Isabelle took a deep breath. "He warned me to get out and said I should sock him in the snoot. He said his name was Stu Franklin. Maybe he thought the name would mean something to me. I never heard it before. He said he thought he knew who I was, and my friends, but the guy upstairs spying on us knew who we were for sure because we weren't wearing sweaters. He said when it was all over I should look him up in the Caymans, he'd be on the beach. He had a microphone on his sleeve—you know, the kind Secret Service guys wear. He had his thumb over it. I did say that, didn't I? He scared the living hell out of me."

"Good thing. You could be a slugger for the Padres the way you hauled off and popped him," Alexis said.

"You did okay yourself when you started beating on him. Boy, did his nose bleed a lot. There was blood all over the place. I guess I don't know my own power," Isabelle said.

"We fooled Harry. He didn't know it was me. He even called me Mama San. Sometimes I'm so good I can't stand myself." Yoko giggled. "Yes, yes, I will make him pay for referring to me as Mama San. But not too much, I think."

"Child, that man saved our. . .bacon. Did I say that right, Kathryn?" Annie asked.

Kathryn nodded, her eyes on the road and the rearview mirror.

"Where are we going?" Myra asked.

Kathryn looked over her shoulder. "The only place I can think of for the moment is the condo Rena Gold got for Lizzie and Ted. Someone needs to call them, and sooner rather than later. If we see any other tenants, they'll just think we're a small group of seniors getting together for mahjong or something just as stupid. Tiddlywinks, maybe."

"That was really a little too close for comfort," Nikki said.

"Did any of you see Mr. Fish and his party?" Alexis asked. "They were right there when Harry and his boys arrived. I'm sure it was he, but I didn't want to stay around to make sure. Why did that guy Franklin help us?"