She nodded.
'I don't want to go back to Boston,' she said.
'He will not be forgiving of your little fling with Anthony,' I said.
She shrugged.
'If you didn't go to Boston, where would you go, Oregon?'
'Oregon is no good now. He ruined it.'
'You got to go somewhere,' I said.
'What's the difference if I haven't got any money anyway?'
I reached into my right-hand pants pocket and took out Julius's money and handed it to her.
'Should be about five thousand.'
'I can't pay you back.'
'Why should you be different,' I said.
'You want to go to Oregon?'
'No. Not now.'
'You got family anywhere?'
'I don't want to see them,' she said, 'and they don't want to see me.'
'Makes it nice and even. How about L.A. You ever been to
L.A.?'
'No.'
'Time you went,' I said.
I got up and made some phone calls leaning against the bar in the living room, staring out the window at the un-erupting volcano.
Hawk leaned back on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table, his eyes half closed, as if he were asleep. I knew he wasn't.
When I got through I came back and sat on the couch beside her.
'Okay,' I said.
'You're on the five P.M. Southwest flight to L.A.
Gets in at six-oh-two. Hawk and I will take you to the airport, put you on the plane. In L.A. a guy named Chollo will meet you at the gate. He'll carry a sign that says CHOLLO on it.'
'Chollo?'
'Yeah. There's also a cop in L.A. named Samuelson. I'll write it down for you. You need cop help, you call him. He'll know who you are.'
'What's this Chollo guy going to do with me?'
'Look out for you,' I said.
'You can trust him.'
She nodded.
'So you want to pack some stuff?'
She nodded.
'Maybe one shoulder bag, so we can move right along?'
'Yes, that will be okay.'
She didn't move. Hawk opened his eyes slowly and smiled at Bibi.
'Come on,' he said.
'I'll help you.'
'Pack?'
'Sure.'
'You can't help me pack.'
'No?'
'God no.'
'We better get going then,' he said.
She stood and we went up to her room and stood around while she packed.
'You thought of a name yet for that mouse you got on your cheekbone?' Hawk said.
