He held her tight in the center of the swaying boat. The wind had stirred; irritating waves chopped their flank. A sorrowful moon had appeared; it hung on the horizon like a broken plate. Kelly squeezed him hard and quickly kissed his lips as they parted. He was surprised at the sparkle in her eyes.

“You should have been my partner,” she said.

“Instead of one of the bad guys?”

She kissed him again, for a second longer. Was her kiss better than Amy’s? His head was in a whirlwind. He only knew that he hated to let her go.

“Call me. Okay?” she said, as she stepped back.

“Sure, Kathy. I mean, Kelly.”

“You better get another alias. You’ve worn Simon out.”

“No. You wore him out. But you saved Matt.”

“Matt saved himself. Take care of yourself. Give my love to Jimmy.”

“Will I see you again?”

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I don’t know.”

Another hug, another goodbye. He climbed into his boat. As he rode away, he saw her wave. He did likewise and thought he heard her call his name. But already the shock of the night’s events was settling in, and he realized the seriousness of Amy’s plight. He would probably never see her again.

The very thought brought intolerable pain.

SIXTEEN

SIXTEEN

Kelly crept toward the unearthly glow of L.A. as seen from the sea at night. The wind and chop continued to increase. Her stomach complained. She had to call Charlie but feared using her cell phone. If Amy’s case went to trial, her lawyer could subpoena the phone records of the witnesses to her crime. It was these pesky little details that could mess up the rest of one’s life. She would have to wait until she could get to a pay phone.

At the harbor she got a break. No one was around when she docked the boat. No witnesses to worry about. She left the marina before calling Charlie from a phone beside a deserted gas station. Sounded like she woke him.

“Charlie. I need your help.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“I need you to listen to a story I have to tell. Please don’t get mad at me.”

He yawned. “I’m listening.”

She gave him the straight scoop. To get his assistance, she dared not lie. Charlie would interpret the latter as an act of betrayal. He did not interrupt once. She worried he might have fallen asleep. No need for concern—her tale was sufficiently shocking. She ran out of words and there was a long pause.

“Are you done?” he asked.

“Yes. Don’t yell at me.”

“No need. I’m going back to sleep. I’ll visit you in jail in a few days. Bye.”

“Wait! I need your help.”