“Did you forget your key, silly?”

Upon seeing us, Nolan’s face fired through a series of reactions. In a heartbeat, her expression went from bewilderment to recognition and finally settled on fear.

“What are you doing here?” Hopping behind and peeking around the door.

“Is this a bad time, Mrs. Nolan?”

“Yes it is.” Nolan was looking past us toward the staircase at our backs.

“There are just a few small points I don’t understand.” Slidell was doing Columbo.

“It’s late. Can’t we do this tomorrow?” The woman was nervous as hell. “I’ll come downtown or whatever you want.”

In the lot below, a car door slammed.

Nolan’s expression morphed to terror.

Footsteps ticked up the treads.

“Don’t come here!” Nolan called out. “Go back!”

Too late.

A man’s head appeared above floor level.

At first I wasn’t sure.

Then I was.

The man froze, then reversed and thundered down the stairs.

Slidell bolted after him.

I could only stare in confusion.

Chapter 30

WITH HIS WEAK JAW AND LONG TEST-TUBE NOSE, TED RAINES did in fact resemble a bottlenose dolphin. Adding to the effect, at the moment his forehead and cheeks were shiny and gray.

Raines was slumped across Nolan’s sofa. Slidell stood glaring down at him, face sweaty and flushed. Both men were breathing hard.

Nolan and I were across the room in cheesy Kmart armchairs. She’d thrown a fuzzy blue robe over the naughty lingerie.

“What the fuck are you thinking?” No more Columbo. Slidell was furious.

Raines just kept panting.

“Do you know how many people are looking for you, you dumb shit?”

Raines’s head turtled down between his shoulders.

“Your wife’s got every cop shop in Dixie hunting your bony ass. BOLO dispatches are out in three states.” Slidell was so keyed up, he’d slipped into police code. Be On the LookOut.

“Stop harassing him.”

Slidell swiveled to face Nolan. “You got something to say?”

“Ted’s wife is not a nice person.”

“That so?”

“Ted needed some time out.”

“Time out?”

Slidell closed in on her with two angry strides. Nolan shrank back, as though fearful of a blow.

Across the room, Raines seemed to collapse inward even more.

“Time out? That what you call this?” Slidell flapped an angry arm between Nolan and Raines.

“You’re scaring me.”

“Be scared. Be very scared.”

“We haven’t done anything illegal.”

“Yeah? Well, you and lover boy are about to experience a busload of shit coming down on your heads.”

“We’re in love.”

“That’s so sweet I may puke.”

“It’s true.” Petulant. “Besides, we haven’t hurt anyone. Why are you being so mean?”

“Please don’t blame her.” Raines was still sucking air.