'And?'
'She had a boyfriend. He bought her presents and she showed them off.'
'To who? To my girls?'
'No, and that's what makes me sure it was something she wanted to keep secret. It was one of her neighbors who mentioned the gifts.'
'Neighbor turn out to have the kitten?'
'That's right.'
'Goyakod. Damn if it don't work. You start with a missing cat and you wind up with a clue. What presents?'
'A fur and some jewelry.'
'Fur,' he said. 'You mean that rabbit coat?'
'She said it was ranch mink.'
'Dyed rabbit,' he said. 'I bought her that coat, took her shopping and paid cash for it. Last winter, that was. The neighbor said it was mink, shit, I'd like to sell the neighbor a couple of minks just like it.
Give her a good price on 'em.'
'Kim said it was mink.'
'Said it to the neighbor?'
'Said it to me.' I closed my eyes, pictured her at my table in Armstrong's. 'Said she came to town in a denim jacket and now she was wearing ranch mink and she'd trade it for the denim jacket if she could have the years back.'
His laughter rang through the phone wire. 'Dyed rabbit,' he said with certainty. 'Worth more than the rag she got off the bus with, maybe, but no king's ransom. And no boyfriend bought it for her 'cause I bought it for her.'
'Well—'
'Unless I was the boyfriend she was talking about.'
'I suppose that's possible.'
'You said jewelry. All she had was costume, man. You see the jewelry in her jewelry box? Wasn't nothing valuable there.'
'I know.'
'Fake pearls, a school ring. The one nice thing she had was somethin' else I got her. Maybe you saw it.
The bracelet?'
'Was it ivory, something like that?'
'Elephant tusk ivory, old ivory, and the fittings are gold. The hinge and the clasp. Not a lot of gold, but
gold's gold, you know?'
'You bought it for her?'
'Got it for a hundred dollar bill. Cost you three hundred in a shop, maybe a little more, if you were to find one that nice.'
'It was stolen?'
'Let's just say I didn't get no bill of sale. Fellow who sold it to me, he never said it was stolen. All he said was he'd take a hundred dollars for it. I should have picked that up when I got the photograph. See, I bought it 'cause I liked it, and then I gave it to her because I wasn't about to wear it, see, and I thought it'd look good on her wrist. Which it did.
You still think she had a boyfriend?'
'I think so.'
'You don't sound so sure no more. Or maybe you just sound tired.
You tired?'
'Yes.'
'Knockin' on too many doors. Wha'd this boyfriend of hers do besides buy her all these presents that don't exist?'
'He was going to take care of her.'
'Well, shit,' he said. 'That's what I did, man. What else did I do for that girl but take care of her?'
I stretched out on the bed and fell asleep with my clothes on. I'd knocked on too many doors and talked to too many people. I was supposed to see Sunny Hendryx, I'd called and told her I would be coming
over, but I took a nap instead. I dreamed of blood and a woman screaming, and I woke up bathed in sweat and with a metallic taste in the back of my mouth.
I showered and changed my clothes. I checked Sunny's number in my notebook, dialed it from the lobby. No answer.
I was relieved. I looked at my watch, headed over to St. Paul's.
