He patted me awkwardly on the shoulder, trying to show sympathy for my desire to chase after wild geese. He helped me serve up the chicken and carry it to the dining room. I brought Mitch’s little stash to the table and laid the papers out in a circle between Mr. Contreras and me.

“He needed his social security card. I guess he needed his union card, too, for his pension. Or maybe it was the one thing he’d achieved in life that he felt he could cling to. Why keep track of who owned Diamond Head?”

I wasn’t expecting an answer, but Mr. Contreras popped up with one unexpectedly. “When did that Felitti fellow buy the company? A year ago? Two years? By then Mitch knew he couldn’t make ends meet on his pension. Maybe he thought he could go to him for work.”

I nodded to myself. That made sense. “And Eddie Mohr? He could help Mitch too?”

“Doubt it.” Mr. Contreras wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Wonderful chicken, doll. You put olives in it? Never would have occurred to me. No, being as how Eddie’s retired, he wouldn’t have any input into who the firm hired. Of course, he could make his recommendations—they’d carry more weight than just someone walking in cold off the street—but him and Mitch wasn’t especially friendly. I can’t see him going out on a limb for a fellow who didn’t have too much going for him to begin with.”

“Who’s that shaking hands with Eddie?”

Mr. Contreras took his glasses out of his shirt pocket and scrutinized the picture again. “Search me. Doesn’t look like anyone I ever saw before.… I can see you’re champing at the bit to get out of here, go see what you can make of this sucker. We can wait to have coffee when we get back.”

I grinned at him. “Didn’t know I was so transparent. You coming?”

“Oh, sure. You going on wild-goose chases, I want to see how they come out. Even if I can’t jump off a ledge onto a moving crane anymore. Bet I could, though,” he muttered under his breath as I carefully did up all three locks. “Bet I’ve got more left in me than you imagine.”

I decided our friendship would last longer if I pretended I hadn’t heard.

We had a quick run downtown. Now that the office workers were gone for the day I found a place big enough for the Impala only a few doors from the Pulteney.

I wondered if the people who’d ransacked my place last night had gone tearing through my office as well, but the door was intact. Amateurs. Despite what Rawlings said, these were people who didn’t know me. If they were really looking for something they thought only I had, they would have tried my office too.