“Whatever,” Lisa said with a shrug. “And why am I just hearing about her now? If she’s been bugging you for over a year—”

“She hasn’t. This is a recent development. It only started about four weeks ago.”

“I wonder why.”

“I have no idea, and honestly, I don’t care. It’s done,” Bennett said, looking out the window.

When dealing with the lowest life forms of the human race, Bennett’s decorum took a back seat to her indignation. Abusers, users, and evildoers alike neither deserved nor received her respect, so how she had treated Ruby Miller wasn’t sitting well. The woman was an annoyance, and the woman was persistent, but she wasn’t pond scum. Bennett ran her fingers through her hair again. What’s done was done, and to apologize would undoubtedly open a door there was no point in opening.

Bennett turned her attention to Lisa. “Are you hungry?”

“Um…yeah. Why?”

“Since this is the only thing we need to do tonight, why don’t you stop at the diner first? We can get some dinner before we hit the warehouse.”

“As long as you’re buying.”

“Oh, Christ,” Bennett said, fumbling in her pockets.

“What’s wrong? Forget your wallet?”

“No, I forgot to give you this when we were at the gallery,” Bennett said, holding out two thick wads of cash.

“Where in the world did that come from?”

“Where do you think it came from?” Bennett said, smiling.

“Let me guess, an offering from the criminal element?”

“You know? It’s awe-inspiring just how charitable they can be when given the proper incentive.”

“I bet,” Lisa said, giggling. “Put it in the glove box, and I’ll donate it to the charities near my place tomorrow.”

Chapter Seven

In the pre-dawn hours of Saturday morning, Bennett walked home, enjoying the briskness of the approaching day. She sauntered along, her breath steaming almost in time with her step, and when the smell of freshly baked bread made its way to her, Bennett couldn’t resist. The local shop owners knew Bennett as well as she knew them, and tapping on the bakery's glass door, a big-bellied man with stubble on his chin promptly unlocked it. “Good morning, Bennett. Come on in. Coffee’s brewing.”

“Good morning, Mario. I’ll take a cup, along with a loaf of the ciabatta, too.”

Mario filled a cup with coffee and slid it across the glass showcase. “Let me go get your bread. Joey just took it out of the oven, so it still may need a few minutes to cool.” Mario disappeared through a door, only to stick his head out a second later. “It looks like Gloria and Ernesto are finishing up some mini cheesecakes, too, if you’re interested. They’ve got blueberry and cherry.”

“Tempting, but I’ll stick with the bread. Thanks, Mario.”

“No problem. Be right back.”