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"I wish I could be ot an errand to run, but we can check with you later and see what’s going on Givehoainst my shoulder while I ive you a call e get back"

"Thank you I appreciate your concern,"

"In the meantime, don’t worry I’m sure she’s so on as we headed down the back steps I was half-te hoency He wanted to see the Edgewater and check the arrangeested I call Irene froreed, though I knew for a fact if I were ondistracted and, for once, his driving style didn’t bother one I knew she was capable of raising hell when it suited her, but Irene had ned to theto myself Surely, she’d turn up

12

I leanedout the car hile Dietz circled the area surrounding the hotel I could see that he was co a sense of the sections of the road where we ht be vulnerable to attack I wasn’t that interested in attending the dinner Now that I thought about it, what the hell did I care? Jeas a nice lady, but I really didn’t know her well I wasn’t feeling that good and-just to get basic-I didn’t have a thing to wear The all-purpose dress-the only one I owned- had been in my car at the time of the accident In the auto body lot down in Brawley, I rey items in a cardboard box, which hadn’t arrived in Santa Teresa yet When the dress did get here, it was probably going to sling out of the wet I could always ask Vera to lend ood twenty pounds, but I’d seen her wearing a sequined tunic cut right to her crotch It would probably hit me at the knee Not that I could wear a skirt inthat made me look like spoiled fruit On a more optimistic note, once I strapped on my body armor, what difference would it make that her bazookas were twice the size of eneral layout of the neighborhood and ere getting down to the particulars He pulled into the Edgewater parking lot and turned his Porsche over to a parking attendant, passing the guy a folded bill "Keep the car up here close and let lanced down at the bill "Yessir! Hey, sure!"

Dietz and I moved toward the entrance

"Why so quiet?" he asked as he steered h the lobby by the elbow like the rudder of a boat

I pulled my arm away auto about the banquet and it’s putI can help with?"

I shook my head "What’s this feel like to you?"

"What, the job?"

"Yeah Trailing around with et on your nerves?"

"I don’t have nerves," he said

I turned and scanned his face, wondering if that was really true

He hunted down the hoteltalk with him about the banquet room, the closest medical facility, and matters of that ilk I would have jettisoned the whole plan, but by noe’d invested so h Meanwhile, Dietz was triggering all the disagreeable aspects ofto remember certain personal traits that had probably contributed to my divorces I prefer to believe it was all their fault, but who are we trying to kid here…

I left Dietz in the er’s office and wandered down the corridor Just off the hotel lobby, there were little shops where rich people browsed, looking for ways to spendto leave the pre boutique and circled the place The merchandise seemed unreal to me, outfits laid out with all the color-coordinated accessories My notion of accessories is you wear your gy rims The air smelled of one of those movie-star perfumes that cost a hundred and twenty bucks an ounce Just for laughs, I checked the sale rack Even marked down, most items cost more thanas arranged: long skirts in brocade, tops stiff with sequins, everything embroidered, hand-stitched, hand-painted, applique’d, beaded and otherwise bejeweled The saleswolanced over at me with a practiced shtly and I was reI looked like I’d just had cosery A little nose bob, eye tucks For all she kneas holing up here with so went down