Page 80 (1/1)

I started to interrupt, but she’d just put a palround The deputy? Oh hell, was she telling hiht was looking at me with perplexity "You okay? What was that about?"

"I have to go to San Luis Obispo," I said carefully It was a lie, of course, but it was the first thing that occurred to me Ann had told them where I was Within hborhood swaret out of there, and I didn’t think it ise to let him knohere I was headed

"San Luis?" he said "What for?"

I moved toward the front door "Don’t worry about it I’ll be back in a bit"

"Don’t you need a car?"

"I’ll get one"

I closed the door behind me, leaped off the porch, and ran

25

The Ocean Street Motel was only four blocks away It wasn’t going to take the cops long I kept to the pave up the hill I took a dive into the bushes as a black-and-white sped into view, heading straight for Dwight’s place Lights flashing, no siren A second black-and-white gunned up the hill after the first Hotdoggers The deputy in the second car was probably twenty-two Big career ahead of hially Hethe time of his life

The solution to so many problems seems obvious once you knohere to look My conversation with Dwight had generated a shift in my mind-set and the questions that had troubled me before now seemed to have answers that made perfect sense Some of them, at any rate I needed confir preht Shales Ori Fowler had died because she was ht I understood why she had died, too Bailey was supposed to take the rap for all of it, and he’d fallen for it like a chuh not to run-if he’d just stayed put-he couldn’t have been bla that’d happened since

I approached the h a vacant lot filled eeds and broken glass Many of the ine all the uproar caused by the presence of sheriffs’ cars I suspected there was still a deputy posted somewhere close, probably just outside ht was on, and I could see the shadow of so around in the back part of the apartment A little black-and-white television now sat on the counter, a taped newscast flickering across the e mouth noises on the courthouse steps Must have been this afternoon A picture of Bailey Fowler followed He was being led, in handcuffs, to a waiting vehicle On ca to the weather map I tried the kitchen door Locked I didn’t want to stand out there trying to pick the lock

I circled the building, hugging the outside wall, checking darkened s for one left ajar What I found instead was a side door that was located just across from the stairway inside the back hall The knob turned in my hand and I pushed the door open cautiously I peered in Royce, in a ratty bathrobe, was shuffling down the hall toward me, slump-shouldered, eyes on his slippers I could hear the hu his grief like a baby, back and forth He reached the door to his roo back toward the kitchen Now and then heoff Lucky is the spouse who dies first, who never has to knohat survivors endure Royce ned himself out of the hospital after Reverend Haws paid his call Ori’s death had pushed hi?

The lights froave the uncomfortable sense of other people very near I could hear to in low tones Was Mrs E the kitchen, where I knew he’d turn again, co back

I closed the door behindsilently I should have put two and two together when I saw that the maid’s master key wouldn’t open room 20 That room had probably been sealed off, part of the Fowlers’ apartment upstairs

The second floor was dark, except for aon the landing through which a soft yellow light now spilled I was disoriented Somehow this didn’t look the way I’d expected it to There was a short corridor toin a door I crossed to it, stopped, and listened carefully Silence I tried the knob and pushed the door open a crack Cold air wafted in I was facing the exterior corridor that ran right bymachine and the outside stairs To my immediate left was rooht There was no sign of a deputy on duty Did I dare sio in? What if the deputy aiting inside?