saw that it was me. Then she bounded past Bonnie and jumped up as I'd often urged her not to do, put her paws on my shoulders, and gave sort of bitey kisses on the nose, some of which hurt. While I accepted my welcome from Pearl, Hawk sat Bonnie down in Susan's living room. It was almost five. Susan would be up from her last appointment in a little while.
'You'll be sorry,' Bonnie said. 'When my father finds you, you're going to be really, really sorry.'
Pearl came bounding across the room and jumped up on the couch beside Bonnie. Bonnie screamed. Pearl sniffed at her face and Bonnie huddled into a ball. Hawk looked amused. He made a little clucking noise to Pearl and she jumped off the couch and went over to him and the two of them sat in the big armchair and Hawk patted her. The front door opened and Vinnie Morris came in with a gun. He looked at me and Hawk and put the gun away. He paid no attention to Bonnie.
'I heard people moving around up here,' Vinnie said.
'Where's Ty-Bop?' I said.
'Out front.'
'And you're inside.'
'Senior man,' Vinnie said.
I nodded at Bonnie.
'Now,' I said to Vinnie, 'might be the time for extra alertness.'
'Sure,' Vinnie said and went back downstairs.
'Would you like a drink?' I said to Bonnie.
'Like whisky?'
I nodded.
'Yeah,' she said. 'Gimme some Chivas on the rocks.'
I looked at Hawk. He grinned.
'Yassah, Boss,' he said and shuffled off toward the kitchen where Susan kept her booze.
I got a straight chair and straddled it in front of Bonnie.
'Whaddya want with me, anyway?' Bonnie said. 'You got any idea who I am. You got any idea what kinda trouble you got yourself into?'
'Yes,' I said.
Hawk came back and handed Bonnie her drink. Holding the thick lowball glass in both hands, she took in a lot of it.
She didn't seem to mind that it wasn't Chivas Regal. Hawk looked at her for a moment and went back to the kitchen.
'So why don't you say something?' Bonnie said.
'Do you prefer Bonnie or Bunny?' I said.
She stared at me for a moment. 'You came to my house,' she said. 'It was you that came, and Ziggy and the guys chased you off.'
'I left in a dignified manner,' I said. 'Bonnie or Bunny?'
'Bonnie.'
Hawk came back in with a bucket of ice and a nearly full bottle of Dewar's Scotch. He put both on the coffee table near her.
'Please,' she said, 'let me go. My father will give you a lot of money and, honest to God, I won't tell anybody.'
Susan came in. We all waited while Pearl loped wildly around the room and jumped up on Susan, even when Susan asked her not to. Finally, she got calm enough for anyone to speak.
'Here she is,' Susan said, looking at Bonnie.
'Here she is,' I said.
'Am I now an accessory to kidnapping.'
'I would guess, yes,' I said.
Bonnie drank some more Scotch. Susan's arrival heartened her a little. The sisterhood is strong.
'Who are you?' she said.
'I'm Susan.'
'What kind of place is this?'
Susan smiled. 'This is my home,' she said.
'Why'd they bring me here?'
'I would guess several reasons,' Susan said. 'People would probably not think to look for you here. If they did, there are several men here with guns. And I think there was the thought that I might be helpful in talking with you.'
Bonnie's glass was empty. She added more Scotch.
