Decker hit his shirt pocket. The bottle was still there, thank you, God. He took it out and popped a couple of Advils into his mouth. Swallowed them dry.

“Marie helps Tandy,” Decker said. “We’ve got two things going on. One, the baby. Two, the disposal of Lily’s body. Even if Marie agreed to help Tandy dispose of the body, why would she let Tandy take the baby? If Tandy indeed took the baby?”

“Say Tandy was nuts. Maybe she wouldn’t leave without the baby. Marie didn’t want either one of them to get into trouble. She panicked and just wanted to shut Tandy up. So she let her keep the baby.”

“Marge—”

“Let me just go on with my story, as fucked up as it is, okay?”

Decker nodded.

“So.” Marge cleared her throat. “So Tandy takes the baby over to her parents’ house, and Marie drives her car with Lily’s body up to Angeles Crest. Marie pushes the car over the cliff, and Tandy picks her up later on. Marie splits town for good, tells Tandy she’ll take the heat—”

“Why would she do that, Marge?”

“Because she thought she was Jesus Christ and was dying for Tandy’s sins. I don’t know!”

“But that’s a big blank.”

“Maybe she was atoning for the affair. Remember how Paula said she liked the parable of the prodigal son?”

“Okay. So even assuming Marie agreed to take the heat, we’ve got a few problems. Starting with the baby. It was Marie who took the baby over to Tandy’s parents.”

“According to Hetty, who’d be more than willing to let Marie take the blame.”

Decker said, “Marie could be dead, for all we know.”

Marge didn’t speak for a moment. Then she said, “Well, I like my theory.”

“Yeah, it sounds okay.” Decker paused a moment. “You know what bothers me?”

“What?”

“Can you picture Marie and Tandy leaving the hospital with both the baby and Lily Booker’s body unnoticed?”

“Everyone we interviewed said the place was short-staffed that night. You yourself said the hospital was a tomb.”

“But it’s the physical element. Even if Tandy is a big, strong gal and Marie is a nurse who knew the ropes, how did they leave the hospital carrying a dead body—a bloody dead body—and a squalling baby? Or even a sleeping baby, for that matter. That’s a lot of weight.”

Marge thought for a moment. “You’re right. Lily was a big woman. Maybe they got help.”

Decker suddenly grinned. “Who’d help them, Margie?”

“Can’t be Daddy Geoff. He’s practically an invalid. How about Mom? She’s a toughie, to put it mildly.”

Decker said, “Could have been Mom, but think about her physically, Marge. Hetty’s a broomstick. We need someone strong, Marge. Someone who’s used to toting deadweight bodies. And maybe someone who owes Tandy some favors.”