Robert Parker - Split Image

"You think he kill my husband?"

"I don't know, but let me find out. Otherwise, you could end up killing the wrong man."

"My father-in-law does not care if he kills somebody wrong," she said.

"But you both care," Jesse said, "about killing the right guy."

"Yes."

"If you kill Normie, you may eliminate our only chance to be sure who the right guy is," Jesse said.

"You don't think Normie is the right guy?"

"He might be. He might not be. The point is, even if he is the right guy, he isn't the only right guy. Somebody told him to do it."

Natalya nodded.

"Who?" Jesse said. "Why?"

She nodded again.

"I will discuss with my father-in-law," she said, and stood.

Jesse unplugged the little recorder and took the tape and handed the recorder to Natalya.

"I'll need the tape," he said.

Natalya nodded.

"It is a copy," she said.

"One other thing," Jesse said. "Before you go."

Natalya paused in the doorway.

"It is very brave," Jesse said, "and very smart, what you did."

"I loved my husband," she said.

Jesse nodded.

"And somebody killed him," she said.

Jesse nodded again.

"There has to be payment."

"Yes," Jesse said. "And there will be. Just give me enough time to make sure it's payment in full."

"I will discuss it with my father-in-law," she said.

SUNNY HAD LUNCH with Jesse at Daisy's Cafe.

"Did you tell me she originally wanted to name this place Daisy Dyke's?" Sunny said.

"Yeah," Jesse said. "But the town went bonkers. One civil liberties group started picketing the place, contended it was demeaning to dykes."

"But Daisy is a dyke," Sunny said. "Isn't she?"

"Yep, and none of the picketers were."

"I notice you always call it Daisy Dyke's?" Sunny said.

"Yep," Jesse said.

"Are you just being recalcitrant?" Sunny said.

"Probably," Jesse said. "But she calls herself Daisy Dyke. I think I'm respecting her wishes."

The waitress arrived with menus.

"Special today is strawberry pie. Bread is anadama. We got a lobster, tomato, and lettuce sandwich that's not on the menu," she said. "And the iced tea is mango. You want a minute?"

"Nope," Sunny said. "I can do it."

They ordered.

"I'm buying," Sunny said.

"Good."

"I want to talk about something, sort of off the record," Sunny said.

"What record?" Jesse said.

"Never mind," Sunny said. "What I really want, probably, is advice."

"You, too?" Jesse said.

"What do you mean, me, too?"

"I'll tell you about it later," Jesse said. "Whaddya got?"

"There's something nasty going on at the Bond of the Renewal," Sunny said.

"What?" Jesse said.

Sunny told him about it. During the telling the waitress came and poured them iced tea from a large round pitcher. Jesse drank some as he listened.

"The kid's with Spike," Jesse said.

"Yes."

"She should be safe there," Jesse said.

"Unless someone has an elephant gun," Sunny said.

"It is possible to acquire an elephant gun," Jesse said.

"But unlikely at the Renewal House," Sunny said.

"Anyway, you need any help looking out for her, let me know."

"Thank you," Sunny said. "Now, what are we going to do about the Bond of the Renewal?"

The waitress brought lunch. Jesse had the lobster sandwich. Sunny had a salad. Jesse's iced tea was gone. The waitress refilled his glass.

"Seems to me they're conducting a criminal enterprise," Jesse said.

"Prostitution?"

"Yep, sexual coercion, maybe rape, maybe kidnapping," Jesse said. "I'd say they are in trouble."

"If she testifies," Sunny said.

"And you think testifying would be hard on her," Jesse said.

"Yes."

"Probably some other folks we could get to testify instead," Jesse said. "How would you like to handle this?"

"There are a couple of ways," Sunny said. "One would be I go up there with Spike and admonish them."

"I fear felonious assault," Jesse said.

"Yes, that is a danger," Sunny said. "The other way is that I go talk to them, and I keep the Paradise police informed, and we see what develops."

"With an eye to protecting the kid as much as we can," Jesse said.

"Cheryl," Sunny said. "Yes. Okay with you?"

"The Paradise Police Department has a pretty full plate at the moment," Jesse said. "I'm grateful for the help. I'll tell Molly about it, and ask her to be, ah, liaison with you."

The waitress cleared their lunch dishes, poured Jesse more iced tea, and said, "Dessert?"

"I need that strawberry pie," Jesse said.

"Sure, Jesse," the waitress said. "You, ma'am?"

"No, thank you," Sunny said.

"Two forks?" the waitress said.

"No," Jesse said.

AFTER LUNCH they walked back to the station, where Sunny had parked. It was late summer, and cooler than it usually was in August. The sky seemed clean and fresh, and the air was soft. The houses of the old town were built intimately next to each other and to the street. There were a lot of people walking around.

"You never told me who else was asking advice," Sunny said.

Jesse told her. By the time he finished they had reached the police station and were leaning on Sunny's car in the parking lot.

"Wow," Sunny said. "That's some woman."

"You'd be even more impressed with her fortitude," Jesse said, "if you knew Normie."

"Have you listened to the tape?"

"The one she left, and five more she sent over," Jesse said.

"How was that?"

"Awful," Jesse said. "A lot of Normie talking about what a stud he was. A lot of sound effects from them having carnal knowledge."

"Ugh," Sunny said.

"Think how it was for her," Jesse said. "But she never let on."

"You think she might kill him?" Sunny said.

"She might," Jesse said. "Ognowski's father might. Ray Mulligan might, if he knew."

"You do have a full plate," Sunny said.

"I do."

"Do you have a plan?" she said.

"I'll talk to the DA," Jesse said. "But I'd say I have enough to arrest Normie. Even if I don't, I can bring him in and play the tapes for him."

"And if you're lucky, he'll die of embarrassment," Sunny said.

"And of course there's still the Bang Bang Twins," Jesse said.

"You say Normie was a bodybuilder?" Sunny said.

"Big-time," Jesse said.

"My knowledge of them is secondhand," Sunny said. "But it certainly seems possible that the twins might have played their game with a healthy young muscleman."

"Or a strapping thug like Petrov Ognowski," Jesse said.

"They played it with you," Sunny said.

"Who can blame them for that," Jesse said.

"Not me," Sunny said. "You have anything else to do?"

"I'm going to see if I can find Bob Davis," Jesse said.

"Will you do something for me?" Sunny said. "Will you run Jarrod Russell for me?"

"Sure," Jesse said. "Who's he?"

"The Patriarch of the Bond of the Renewal."

"Jarrod Russell," Jesse said.

Sunny nodded and leaned forward and kissed Jesse on the mouth. Jesse kissed her back. They embraced. Then each leaned away without releasing the other.

"Good luck," Sunny said.

Jesse patted her on the backside.

"To us both," he said.

WEARING PINK – AND – WHITE sneakers in case she needed to move quickly, and white shorts and a pink tank top to go with the sneakers, Sunny went to visit the Bond of the Renewal. She carried a white shoulder bag in which was lip gloss, a wallet, and a short-barreled revolver.

The Patriarch received her in the Renewal office, with a view of the harbor. He was wearing the same kind of white linen he'd worn when she'd seen him before. Must be his Patriarch uniform. He gestured for her to take a seat. She shook her head.