"Don't suppose I have. And I gotta tell you I'm getting sick of people asking about him. First the cops come this morning to tell us about his car. Big deal. He left his car somewhere. Then some bimbo comes around asking about him. And now here you are on my doorstep with Miss America."

"What kind of bimbo? Do you remember her name?"

"Joyce."

Great. Just what I need. More Joyce.

"Who is it?" Betty called from inside the house. She looked around Leo's shoulder. "Oh, it's you. Why do you keep bothering us? Why don't you just mind your own business?"

"I'm surprised you aren't more worried about your nephew. What about his parents? Aren't his parents worried?"

"His parents are in Michigan. Visiting. We got relatives there," Leo said. "And we aren't worried, because Eddie's a bum. He does this all the time. The only reason we put up with him is because he's blood. We give him cheap rent, but that don't mean we have to baby-sit him."

"You mind if I look around?"

"Damn right I mind," Leo said. "I don't want no one creeping around my house."

"As it is, I've had the phone ringing ever since the police were here. Everyone wanting to know what's going on," Betty said.

"Next thing you know there'll be TV trucks pulling up, and I'll be on the evening news because her nephew's a bum."

"He's your nephew, too," Betty said.

"Only by marriage, and that don't hardly count."

"He's not so bad," Betty said.

"He's a bum. A bum!"

14

SALLY AND I stood at the curb by the Porsche and watched the Glicks making shooing motions at us.

"They're like . . . lame people," Sally said.

"When I first met them I had the feeling they liked Kuntz. At least Betty. In the beginning she was inviting me in for pound cake. And she was warm. Sort of motherly."

"Maybe they're the ones who offed of Eddie. Maybe he didn't pay his rent. Maybe he insulted Betty's pound cake."

I didn't think they offed Eddie Kuntz, but I did think they were acting odd. If I had to pin down emotions I'd say they were scared and angry. They definitely didn't want me sticking my nose into their business. Which meant either they had something to hide or else they didn't like me. Since I couldn't imagine anyone not liking me, I was going to assume they had something to hide. And the most obvious thing they would have to hide would be knowledge of Eddie Kuntz. Like maybe whoever snatched him had gotten in touch with Uncle Leo and Aunt Betty and had scared the beejeebers out of them.