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"Could you step out onto the porch, please?"

"Of course, but I can’t think what this is about" Lila made athe contents quickly for weapons

Pettigrew told Lila she was under arrest, reciting her rights to her from a card he held I could tell he’d done it all a hundred times and didn’t really need the cue, but he read it anyway so there wouldn’t be any question later

"Could you turn around and face the wall, please?"

Lila did as she was told and Gutierrez did a pat-down, then snapped on a pair of handcuffs Lila was starting to wail pitifully "But what have I done? I haven’t done anything This is all a terrible mistake" Her desperation see on, officer?" Moza said "This wo"

"Ma’am, we’d appreciate it if you’d step back, please Mrs Saet don" Pettigrew touched at Lila’s elbow, but she pulled away, her voice rising to a shrill pitch

"Help! Oh no! Let go of me Help!"

The two officers took control of her, one on either side,her off the porch at a businesslike pace, but Lila’s shrieks were beginning to bring curious neighbors out onto their porches She went li her face toward Moza with a piteous cry They hustled her into the squad car, picking her feet up to deposit her in the rear Lila somehow conveyed the i hauled off by the Nazis andhis head, Officer Pettigrew gathered up her belongings, which were now strewn along the walk He tucked her suitcases in the trunk

The man next door apparently felt called upon to intercede and I saw hirehile Gutierrez called in to the station and Lila thrashed about, flinging herself at the mesh that separated her froot in the car on the driver’s side, sla the door shut, and they pulled away

Moza was dead white and she turned a stricken face to ! What in heaven’s naht sight of Henry half a block away Even at that distance, his face seemed blank with disbelief, his body tense "I’ll talk to you later, Moza," I said and headed toward him

Chapter 25

By the tiht I pulled the envelope out of my waistband and knocked on his back door He opened it I held the envelope up and he took it, glancing at the contents He gavelook, but I didn’t explain how I’d come by it and he didn’t ask

"Thank you"

"We’ll talk later," I said, and he closed the door again, but not before I caught a gliar canister and a new blue-and-white sack of flour, turning to the activity he knew best while he worked through his pain I felt awful for him but I had to let him sort it out for himself God, it was all so unpleasant In the et back to work

I let ot out the telephone book, looking for Kelly Borden If Bobby’d been searching for the gun out at the old county building, I wanted to have a crack at it too and I thought n of him in the telephone book I tried to find the number for the for for it and the infor she had no idea what I was talking about If he worked a seven-to-three shift, he’d be gone anyway Shit I looked up the number of Santa Teresa Hospital and put a call in to Dr Fraker His secretary, Marcy, toldin the men’s room), but would be back shortly I told her I needed to talk to Kelly Borden and asked for his address and telephone number

"Gee, I don’t know," she said "Dr Fraker probably wouldn’tyou the information, but I’m not really supposed to do it without his OK"

"Look, I’ve got some errands to run anyway so why don’t I stop by It’ll take me ten minutes," I said "Just et there"

I drove over to St Terry’s Parking turned out to be a trick and I had to leave my car three blocks ahich was okay with h the back entrance, following varicolored lines on the floor, as though on my way to Oz Finally, I reached a set of elevators and took one down to the basement