good-looking in an All-American, Ralph Lauren advert way. The kid was thin and lanky
I saw Dauten patting Lisa’s hand with his giant paw as she chattered away. He wore a
gratefully for the double Chivas Regal the waiter appeared with and knocked half of it back
“Was the traffic awful?” Lauren asked sympathetically.
movies,” as though the small fry had just received her Mensa card in the mail.
Girl from U.N.C.L.E. on duty, “So, what do you think about this plan for a New Year’s Eve
smiling faces. I pulled off my tie, tossed it on the passenger seat.
with the swish of the windshield wipers.
details of the forthcoming Christmas extravaganza that sent my emotions into a tailspin.
reason for the season. And, of course, it’s absolutely the best time of year for Cloak and
Patrick Riordan had a yen for men. Despite the fact that he spent a couple of nights a week
strangers to the mix, and I’d probably never see him again.
trip for the holidays. I thought that on neutral ground, someplace where no one knew either
spring. But I had never got around to asking him – mostly because I was fairly sure he’d say
street, driving past mostly dark shops and closed businesses.
grandmother. I’d graduated from Stanford with a degree in literature and a vague idea that
I wondered if Jake might have left a message on the answering machine, but I knew
provided insight into how the agency perceived my business.
to explain to me about the graffiti on the front step.
be a pentagram drawn in blood on my threshold.
“Still think it’s harmless fun?” Jake inquired, after I had finished filing my complaint
“Refresh my memory. When did I ever say I didn’t take this crap seriously?”
“It’s not blood,” Officer Hinojosa informed me. “The color is a good match, but it’s
Not blood was good. Very good. I let out the breath I seemed to have been holding for
“Nah, it’ll come off with paint solvent,” the other uniform said, joining us.
“No. But you might be able to cover it with that concrete resurfacing paint.”
stepped inside the shop. I waited it out. Eventually they called a draw, told me to have a nice
I located Jake cornered by Mrs. T at the coffeemaker.
reassured. Her doll arms were flailing around like the button on her remote control was
“What language is that?” Jake inquired, sotto voce, as I joined them.
I nodded earnestly, smiled at Mrs. T like I’ve seen legions of immigrant workers do to
“What did you plan on doing with these?”
His gaze narrowed on me like he was lining me in the crosshairs.
long arm of the law. “Didn’t I mention –?”
He had a point, so I responded a little irritably. “I don’t know, Jake. Speaking from
employment asking questions. I didn’t know that it was warranted.”
a lead on these killings. You didn’t think I’d be interested in knowing the name of the
“All what shit? You also said you realized that there probably wasn’t a connection
have something going with him too?”
you’ve set yourself up as a target too.”
He was silent. Too silent. When he could apparently trust himself to speak, he said