Tony breaking the law when it happened? I think Dee?s more worried about that than anything. Not
for herself. She doesn?t want people to remember him. badly.”
. .
“I can?t say for sure,” I said, “but it?s possible.”
“How did he die?”
“I?m not sure about that either,” I said, and trying to avoid telling her a bald-faced lie, I added, “He
could?ve drowned. Apparently he was in the water for some time. He washed up near Saint
Somethings Island, wherever that it.”
“Saint Simons,” she said. “It?s south of here, about fifty miles.”
“They?re doing the autopsy there,” I said.
She shuddered when I said the word. Then she looked up suddenly. “I almost forgot,” she said.
“Mickey was by. He said if I saw you to tell you he needs to get in touch. He says it?s very
important.”
“Do you have my number?” I asked, getting up to leave. I had really wanted to see DeeDee and had
little else to say to Lark. She nodded. “I?m staying at the Ponce.” And she nodded again. “Well,” I
said, “if! can do anything.
“You did the toughest thing of all,” Lark said. “It was nice of you, telling her that way instead of.
The sentence seemed to die in her mouth, as if she were unsure how to finish it. I put my arm around
her and hugged her until I felt the tension begin to ease, It was a hug I could use, too, just feeling
someone close to me, to share a moment of caring with.
“You ought to have somebody here with you,” I said.
“No, not yet. Dee wouldn?t want that.”
I left and drove back to the Warehouse. The Stick?s black Pontiac was lurking in front. Inside the
converted supermarket Stick was reading a computer printout.
“You?re back early,” he said. “Did?ya get my message?”
Obviously he had not heard about the events at the track and I wasn?t in the mood for details. It was
only midafternoon but I felt like my cork had been pulled for the day.
“I?m dead,” I said casually.
“A lot of people are having that trouble these days,” he drawled. “How are things at the track?”
“There was an accident,” I said. “Three horses went down.”
“What!”
“One of the horses split a foreleg in the stretch and took two other nags down with it.”
“Are the jockeys okay?” he asked.
