“You’re not gonna be living if you don’t stop acting like a moron. Guess who got cut right after he left you?”

“Someone got cut?”

“You really are deaf.”

Long silence. “You’re not saying Tony?”

“You’re ready for Jeopardy!, genius.”

“Tony got cut? Omigod is he all right?”

Milo said, “Quite the opposite.”

“You mean—”

“We’re talking one trick that won’t be giving you any repeat business.”

“Omigod, ohsweetlord—”

“It happened right after he saw you,” said Milo. “We’re figuring someone was watching besides us.”

“Who who who?”

“What’s that, your owl imitation?”

“Who, sir? Please!”

“Think ugly suit and seamed stockings.”

“Him? Omigod no way!”

“You know something about him we don’t?”

“No, sir, no…”

“But?”

“I just never knew someone who… did that.”

“All those years on the street?” said Milo. “Spare me the innocence.”

“I seen fights, sir. Seen a man beat another man to death over a wrong look. Seen people all doped up, losing their lives ’cause a… seen plenty of badmen, sir, but no, not that, never something like that…”

“Not what?”

“Something… all controlled.”

“How do you know it was controlled?”

“Wannaboos,” said Tasha. “It’s all about the game. Tony didn’t do nothing to nobody, right?”

“Why not?”

“Tony was weak, there was no anger in him, just sadness.”

“You’re right about one thing,” said Milo. “This was real controlled.”

“I don’t wanna know, sir, please don’t tell me details.”

“Fine, but we like details. Let’s hear everything you know about Tweed.”

“Nothing else, I swear, nothing.”

Milo turned to me: “This is not going well, pard.”

Tasha said, “Just what I told you, sir, that’s everything I know!”

“How many parties have you been to with Tweed?”

“Just that one.”

“Why not more?”

Silence.

“What was the problem?” said Milo.

“It’s not a place I gone to again.”

“That’s no answer.”

Tasha said, “It’s — to be honest, no one invited me.”

When we got to the rear door at Hollywood station, she said, “You don’t need to lock me up, I promise.”

Milo whistled “Dixie.”

“Sir, there’s a problem, a real problem, usually they only got one girl cell free ’cause all the troublemakers are boys and if the girl room’s all full, they put you in a boy room and it’s dangerous.”

“You have equipment for the girl room?”

Silence.

“Do you?”

Barely audible: “Not yet, I’m saving up.”

“Nothing I can do, then. You know the rules.”

“I am human, sir, not plumbing.”

“What can I say.” Tough tone but his cheek muscles twitched.

“Please, sir. Other policemen are nice to me, I don’t make trouble, they put me in the girl room. The girls like me there, ask anyone, I don’t cause no problems, check your files.”

“When’s the last time you were here?”