Tadeo had entrusted her with backup copies of the material he was destroying.
There was a pause. The case was at the point now where we had to turn loose of it and hand it over to the prosecutors. We were both worrying about the outcome.
'Are we going to nail all those crooks? I asked, 'or are they somehow going to slip through the cracks?
'Not if I can help it, Grant answered. 'We may not get 'em all on everything, but we've put a big chink in Aldo Pappinzino's armor. Somebody somewhere is going to be willing to make a deal in order to save his own skin, you wait and see.
I'm doing just that. And so is Alvin Grant. It takes time. We're keeping our fingers crossed.
On Thursday I had a call from Andy Halvorsen. He was phoning from his ex-wife's apartment in Spokane to tell me that Kimi had been released from Sacred Heart and was on her way to Honeydale Farm with Rita Brice.
'How're you doing? I asked him.
'Better, he said. 'Much better. He didn't elaborate on what that meant, but considering where he was calling from, I drew my own conclusions.
Late Friday afternoon I went to see Dr. Wang. He's a slight man with gray hair, steel-rimmed glasses, and a heart to match.
'You have liver damage, Mr. Beaumont, Dr. Wang said bluntly. 'Either you quit drinking or you die, it's just that simple.
Maybe that's why Drs. Wang and Blair get along so well. They have matching bedside manners. Brutal bedside manners.
'That doesn't give me much choice, does it?
'No, Wang said. 'It doesn't. Let me caution you, though, whatever you do, don't try to quit on your own. For a man who has been drinking the quantities you have for as long as you have, you must be under a doctor's care when you stop ingesting alcohol. Medically unsupervised withdrawal from alcohol can be very dangerous, even worse than from heroin. Do I make myself clear?
'Perfectly, I said.
'You go home and think it over. I'll call you on Monday to see what arrangements should be made.
Big deal! Dr. Wang was giving me the whole damn weekend to think it over. That was mighty generous of him.
I went home. I poured myself a MacNaughton's and sat down in the recliner. After all, this was doctor's orders. He had told me very clearly not to try quitting on my own.
I was sitting there with the drink in one hand and looking at the bandages on the other when the phone rang. I suspected it would be Ralph Ames calling to check up on me, and I almost didn't answer.
'What's happening? he asked.
'I feel like shit.
'What did the doctor say?
'That I've got liver damage. That I have to quit drinking or die.
'Where?
'Where what? My liver's right where it's supposed to be. Where the hell do you think it is?
'I mean where are you going to go for treatment?
'How should I know? Wang must have some ideas. He told me to call him on Monday.
And that's when Ames took over. 'Look, Beau, he said kindly. 'You shouldn't go for treatment up there in Washington. That would be a bad idea. You're too likely to run into people you know, people off the street. I know of a place down here, near Wickenburg. It's called Ironwood Ranch.
'That sounds like a dude ranch.
'It used to be. Not anymore. It's tops. I know several people who've been through their program. Let me go to work on it and find out how soon they can fit you in.
'Okay, I said. 'You do that.
And somehow, as I said the words, the anger I had felt about Ames and his interference in my life changed into something a little closer to gratitude.
Aimless Ames is a real friend, no question about it, and I'm damned lucky to have him.
