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Vida turned up the music as Lillian shook and screamed and howled in pain When the white noise of Lillian’s excruciation notched slightly back, Haydn was still playing merrily

Vida lifted the sledge again

“We’re going to try this one more time With the ax part this time Where is Bennett?” she said

“In Northern California … near Susanville,” Lillian found herself saying between the sobs and the throbbing, center-of-the-sun agony that had become her left elbow “I’m not … sure exactly where … I’d tell you his address if I could … but they wouldn’t tell me … in a million years”

“How do you know this?” Vida said

“An agent from the LA office,” Lillian continued in her pain-induced, haiku-like rhyth Perrine … I do the books for the office … I saw the destination on the manifest”

“An agent from the task force?”

“Yes”

“What was the agent’s name?”

“Parker Emily Parker,” Lillian said without hesitation She hated herself She knew she was putting others in jeopardy But she was in so much pain And afraid God, was she afraid

Vida dropped the splitting maul and consulted a binder in the corner of the rooe, then flipped it back Then she lifted a phone

“Bring the van around,” she said into it

Vida stepped back around to the rear of the office chair and pulled the gun froa pants

“Just one ht out of here,” Vida said, raising the suppressed black-steel Smith & Wesson 22

CHAPTER 67