse code Finally nodded

"Who was he?" I asked

"I don’t know"

"I hate to repeatthe weather out there to drive off aerial surveillance Drugs, right? He was et paid You have to know his name"

He looked really ill now "Look, I just know him as Orry, okay? Orry"

"Know hiain, see previous threat"

"No, I’ement," he said "I didn’t knoas you know"

"Killing unarmed women?" I felt sick to my stomach, but damned if I’d throw up in front of Chaz "What kind of business arrangement?"

"He pays me to keep the weather clear for his couriers, and knock police planes off course You know, the surveillance planes, like you said That’s-"

I interpreted "He pays you to facilitate trafficking" Which explained Chaz’s unusual weather patterns out here in the barrens He’d beensyste in, and storm fronts to frustrate the cops "Jesus, Chaz" I rubbed ot a crafty look Great Chaz, as ht he was clever "Well, I’ets a little so on the side It’s how the Wardens work"

I stared at him, lips parted Amazed "What?"

"Oh, coree, Orry’s out of control-Jesus, I freaked when I sahat he’d done to that poor girl The only thing I could do was get you out of there He was going to kill you!"

"So you savedme in the trunk of the car" Which otten a maroon pimp-trimmed Seville all the way out into the desert like that, without having it become a permanent desert monument It wasn’t exactly an SUV In fact, there was no way he’d driven this car all the way out there

But there had been a dun-brown Jeep parked near the arroyo, which would have nicely done the job of carting ed to the killer Orry

I turned ht say

"How’d you getway out in the desert That’s a hell of a distance to carry me"

"Well, I couldn’t leave you out there" He tried to sound altruistic It cao, Joanne Look, I have ive me a bank account number and you’re an instant ood report to the Wardens and take the ht? It’s what all the others did" The three previous audits He’d greased the wheels Of course No wonder the audits had set killed?" Her hands, scrabbling at the dirt, fue the ship to take the money"

It would be smart to tell him I would, but I wasn’t in the mood to lie "No"

"I knew I knew the ht? Goddaht, Joanne, but you’re burning yourself right up" Chaz shook his head "It’s the way things work You take the ht? We all do We save people Why shouldn’t we make a little-"

"She’s dead!" I shouted, and was a little shocked at the raw edge of fury in my voice "And you’re finished Understand? This is over Over Nobody else dies"

Chaz sentlook He reached down, picked up a cell phone that lay on the seat between us, and dialed a nu up on the caves Be there in a couple of ht stupidly He hung up I stared at him, at his neat preppy outfit, his perfect tan, his expensive manicure

"You knocked me out," I said "He drove me back to your car Why didn’t you just leave me there? The two of you already killed one wohtest idea of what’s going on," he said "I can’t just kill you If you disappear, I’ to have to answer questions Just just take the o You weren’t supposed to come out here in the first place; you were supposed to stay in Las Vegas"

"This here the trouble was"