'Back of his head's all fucked up,' Arthur said.
'I figure that's where he got shot,' Suit said.
'Nice police work, Suit.'
Simpson grinned.
'But there's no exit wound that I can see.'
'So?'
'Just observing,' Suit said.
Behind them, from the Paradise end of the causeway, there was the sound of a siren.
'You search him?' Arthur said.
'We got people to do that, don't we?'
'Sure, State ME will inventory everything.'
'So why don't we let him search?' Suit said. ''Less you want to?'
'Search him?'
'Yeah.'
'We can let the ME do it,' Arthur said.
The siren faded as the ambulance pulled up and two EMTs got out. One was a woman. Her name was Annie Lopes.
'Whaddya got?' she said.
'Looks like a murder,' Arthur said.
Suit said, 'Unless he shot himself in the head and then climbed into the back and pulled the tailgate shut.'
'That how you found him?' Annie said.
'Yep.'
The two EMTs went and looked at the body. Annie put her hand to his throat and put her hand on his face. She picked up his right arm and let it fall.
'He's already starting into rigor,' she said.
'So he is dead,' Arthur said.
'Mostly they are,' Annie said, 'when they're in rigor.' The second EMT was a guy named Ralph.
'Find any keys?' Ralph said.
'Nope.'
'How'd you open the back?' Ralph said. 'Car was unlocked,' Suit said. 'I popped the tailgate.' Annie laughed softly.
'Wow,' she said.
'Cops have their ways,' Suit said.
More sirens sounded across the causeway.
3
ONE MEMBER of the Renewal is a kid named Cheryl DeMarco. She just turned eighteen, and her parents want me to get her out.'
'Whether she wants to get out or not?' Jesse said.
'I explained that if she didn't want to leave,' Sunny said, 'there wasn't a lot I could do.'
'And?'
'They asked if I knew anybody who could remove her forcibly.'
'Which of course you do,' Jesse said.
'I told them I didn't,' Sunny said.
'A white lie,' Jesse said.
Sunny smiled.
'True,' she said. 'But I thought I'd rather not conspire in a kidnapping.'
'I'll keep the parents in mind,' Jesse said, 'if the kid turns up missing.'
'They didn't press it,' Sunny said. 'They asked if maybe I could find her and talk with her.'
'The Renewal is not exactly secret,' Jesse said. 'How come they don't know where to find her?'
'I think the whole thing scares them,' Sunny said.
Jesse nodded.
'Do you have any reason to think the Renewal is dangerous?' Sunny said.
'No.'
'People are scared by things they don't understand,' Sunny said.
'Yep.'
'You know what else I think?' Sunny said.
'No,' Jesse said. 'I don't.'
Sunny made a face at him.
'I think they're scared of the kid,' she said.
'Physically?'
Sunny shook her head.
'No,' she said. 'I think they don't want her to be mad at them.'
'I would have guessed she might be a little mad at them already,' Jesse said.
'Leaving home and joining an unorthodox religious group?' Sunny said.
'Seems like there might be some sort of anger in there.'
'Rebellion?' Sunny said. 'Yes, I suppose. Maybe it's justified.'
'Maybe it is,' Jesse said.
'You're a big help.'
'I try,' Jesse said.
'So, where do I find this group?' Sunny said.
'Down near the Gray Gull,' Jesse said. 'I'll take you down.'
Sunny looked at her watch.
'Good heavens, where does the time go,' she said. 'It's noon.'
'Lunch?' Jesse said.
'It's right near the Gray Gull anyway,' Sunny said.
'Sure,' Jesse said.
'We can eat lunch and head over to the Renewal.'
'Spike work the lunch hour?' Jesse said.
'Lunch is a little early for Spike to be up,' Sunny said. 'But you and I are enough.'
'Funny you should show up so close to lunch,' Jesse said.
'I'm a bear for timing,' Sunny said. 'You mind?'
'No,' Jesse said. 'I like it.'
4
THEY HAD ICED TEA and lobster rolls. Jesse had french fries with his. Sunny didn't. Sitting across the table from him, Sunny studied Jesse. He was very much of a piece, she thought, like Richie. Compact, graceful, all his movements both precise and easy.
He looks so perfectly integrated, she thought.
'Anything from Jenn?' she said.
Jesse shook his head.
'We're not in touch,' he said.
'She's really gone?' Sunny said.
'She's really gone,' Jesse said.
'How do you feel about that?'
Jesse shook his head.
'You and Dix,' he said. 'We've both had too much shrinkage.'
'Clever dodge,' Sunny said.
