The green van did not belong there, judging by the type of neighborhood this was. Of course, it could be that Ingraham was having some plastering work done and the workers had decided to stay until the job was done. But I didn’t think so, and neither did the Dark Passenger. I took out my cell phone to call Deborah.

I may have found something, I told her when she answered.

What took you so long? she said.

I think Dr. Danco is working out of Ingraham’s house on Miami Beach, I said.

There was a short pause in which I could almost see her frown. Why do you think that?

The idea of explaining to her that my guess was only a guess was not terribly appealing, so I just said, It’s a long story, Sis. But I think I’m right.

You think, she said. But you’re not sure.

I will be in a few minutes, I said. I’m parked around the corner from the house, and there’s a van parked in front that looks a little out of place in this neighborhood.

Stay put, she said. I’ll call you back. She hung up and left me looking at the house. It was an awkward angle to watch from and I could not really look without developing a severe knot in my neck. So I turned the car around and faced down the street toward the bend where the house sat sneering at me and as I did—there it was. Poking its bloated head through the trees, guttering bleary beams of light down onto the rancid landscape. That moon, that always laughing lighthouse of a moon. There it was.

I could feel the cold fingers of moonlight poking at me, prodding and teasing and urging me on to some foolish and wonderful something, and it had been so very long since I had listened that the sounds came twice as loud as ever, washing over my head and down my spine and in truth, what harm could it do to be absolutely sure before Deborah called back? Not to do anything stupid, of course, but just to ease out of the car and down the street past the house, just a casual stroll in the moonlight along a quiet street of houses. And if by chance the opportunity arose to play a few small games with the Doctor—