By the time I left the sheriff's office a light rain was faling. Headlights, stoplights, and neon signs twinkled and shimmered in the dusk of early evening. The air was heavy with the smel of skunk. Outside at High Ridge House, Boyd lay in his doghouse, chin on paws, gazing at the raindrops. He raised his head when I caled and gave me a look to indicate I should do something. Seeing that I wasn't, he sighed noisily and settled back down. I filed his dish and left him to ponder his sodden world.

Inside, the house was stil. I climbed the stairs to the slow tick-tick-tick of Ruby's hal clock. No sound came from any bedroom.

Rounding the corner at my end of the hal, I was surprised to see the door to Magnolia slightly ajar. I pushed it inward. And froze.

The drawers in my room had been rifled, the bed stripped. My briefcase had been emptied, and papers and manila folders lay scattered across the floor.

My mind locked on one word.

No! No! No!

I tossed my purse on the bed, flew to the wardrobe, and threw open the doors.

My laptop sat tucked in back, exactly as I'd left it. I puled it out and clicked it on, my mind stil racing.

What was in the room? What was in the room? What was in the room?

Quick mental inventory. Car keys. Credit cards. Driver's license. Passport. Al had been with me.

Why? Why? Why?

A quick ransack for valuables, or was someone after something specific? What was there that anyone would want?

What? What? What?

When the computer booted I checked a few files. Everything seemed fine.

I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. Then I closed my eyes and played a childhood game I knew would calm me. Silently, I ran through the lyrics of the first song to come to mind. 'Honky Tonk Women.'

The time-out with Mick and the Stones worked. Steadier, I returned and began gathering papers.

I was stil filing when I heard a knock, and opened the door to Andrew Ryan. He held two DoveBars in his right hand.

Ryan's eyes swept the mess.

'What the fuck went on in here?'

I just looked at him, not trusting my voice.

'Is anything missing?'

I swalowed.

'The only thing of value was the computer, and they left that.'

'Pretty much rules out robbery.'

'Unless the intruder was interrupted.'

'Looks like they tossed the place looking for something.'

'Or just to be ornery.'

Why?

'Ice cream?' Ryan offered.

We ate our DoveBars and considered possible explanations. None was persuasive. The two most likely were someone looking for money or someone letting me know he or she didn't care for me.

When Ryan had gone, I stacked the remaining folders and went to run a bath. Throwing back the shower curtain, I got my next shock.