“Bullshit. Patrick, this is retarded. We were hired to find her and call Mulkern. OK. We found her. Now, we should be making the call and going home.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?” she hissed. “How nice. Except you’re not the only component in this equation. This is a partnership.”

“I know it’s ”

“Do you? I have a license too. Remember? You may have started the agency, but I’ve put my time in now too. I get shot at and beat up and sit on forty-eight-hour stakeouts too. I’m the one who had to sweat out the DA’s decision whether to indict on Bobby Royce. I have a say, here. Fifty percent of one.”

“And you say?”

“I say this is bullshit. I say we do what we were hired to do and go home.”

“And I say...” I checked myself. “And I ask that you trust me on this and give me till morning. Hell, Ange, we’d end up sitting on her till then anyway. Mulkern’s not going to get out of bed and drive up to Wickham at this time of night anyway.”

She considered that. Her olive skin was darkened to the shade of coffee in the ill-lit alcove and her full lips were pursed tightly. She said, “Maybe. Maybe.”

“Then what’s the problem?” I said and started to get up.

She grabbed my wrist. “Not so fast, boy.”

“What?”

“Your logic is good, Skid; it’s your motives I have a problem with.”

“What motives?”

“You tell me.”

I sat back down, sighed. I looked at her, gave it my best “Who me?” look. “I don’t see that it hurts to learn everything we can while we have the chance. That’s my only motive.”

She shook her head slowly, watching me steadily and with some sadness. She ran a hand through her hair, let the loose bangs fall back down on her forehead. “She’s not a cat somebody left out in the rain, Patrick. She’s a grown woman who committed a crime.”

“I’m not so sure,” I said.

“Either way it’s irrelevant. We’re not social workers.”

“What’s your point, Ange?” I said, suddenly tired.

“You’re not being honest with yourself. Or me.” She stood up. “We’ll play it your way if you want. I can’t say it’ll make all that much difference. But, remember something.”

“What?”

“When Jim Vurnan asked us if we’d take the job, I was willing to refuse it. You’re the one who said working for Mulkern and his kind wouldn’t be a problem.”

I held out my hands. “And my position hasn’t changed.”

“I hope it hasn’t, Patrick, because we’re not so goddamn successful that we can afford to botch a job like this.”

She walked out of the alcove, into the kitchen.

I looked at my reflection in the glass. It didn’t seem too pleased with me either.

***

I pulled my car in front of the house where I could keep an eye on it from the alcove. Nothing was stolen or broken or keyed and I thanked the great auto god in the sky.