by quickly.'
'How safe can you be - Towle and Hayden have roots here.'
'I know. But their families haven't lived here for a generation. I checked. I even went by their old homes. There are new faces, new names. There's no reason for them to look for me here. Not unless you give them one.'
'I won't.'
'On my next trip I'll buy a gun. I'll be prepared for them if they come. I'll escape and go somewhere else. I'm used to it. The memory of Seoul returns in my dreams. It keeps me watchful. I'm sorry to hear about the other murders, but I don't want to know about them. There's nothing that I can do.'
I got up and she helped me on with my jacket.
'The funny thing is,' she said, 'this estate probably belongs to me. As does the Brentwood property and the rest of the Hickle fortune. I'm Stuart's sole heir - we wrote our wills several years ago. He never discussed finances with me so I don't know how much he left, but it has to be considerable. There were bearer bonds, other pieces of real estate all up and down the coast. In theory I'm a rich woman. Do I look it?'
'There's no way to get in touch with the executors of his will?'
'The executor is a partner in Edwin Hayden's law firm. For all I know he's one of them. I can do without wealth when all it means is a fancy funeral.'
She used her chair to climb out of the window. I followed her. We walked in the direction of the big, black house.
'You worked with the children from my school. How are they doing?'
'Very well. The prognosis is good. They're amazingly resilient.'
'That's good.'
A few steps later:
'And the parents - did they hate me?'
'Some. Others were surprisingly loyal and defended you. It created a schism in the group. They worked it out.'
'I'm glad. I think about them often.'
She accompanied me to the edge of the swamp that fronted the mansion.
'I'll let you go the rest of the way by yourself. How does the arm feel?'
'Stiff, but nothing serious. I'll survive.'
I held out my hand and she took it.
'Good luck,' she said. 'Same to you.'
I walked through weeds and mud, chilled and tired. When I turned around to look she was gone.
I stayed in the ferry's dining room drinking coffee for much of the return trip to the mainland, going over what I'd learned. When I got back to the hotel I called Milo at the station, was told he wasn't there and tried his home number. Rick Silverman answered.
'Hi, Alex. There's static. Is this long distance?'
'It is. Seattle. Is Milo back yet?'
'No. I expect him tomorrow. He went to Mexico on a supposed vacation but it sounds like work to me.'
'It is. He's looking into the background of a guy named McCaffrey.'
'I know. The minister with the children's home. He said you turned him on to it.'
'I may have sparked his interest but when I spoke to him about it he brushed me off. Did he mention what led him to make the trip?'
'Let me see - I recall his saying he phoned the police down there - it's some small town, I forget the name - and they jerked him around. They implied they had something juicy for him but that he'd have to come up with some bucks to get it. It surprised me - I thought cops cooperated with each other - but he said that's the way they always are.'
'That's it?'
'That's it. He invited me to come along but it didn't work out well with my schedule - I had a twenty - four - hour shift coming up and it would have required too much trading with the other guys.' 'Have you heard from him since he left?'
'Just a postcard from the airport at Guadalajara. An old peasant pulling a burro next to a Saguaro cactus that looked plastic. Very classy stuff. He wrote 'Wish you were here' on it.'
I laughed.
'If he does call, tell him to give me a ring. I've got some more information for him.'
'Will do. Anything specific?'
'No. Just have him call.'
'Okay.'
'Thanks. Look forward to meeting you some day, Rick.'
'Likewise. Maybe when he gets back and wraps things up.'
'Sounds good.'
I got out of my clothes and examined the arm. There was some oozing, but nothing bad. Kim Hickle had done a good patch up job. I did a half - hour of limbering exercise and a bit of karate, then soaked in a hot bath for forty - five minutes while reading the throwaway guide to Seattle the hotel had furnished.
I called Robin, got no answer, dressed and went for dinner. I remembered a place from my previous visit, a cedar - paneled room overlooking Lake Union, where they barbecued salmon over alder wood. I found it, using my memory and a map, arrived early enough to get a table with a view, and proceeded to put away a large salad with Roquefort, a beautiful coral - colored chinook filet, potatoes, beans, a basket of hot cornbread and two Coors. I topped it off with homemade blackberry ice cream and coffee and, with a full belly, watched the sun go down over the lake.
I browsed a couple of bookstores in the University District, found nothing exciting or uplifting, and drove back to the hotel. There was an Oriental imports shop in the lobby, still open. I went in, bought a green coloisonne necklace for Robin, and rode the elevator back up to my room. At nine I called her again. This time she answered.
'Alex! I was hoping it was you.'
'How are you, doll? I called you a couple of hours ago.'
'I went out for dinner. By my lonesome. Ate an omelette in a corner of the Cafe Pelican all by myself. Isn't that a pathetic image?'
'I supped alone, too, my lady.'
'How sad. Come home soon, Alex. I miss you.'
'I miss you too.'
'Was the trip productive?'
'Very.' I filled her in on the details, careful to exclude my encounter with Otto.
'You're really on to something. Don't you feel strange, uncovering all those secrets?'
'Not really, but I'm not looking at it from the outside.'
'I am, and believe me, it's freaky, Alex. I'll just be glad when Milo gets back and he can take over.'
'Yes. How are things going with you?'
'Nothing nearly as exciting. One thing new. This morning I got a call from the head of a new feminist group - it's a kind of a women's chamber of commerce. I fixed this woman's banjo, she came down to pick it up and we got to talking. This was a couple of months ago. Anyway, she called and invited me to give a lecture to their group next week. The topic's something like The Female Artisan in Contemporary Society subtitle Creativity Meets the Business World.'
'That's fantastic. I'll be sure to be there listening if they let me in.'
'Don't you dare! I'm scared enough as it is. Alex, I've never given a speech before - I'm absolutely petrified.'
'Don't worry. You know what you're talking about, you're bright and articulate, they'll love you.'
'So you say.'
'So I say. Listen, if you're really nervous I'll do a little hypnosis with you. To help you relax. It'll be a piece
