‘Their guns didn’t shoot,’ Parker pointed out.
‘That’s right,’ she said in wonder, ‘I forgot about that. I thought I was deadwhen that man pointed that rifle at me, but then it didn’t shoot.’
‘None of them did,’ Parker said. ‘What do the police say?’
‘Nothing. There hasn’t been a word about that.’
Parker thought it over. ‘Did nobody notice? Everything going by so fast. Or somebody noticed and they decided, why should we tell everybody we killed three guys that couldn’t shoot back? Okay, just so they’re not making a big deal out of it.’
‘They’re not.’
He said, ‘You know that bank account of mine in San Antonio.’
She shook her head. ‘I tried,’ she said, ‘on Monday.’
‘Oh, yeah?’
‘I went through a lot of trouble,’ she told him. ‘I wanted some money.’
‘Sure.’
‘The man was very nice,’ she said, ‘but he told me there was a temporary hold on that account, and he couldn’t ship me any more money.’
So Parmitt was gone for good. ‘All right. You’ve got some of the ten grand left.’
‘Some,’ she admitted.
‘You’ve still got my clothing sizes. I need some Daniel Parmitt clothes, clothes I don’t look like an ex-con in.’
‘I bet you are an ex-con,’ she said.
‘Polo shirt. Khakis. Tassel loafers. Sunglasses. White yachting cap.’
‘I love your disguises,’ she said.
‘Wait here,’ he told her, and stood, and went into the kitchen, where the circuit breaker box stood on the wall beside the window over the sink. He opened the metal cover and snaked out the painted wooden one-by-four running underneath it that he’d loosened the other day. Under there, inside the wall, the three jewelry pouches hung from the Romex wire cables leading out of the box. He removed them, put everything back, and carried them to the front hall, where Lesley abruptly got to her feet at the sight of them, as though she’d seen the Queen walk by.
‘Is that it?’
‘All of it. Will it fit in your bag?’
Like most career women, Lesley’s brown leather bag was outsize, more utilitarian than fashionable. She said, ‘Let me just get a couple of these maps and things out of here. You’re givingit all to me?’
‘You’re holding it,’ he told her. ‘You take it home, you hide it someplace where your mother and your sister won’t find it, and someday soon, a few weeks or a month from now, a guy’s gonna come around and say he’s from Daniel Parmitt. Only first I’ll phone you, and I’ll tell you what name he’s using and what he looks like.’
She was very solemn, nodding at each thing he said. ‘All right.’
‘He’ll take the stuff away,’ Parker said. ‘He and I’ll work out a price. Then he’ll come back and give you one- third. Okay?’
‘One-third.’ She was still awed. ‘How much would that be?’
‘We’re guessing four hundred thousand for you, might be less.’
‘Not much less.’
‘No.’
She hefted the bag, her maps and Filofax in the other hand. ‘You’re trusting me with this?’
‘It isn’t trust, Lesley,’ he said. ‘What are you gonna do with it? Go to a pawnshop?’
‘I think there’s a reward.’
‘Not four hundred thousand. And then you’d have to explain where you got it. No, you’ll hold on to it, and you’ll take the four.’
‘I certainly will,’ she said. The awe was being replaced by a broad grin. ‘This sure worked out, didn’t it?’
‘For some of us. Can you come back tonight around eight? With my new clothes.’
‘Sure.’
‘And drive me down to Miami.’
‘Okay. Is that where Claire is?’
He said, ‘You don’t want to know about Claire, Lesley.’
‘Of course I do,’ she said.
He looked at her, and decided to finish that part once and for all. ‘Claire is the only house I ever want to be in,’ he said. ‘All her doors and windows are open, but only for me.’
A blush climbed Lesley’s cheeks, and she stepped back, looking confused, as though a door had just slammed
