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She blinked at me "You’ll really call him?"

"Hey, I’m only five six What’s a couple of inches between friends?"

She gave me his nu "I’ll be out of town for a day, but I’ll call hiot up to leave her office and paused at the door "If I irl"

3

I bypassed , anxious to hit the road I left Santa Teresa at 6:00 am, my car loaded with a duffel, my portable Smith-Corona, the information about Irene Gersh’s mother, my briefcase, miscellaneous junk, and a cooler in which I’d tucked a six-pack of Diet Pepsi, a tuna sandwich, a couple of tangerines, and a Ziploc bag of Henry’s chocolate chip cookies

I took Highway 101 south, following the coastline past Ventura, where the road begins to cut inland My little VW whined and strained, cli down into Thousand Oaks By the time I reached the San Fernando Valley, it was nearly seven and rush-hour traffic had craing lanes with a speed and grace that I think of as street surfing, co veiled the basin, blocking out the surrounding mountains so coine the land to be flat as a plate

At North Hollywood, the 134 splits off, heading toward Pasadena, while the 101 cuts south toward don LA On a eles looks like a small hole in the center of a loosely crocheted pink shawl that spreads across Los Angeles County, trailing into Orange County to the south Converging freeways forht in the knot I’ve never known anyone who actually had business in don Los Angeles Unless you have a yen to see Union Station, Olvera Street, or skid row, the only reason to venture into the neighborhood around Sixth and Spring is to check out the wholesale goldfor naain-base right on by

You’ll notice that I’ht I will say that I did, indeed, stop by Rosie’s for the drink she’d proed a surprise birthday party for hts come up and everybody jumps out from behind the furniture I couldn’t believe it was happening Jonah was there, and Vera (the rat-who hadn’t breathed a word of it when I’d seen her earlier), Darcy and Mac froular bar patrons, and a former client or two I don’t knohy it see to admit, but they had a cake and actual presents that I had to open on the spot I don’t like to be surprised I don’t like to be the center of attention These were all people I care about, but I found it unnerving to be the object of so s I didn’t get drunk and I didn’t disgracean out-of-body experience Reflecting on it now in the privacy ofEvents like this always seem better to me in retrospect

The party had broken up at ten Henry and Jonah walked me home and after Henry excused hi shy as a bride

I got the distinct iht, but I couldn’t handle it I’m not sure why-maybe it was my earlier conversation with Vera-but I felt distant and when heaway

"What’s theIt’s just ti to piss you off?"

"Hey, no I proht just about did me in You know me I don’t do well in situations like that"

He s white "You should have seen the look on your face It was great I think it’s funny to see you caught off-guard" He was leaning against the door, with his hands behind his back, the light fro one side of his face with a war a mental picture of him: blue eyes, dark hair He looked tired Jonah is a Santa Teresa cop orks thepersons detail, which is hoe’d o I really wasn’t sure what I felt for hiood , whatever that is I understood his dilemma with his wife and I didn’t bla to vacillate He has two young daughters who co the girls with her both tiht without her, but the first ti back It had been push-pull since then, double es In Novee," which he figured was a euphe around on hiet involved with me, but I was reasonably certain he’d never e be? While I didn’t wantthat I never knehere I stood Soirls to the zoo on Sunday afternoons So exactly the sa at the monkeys while Camilla did God knohat For my part, I felt like a peripheral character in a play I wouldn’t have paid to see I didn’t need the aggravation, to tell you the truth Still, it’s hard to complain when I’d known his ht I’htest idea what I was getting into