Willy leaned forward and put his face in his hands. He was almost swept away by an intense welling of emotion, as though Bob’s speech had touched old, forgotten springs. The shell of silence and suspicion built up by the years in prison was crumbling. He felt newborn, and scared to death, and utterly naked mentally—all at once.

Bob’s voice went on, and Willy shivered and shook under its sound and Mitchell kept patting his arm to comfort him.

Finally Mitchell leaned closer and spoke. “Don’t worry, don’t be afraid. Let yourself go. You’ll be around the corner and on your way before you know it. Nothing can stop you now.”

Befuddled, Willy glanced up at him. “Really?”

“Absolutely.”

“How do you know?”

“Experience.” Mitchell winked at him. “Just between us—I’ve never reminded Bob of it, and he’s never remembered me. He was pretty soused that night. But I’m the guy who wanted to take him home from the mission.”

Eddie had no watch, no way of keeping track of the time so he would know when to go back for Skip. He began to drive close to the curb, looking for a clock in some shop window. Finally, in a closed barbershop, he saw a clock on the back wall, made out the time by means of the light reflected from the street. It was a little past ten-fifteen.

Karen sat huddled opposite. She hadn’t said a word while he was dropping Skip, while Skip was giving instructions as to when he must return. She wasn’t asleep, though. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, as if she were watching something that kept pace with them just outside the windshield. He kept glancing her way. His impression was that she was beginning to get over the first shock of Mrs. Havermann’s death, beginning to accept and believe it, and that new torments were rising in her.

Finally she said, “What will they do to us?”

“Who?”

“When they catch us.” She licked her lips. “When the police catch us.”

“There’s something you’ve got to remember,” Eddie said, “if you get caught and they want you to talk, and promise you things, promise they’ll make it easy for you, or argue with you. It’s this. Keep your mouth shut. It’s the only way to stay out of trouble. If you answer just one time, correct them on one little detail they’ve got wrong on purpose, they’ll have you tripping over your own feet before you know it.”

Her eyes moved around to study him. “You mean, just say nothing at all?”