Mindy found a pay phone by the record store that looked exactly like every other mall record store. She glanced about, put a quarter into the slot, and dialed a number.

Her finger had just pressed the seventh digit when a small hand reached over her shoulder and hung up the phone.

She spun toward Esperanza. "Hey!"

Esperanza said, "Put down the phone."

"Hey!"

"Right, hey. Now put down the phone."

"Like, who the fuck are you?"

"Put down the phone," Esperanza repeated, "or I'll shove it up a nostril."

Wide-eyed with confusion, Mindy obeyed. Several seconds later, Myron appeared. He looked at Esperanza.

"Up a nostril?"

She shrugged.

Mindy shouted, "You can't, like, do that."

"Do what?" Myron said.

"Like" Mindy stopped, struggled with the thought "like, make me hang up a phone?"

"No law against that," Myron said. He turned to Esperanzai "You know any law against that?"

"Against hanging up a phone'?" Esperanza emphatically shook her head. "No, senor."

"See, no law against it. On the other hand, there is a law against aiding and abetting a criminal. It's called a felony. It means jail time."

"I didn't aid nothing. And I don't bet."

Myron tumed to Esperanza. "You get the number'?"

She nodded and gave it to him.

"Let's trace it."

Again, the cyber-age made this task frightening easy.

Anybody can buy a computer program at their local software store or hop on certain Web sites like Biz, type in the number, and voila, you have a name and address.

Esperanza used a cellular phone to dial the home nunber of MB SportsReps' new receptionist. Her name was, fittingly, Big Cyndi. Six-five and over three hundred pounds, Big Cyndi had wrestled professionally under the moniker Big Chief Mama, tag-team partner of Esperanza "Little Pocahontas" Diaz. In the ring, Big Cyndi wore makeup like Tammy Faye on steroids; spiked hair that would have been the envy of Sid and Nancy; ripped muscledisplaying T-shirts; and an awful, sneering glare complete with a ready growl. In real life, well, she was exactly the same.

Speaking Spanish, Esperanza gave Cyndi the number.

Mindy said, "Hey, I'm, like, outta here."

Myron grabbed her arm. " 'Fraid not."

"Heyl You can't, like, hold me here."

Myron maintained his grip.

"I'll scream rape."

Myron rolled his eyes. ' 'At a mall pay phone. In broad iluorescent light. When I'm standing here with my girlfriend."`

Mindy looked at Esperanza. "She's your girlfriend?"

"Yes."

Esperanza began whistling "Dream Weaver."

"But you can't, like, make me stay with you."

"l don't get it, Mindy. You look like a nice girl."

Actually, she was wearing black leggings, too-high pumps, a red halter top, and what looked like a dog choker around her neck. "Are you trying to tell me that this guy is worth going to jail over? He deals drugs, Mindy. He tried to kill me."

Esperanza hung up. "It's a bar called the Parker Inn.' '

"You know where it is'?" he asked Mindy.

"Yeah.'_'