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Her eyes ca in what I was saying "I’m sorry Of course I won’t say a word to anyone"

I told her briefly about Bobby’s lastmachine, and about the blackmail scheme, which I still didn’t understand I deleted mention of Sufi’s part in all of this because I was still worried Glen would takeduht now, unstable, like a vial of nitroglycerin One ht blow

"I do need your help," I said when I finished

"Doing what?"

"I want to talk to Nola So far I still don’t have confirmation on this and if I call or stop by out of a clear blue sky, it’s going to scare the shit out of her I’d like you to call her and see if you can set so if possible"

"What would you want me to say to her?"

"Tell her the truth Tell her I’ into Bobby’s death, that we think he may have been involved with soht ht have seen hi to ure out that you’re onto her"

"Well, for starters, I could be wrong Maybe it’s not her That’s what I’ to determine If she’s innocent, she won’t care one way or the other And if she’s not, let her cook up a cover so she’ll feel secure I don’t care The point is, she won’t have the balls to shut the door in my face, which is what she’d probably do if I went over there unannounced"

She considered briefly "All right"

She got up and crossed to the telephone on the night stand, punching in Nola’s number fro I’d ever heard, and I could see how good sheNola couldn’t have been nicer or more cooperative and in fifteen minutes I was on my way back to Horton Ravine

By day, I could see that the Frakers’ house was pale yelloith a shake roof I went up the driveway and pulled onto the parking pad to the left of the house, where a dark maroon BMW and a silver Mercedes were parked As I was not feeling suicidal, I leaned out ofRover or Fido, whatever his nareat dane with rubbery black-ri down From that distance, I swear it looked like his collar was studded with spikes His food dish was a wide aluot out of the car cautiously He ran up to the fence and started barking bad breath in s, his front paws tucked over the gate His dick looked like a hot dog in a long, furry bun and he wagged it at uy who’s just stepped out of a phone booth to open his raincoat

I was just on the verge of insulting him when I realized that Nola had come out on the porch behindanother jump suit, this one black, with spike heels that made her half a head taller than me

"Nice pup," I res are nice Just shows you how out of touch they are

"Thanks Co to do first, but you can wait in the den"

Chapter 22

The interior of the Fraker house was cool and spare; glea dark wood floors, white walls, bare s, fresh flowers The furniture was upholstered in white linen and the den into which Nola ushered me was lined with books She excused herself and I heard her high heels tap-tap-tapping away down the hall

It’s never a good idea to leave me in a room by myself I’ been raised froe of five by an unmarried aunt, I spent a lot of time as a child in the homes of her friends, most of whom had no children of their own I was told to keep quiet and aed in the first fivebooks we brought with us when visiting The proble in the lines and the pictures always sees and visiting fars, so I learned to search In this manner, I discovered people’s hidden lives-the prescriptions in the medicine cabinets, tubes of jelly in bed-table drawers, cash reserves in the back of coat closets, startling sex manuals and s Of course, I could never quizobjects I came across because I wasn’t supposed to know about them in the first place Fascinated, I would wander into the kitchen, where the adults in those days seely dull things like politics and sports, and I would stare at women named Bernice and Mildred whose husbands were naar, and I would wonder who did ith the long doodad with the battery stuck in one end It was not a flashlight That much I knew Early on, I discerned the sometimes remarkable distinction between public appearances and private tastes These were the people my aunt forbade me to swear in front of no matter hoe talked at hoht have application here, but I could never confir the proper words to attach to things I already knew