Lee had told me that Axel had stolen a briefcase, but this letter indicated that he received it legally. It could have been another case . . .
The handwritten letter was a different temperature. There was no heading.
Really, Axel. I can see no reason for you to follow this line of questioning. Your father is dead. Anyone that had anything to do with this matter is either dead or so old that it doesn’t make any difference. You cannot judge them. You don’t know how it was back then. Think of your law offices in San Francisco. Think of the good you have done, will be able to do. Don’t throw it all 8 0
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away over something that’s done and gone. Think of your own generation. I’m begging you. Please do not bring these ugly matters to light.
N.
Whoever N was, he or she had something to hide. And that something was about to be exposed to the world by Axel Bowers.
If I had had a good feeling about Bobby Lee I would have taken the letters and reconnaissance to him. But we didn’t like each other and I couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t take what I gave him and cut me out of my bonus. My second choice was to tell Saul but he would have been torn in allegiance between me and the Civil War buff. No. I had to go this one alone for a while longer.
Later that evening I was asking the operator to make a collect call to a Webster exchange in West Los Angeles.
“Hello?” Bonnie said into my ear.
“Collect call to anyone from Easy,” the operator said quickly as if she feared that I might slip a message past her and hang up.
“I’ll accept, operator. Easy?”
I tried to speak but couldn’t manage to raise the volume in my lungs.
“Easy, is that you?”
“Yeah,” I said, just a whisper.
“What’s wrong?”
“Tired,” I said. “Just tired. How’s Feather?”
“She sat up for a while and watched
Bonnie said hopefully, her voice full of love. “She’s been trying to stay awake until you called.”
I had to exert extraordinary self-control not to put my fist through the wall.
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“Did you get the job?” she asked.
“Yeah, yeah. I got it all right. There’s a few snags but I think I can work ’em if I try.”
“I’m so happy,” she said. It sounded as if she really meant it.
“When you went out to meet with Raymond I was afraid that you’d do something you’d regret.”
I laughed. I was filled with regrets.
“What’s wrong, Easy?”
I couldn’t tell her. My whole life I’d walked softly around difficulties when I knew my best defense was to keep quiet. I needed Bonnie to save my little girl. Nothing I felt could get in the way of that. I had to maintain a civil bearing. I had to keep her on my side.
“I’m just tired, baby,” I said. “This case is gonna be a ball-breaker. Nobody I can trust out here.”
“You can trust me, Easy.”
“I know, baby,” I lied. “I know. Is Feather still awake?”
“You bet,” Bonnie said.
I had installed a long cord on the telephone so that the receiver could reach into Feather’s room. I heard the shushing sounds of Bonnie moving through the rooms and then her voice gently talking to Feather.
“Daddy?” she whispered into the line.
“Hi, babygirl. How you doin’?”
“Fine. When you comin’ home, Daddy?”
“Tomorrow sometime, honey. Probably just before you go to sleep.”
“I dreamed that I was lookin’ for you, Daddy, but you was gone and so was Juice. I was all alone in a tiny little house and there wasn’t a T V or phone or nothing.”
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“That was just a dream, baby. Just a dream. You got a big house and lots of people who love you. Love you.” I had to say the words twice.
“I know,” she said. “But the dream scared me and I thought that you might really be gone.”
“I’m right here, honey. I’m comin’ home tomorrow. You can count on that.”
The phone made a weightless noise and Bonnie was on the line again.
