“But you said I could take anything,” she said. She looked stricken.

“I did say that,” Timothy agreed. “But—”

“You did say that,” Todd intervened.

“Folks,” Timothy said, agitated, “I really don’t know what to say, but that fu—that book is not leaving this store.”

“Relax, I’m kidding,” Sara said. “It’s not a first edition.” She opened it and showed Timothy. “You only had to look,” she added, putting the book in her bag.

Timothy was too much gripped by fury and hate to respond. Todd opened the door for Sara and they exited to the silvery tinkle of the bookstore bell. Timothy shut the door, flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED and spent a few minutes in the bathroom shouting obscenities into the toilet until he felt a little better.

*  *  *

“You fucked him over,” said Todd, admiringly. “You fucked Timothy over.”

He looked at Sara in amazement.

“Guess I’d better read it now,” said Sara.

“What?”

“Look at your face. You look like my mom did when I told her I had smoked dope.”

“You smoke dope?” said Todd.

“Yeah, want me to get some?” Sara said.

Todd was about to reply when he saw someone standing outside the house. It was Behm.

“Excuse me a moment,” he said, and walked up to the front door.

“Hi there,” said Behm, and coughed up a fusillade.

“Is everything all right?” Todd asked.

“I’m sorry to come up to the house,” Behm said. “But I couldn’t get you on the phone and I needed to see you in person.”

“All right,” said Todd.

He walked back to the car.

“Do you know that guy?” said Sara.

“In a manner of speaking,” Todd said.

“He looks like he returned from the grave and he can’t wait to get back there,” Sara said.

“I have to speak to him for a moment.”

Sara gave Todd an appraising look.

“Okay,” she said. “I have some things to do at home. Call me later?”

“I only meant I need to talk to this guy for a—”

“I know.” Sara was already retreating. “Call me!”

Todd went back to the house. Behm was lighting a cigarette.

“She the new lady?” he said.

“Mind your own business,” Todd said.

“No problem,” said Behm and followed Todd into the house.

Todd gave Behm an ashtray and a glass of water. Behm put the glass to one side and set the ashtray in front of him at the kitchen table. Then he pulled out a thin buff envelope from his jacket and dropped it onto the table.

“What’s this?” said Todd, although he had a pretty good idea what it was.

“What you pay me for,” said Behm. “Open it.”

Inside was a set of grainy black and white photographs. Todd flipped through them.

“When were these—when did you take these?” he asked Behm.

“Over the course of three, four days,” said Behm. “All over town.”