“Me too,” Boomer said gruffly. He hoped he could keep his eyes open long enough to drive home. He reached across for Cady’s hand. It felt warm and soft, like it belonged in his.

Myrna locked the car door and urged Larry to do the same thing. “Are you sure we’re in the right area? I don’t think I’d want to be around here after dark.” She shivered to make her point.

“This is the right street. You’re right about it being a run-down area. I’m stunned that Lola Jor Dan would allow her son and his wife to live in a place like this. Look, we’ll scout it out and come back early in the morning. It’ll be dark soon, and I don’t like the looks of that gang of bikers back there on the corner. We can get some dinner and maybe take in a movie if that’s all right with you.”

“You mean like a date?”

“No, not a date. We’re here on newspaper business. The paper will pick up the tab. I’m not sure about the movie part, but the motel and dinner part can get expensed. We need to come up with a game plan in case the Jordans pretend they aren’t home. People who live in areas like this tend not to answer their doors. If we call first, there goes our element of surprise. When you surprise people, you catch them off guard, and boom, you get stuff you wouldn’t normally get.”

“That’s so clever, Larry. I’m so glad I came along. I have a feeling I’m going to learn a lot from you on this trip. I just hope I can contribute something. I want to be as good as you are someday.”

Larry’s chest puffed out. He grudgingly admitted to himself that he was glad of her company, and on top of that he liked the skinny girl with the curly hair and freckles. He liked her wicked sense of humor.

“Look, Larry, that’s the house, the brown one with the missing step. I can see a ramp on the side. I wonder what it looks like on the inside. Sometimes you can’t go by outward appearances. He was a preacher, right? Maybe he thinks they need to live in a place like this, or maybe he took a vow of poverty.”

“He was a scam artist, Myrna. He was one of those fire and brimstone, go to hell in a handbasket and pass the collection plate preachers. He moved around a lot after he left Indigo Valley. Probably one step ahead of the law. The story that I heard was he was ashamed of his mother for being married six or seven times. Hell, look at Elizabeth Taylor. Her kids love her, and she was married six or seven times. When I interviewed Lola all she would say was they were a big disappointment to one another, so I guess it goes two ways. I couldn’t find out anything about Cady’s mother. She’s just there, if you know what I mean.”