The bellhop hadn't been surprised to find the bathroom sink fixtures gone. He promised new ones soon. I didn't really care. After jail, the room felt like the presidential suite to me.

When Jannie answered the phone and I heard her voice for the first time, a lump rose in my throat. I forgot about the fact that my nose was throbbing and sporadically leaking blood.

“Well, look who's not in school today,” I said, trying to keep it light and bright.

“It's Saturday, Daddy. Are you losing track of time over there? You sound like you have a cold, too.”

I touched my sore and broken nose. “Yeah, I guess I'm a little stuffed up. I'll live. I'm actually staying at one of the best hotels in town.”

“Alex, is that you?” Nana was on the extension now, and more than a little peeved, I could tell. “Where have you been for three days? That's unacceptable behavior to me.”

“I'm sorry, Nana. It's been a lot harder getting a line out than I thought,” I said and then started asking a lot of questions to avoid any more of my not quite lies.

Jannie told me about the fruit flies in her science experiment and about some new neighbors on Fifth Street. Nana was worried that the boiler noise in the basement was the same one that had cost nine hundred dollars the last time.

Then Ali got on to tell me that he could lind Nigeria on the map and that the capital was Lagos, and he knew what the population was-more than one hundred thirty-five million.

Then Nana said she was going to put Bree on.

“She's there?” I was a little surprised. Bree had planned on moving back to her apartment while I was away.

“Someone's got to watch over us around here,” Nana said pointedly. “Besides, she's one of us now. Bree is family.”

Chapter 48

I LIKED WHAT Nana had just said and also the sound of Bree's voice when she got on the line. I heard a door close and knew we were being given some privacy.

“Finally,” I said.

“I know. Nana's tough, isn't she? But she can be sweet too.”

I laughed. “She's pulling punches because you're there. She's manipulating you already.”

“Speaking of which, don't bullshit me now, Alex. Where have you been for the past three days?”

“Detective Stone, is that you?” I said. “I guess you missed me?”

“Of course I did. But I asked a serious question. I've been worried sick for three days. We all have, especially Nana.”

“Okay, here's what happened, and it's part of the case. It has to be. I was arrested at the airport.”

“Arrested?” Bree said it in a whisper that registered new concern. “By who? At the airport? On what possible gounds?”