I wrote what information he had about Moss onto a form and labeled a manila folder with a dark red magic marker so it would jump out of the desk at me in the morning. That was the best I could do for the day. As I typed up bills for the two jobs I’d finished the phone rang again. I was tempted to let it go, but heightened consciousness of my fiscal state made me answer it. Carol Alvarado was on the line. I wished I’d let it go.

“Vic, can I come over tonight? I need to talk to you.”

I ground my teeth again, this time more audibly. I didn’t want to take sides in her struggle with Lotty: it was the easiest way to lose both their friendships forever. But Carol pleaded, and I couldn’t help remembering all the times she’d supported me when Lotty was threatening to take a stripe out of me for bringing in either myself or a client for repairs after a dust-up. I had to accede, and as gracefully as possible.

Carol arrived at eight, bringing a bottle of Barolo. Out of her nurse’s uniform and in jeans she looked small and young, almost waiflike. I opened the bottle and poured out a couple of glasses.

“Here’s to old friendships,” I saluted her.

“And to good friends,” she responded.

We chatted idly for a few minutes before she brought up her personal business. “Has Lotty told you what I mean to do?”

“Stay home to nurse your mother’s cousin?”

“That’s part of the story. Guillermo’s been very ill, pneumonia, complications, and he’s been at County, where they don’t exactly have the resources for round-the-clock care. So Mama wants to bring him home, and of course I’ll help her look after him. With good care, skilled care, we can probably get him back on his feet, maybe for a while anyway. Lotty thinks I’m abandoning her and throwing myself away.…”

Her voice trailed off and she rubbed the rim of her glass. It was thick, chunky Woolworth’s stock and didn’t make the high-pitched hum that crystal would produce.

“You couldn’t take a leave of absence instead of quitting?”

“The truth is, Vic, I’m sick of that clinic. I’ve been doing it day in and out for eight years and I need a change.”

“And staying home to nurse Guillermo will be the relief you’re looking for?”

She flushed a little. “Can’t you say what’s on your mind without sarcasm? I know what you and Lotty think—that at thirty-four I should divorce my mother and make a life for myself. But my family isn’t a millstone for me the way it might be for you or Lotty. And anyway, didn’t you come close to being murdered, looking out for your aunt Elena last year?”