then turned left at the next. At that, we’d entered the business district, such as it was.
The first building we passed was a visitor’s center, which was closed, then a bagel shop and a general store. After that, we passed a bar, a bank, and a beauty shop, all decorated with tasteful white lights. There was a single sporting goods store behind the beauty shop. I noted the location in case I needed another change of clothes.
A banner strung above the street announced the upcoming Christmas festival.
Just beyond a pizza place, the neighborhood turned residential again. The road twisted and turned up ahead, with a steep hill behind the homes on one side and a long drop behind the homes on the other. Washaway was laid out in the flattish spaces that followed the twists of the ravines and gullies.
We turned the corner and approached an auto mechanic shop. The building was painted nausea green, and the sign above the door was obviously old but kept in meticulous condition. The front door was open despite the time of year. It looked like any other garage I’d ever seen, maybe cleaner.
There was only one person there: a short guy in green overalls working under the hood of a Dodge Aries. I scuffed my feet so he wouldn’t be surprised by our approach, and he stood up. He was Asian, and for a stupid moment I thought he was one of Yin’s men, waiting to ambush us.
He had a broad, tranquil face that showed the ravages of teen acne. His hair was cut into a buzz, and there was a smear of black grease on his nose. He picked up a rag and began wiping his hands, presumably so we wouldn’t offer to shake his hand. “Hey, now,” he said, his voice surprisingly deep. “How you folks doin’?”
His name was Hondo, like the movie, not the motorcycle, he said. With the flat, clipped tone of the executive again, Catherine asked if he had cars for rent, and he answered yes. He put his tools away carefully and led us around back, explaining that he did a decent side business renting to folks while he worked on their cars.
There were three to choose from. Catherine went with an Acura again. I nixed a Corolla hatchback and picked a Dodge Neon. I’d have preferred something bulkier, just in case, but those were the choices.
We went into the office, which wasn’t as clean as the rest of the garage. We filled out the forms, and he ran my credit card through his little machine to put down a deposit. He told Catherine how to get to the train station and offered to pick up the car there for an extra charge. I bought all the insurance he offered, which made him nervous.
Catherine and I went out front while Hondo brought the cars around. “You should change your mind,” she said.
“I can’t.” A Volvo station wagon puttered down the street. There was a Christmas tree stuffed in the back. “What’s an ‘all enemies’ outlook?”
She looked at me evenly.
I nodded. She presented so many different faces to so many people, I couldn’t help but wonder whether she was acting for me, too. Normally, I wouldn’t care—if she acted roles, she had a reason for it. It wasn’t up to me to peel back that disguise.
But we’d killed a predator together. We’d been a team. I was grateful to her, but even though she was right beside me, she was still remote. I was afraid that my gratitude wasn’t getting through the defenses she kept.
Maybe it was selfish of me and unfair to her, but I wanted a glimpse of the real Catherine Little before she drove out of my life forever, so I said: “How did it feel to kill that predator?”
Her expression softened and became thoughtful. A smile turned up the corner of her mouth.
The Acura arrived. She tossed her bag into the backseat. “See you again sometime, Ray.” She was still smiling as she got into the car.
I watched her pull away. Part of me thought I should have gone with her. Neither of us was qualified to face a predator. She was doing the smart thing. A peer was coming, after all. This job was best left to them.
Except I had no idea how long that would take. It was one thing if a bidder captured the sapphire dog and got away. They could be tracked down. But what if none of them captured it?
And really, what did I have to do that was more important than this? Stock shelves at the supermarket?
Hondo gave me the keys to the Neon, and I got behind the wheel. If I was going to run back to the straight life I’d once wanted so badly, now was the time.
I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go back to facing cereal boxes while a predator was on the loose. The idea was absurd.
Besides, Annalise might show up at any time.
I pulled out of the lot with no destination in mind. Maybe the sapphire dog would run into the street and under my tires. Maybe I would come up with a real plan. Each possibility seemed as likely as the other.
There was a gunshot from somewhere nearby. I stopped in the middle of the intersection and rolled down my window. There were two more shots. The echo seemed to come from the center of town, so I did a U-turn and drove into the residential area.
There was some other traffic, but I didn’t see anything unusual. I didn’t hear any more shots.
Then I saw a house with the side door standing open. I parked and got out of the car.
The house was white with black trim. Above the third-floor window, someone had painted a black-and-white checkerboard. The front door was shut and the drapes drawn tight.
I went around the side of the house, my shoes sloshing through the mud. There was no one at the windows. For a moment, I thought I had come to the wrong place. Then I reached the open door and peered in.
It was a kitchen, also done in a black-and-white checkerboard. On the floor, a woman lay stretched out, a pool of bright red blood spreading around her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I drew my ghost knife and stepped inside. If a phone was handy, I’d call 911 for her, but I didn’t think it would do much
