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"So I heard The DA’s office got in touch with Mother You’re being charged with insurance fraud"

"And you believe that," I said flatly

"Hey, I can understand it Lance got his tit in a wringer and needed so the warehouse was better than a bank loan All he needed was a little help from you"

"Oh, really? You seeone Who fills you in?"

"What’s it to you?"

"You can’t believe everything you hear, Bass Some-times you can’t even believe your eyes There’s soh to figure out what it is"

"I’ I under-stand you’re very good at what you do"

I looked at Daniel "How did you get sucked into this, or is that a bad choice of words?"

Daniel seemed uncertain how to reply so Bass an-swered for hi on Obviously, you weren’t going to tell us so we had to take steps" He paused to shrug "We’ll be turning the tapes over to the DA, of course"

"Oh shit, yes Of course We who?"

"I’d rather not discuss that, in case you’re inclined to retaliate," Bass said "The point is, I knew Daniel and he knew you and it seeather information"

"And Andy Motycka? How does he fit in?"

"I don’t know all the details on that Why don’t you tell uess is that soot ner-vous when he found out that Darcy and I were onto hiot wind of Olive’s death and felt like it was ained for Anyway, it looks like he’s left town unless he’s been murdered, too Doesn’t it bother you that Lyda Case died?"

"Why should it? I never knew the lady personally Sure, I’ to do with it"

"How do you know you aren’t next, Bass? Or maybe Daniel here? If you’re not concerned about Olive, at least give so with someone who has less and less to lose"

"What makes you think he knoho it is?" Daniel said

"What ot ho his yard like a prison compound I checked locks on all his doors and s first and then secured my own I cleaned and checked es into the un is no protection if you can’t control what it does I stuck it in un shop in the unsmith supplied loaners

I brushed my teeth and washed my face, then sur-veyed my various burns, bruises, and minor cuts I felt like shit, but I decided it was better to bypass the paindeeply on the off-chance that soo at ht appear in ital clock flick its way through the night Outside, the as hot and dry, teasing the pal conspiracies The air in , sounds ot up and moved silently into the bathroo out of theThe tree branches bucked in the wind Leaves scuttled along the street Dust was funneled up out of nowhere into whirling spirals Once a car passed slowly, its headlights fanning up againstI pictured Daniel sheltered in the protective curve of Bass’s body and I envied theht, personal safety seems more important than propriety

I slept, finally, as the darkness was lifting to the soft gray of dawn The wind had died and the ensuing silence was just as unsettling as the erratic creak of the live oak in hbor’s yard I woke at 8:15 with a start, disoriented by the sense of the day gone all wrong I wanted to talk to Ava at Wood/Warren as soon as the plant opened, whichto have to live with the brooding dread that was circulating throughelse can Without the jog, I suspected the anxiety would accued myself into the shower, then dressed and th, which I poured into a therate

Lance wasn’t expected until after 10:00, and Terry was on a leave of absence, but Ava was at her desk, looking dark and sour She’d had her cracked nail repaired and the color had shifted from harsh red to a ertip Her outfit was purple jersey with a cross-chest bandolier of red, alto-gether dazzling, I thought