Christine shook her head. “You got ten minutes.” She buzzed him in and started leading him down a corridor. There wasn’t a sound. As though reading his mind, Christine Shippee said, “All the rooms are totally soundproof.”

When they reached Kitty’s door, Myron said, “One more thing.”

Christine waited.

“I need to talk to her alone,” Myron said.

“No.”

“The conversation has to be confidential.”

“I won’t tell a soul.”

“For legal reasons,” Myron said. “If you hear something and one day you’re called to testify, I don’t want you lying under oath.”

“My God. What are you going to ask her?”

Myron said nothing.

“She may freak out on you,” Christine said. “She may grow violent.”

“I’m a big boy.”

She thought about it another minute. Then she sighed, unlocked the door, and said, “You’re on your own.”

Myron entered. Kitty lay on the bed, half asleep maybe, whimpering. He closed the door behind her and moved toward the bed. He flicked on a lamp. Kitty had the sweats in a big, bad way. She blinked into the light.

“Myron?”

“It’s time for the lies to end,” he said.

“I need a fix, Myron. You have no idea what this is like.”

“You saw them kill Gabriel Wire.”

“Them?” She looked puzzled, but then, as though thinking better of it, she caved and said, “Yes. I saw. I went to deliver a message for Suzze. She still loved him. She still had his key. I sneaked in a side entrance. I heard the gun go off and I hid.”

“That was why you needed to run off with my brother. You needed to escape because you were afraid for your life. Brad was on the fence. So you added that lie about me—to drive the final wedge between us. You told him that I made a pass at you.”

“Please,” she said, grabbing at him desperately. “Myron, I need a fix so bad. Just one more and then I’ll let them help me. I promise.”

Myron tried to keep her focused. He knew that he didn’t have much time. “I don’t really care what you told Suzze either, but I imagine you just confirmed what Lex told her—that Wire had been killed all those years ago. You posted that ‘Not His’ message to get revenge and to send Lex a message that he better help you out.”

“I just needed a few dollars. I was desperate.”

“Yeah, terrific. And it cost Suzze her life.”

She started crying.

“But none of that matters anymore,” Myron said. “Right now I only care about one thing.”

Kitty squeezed her eyes shut. “I won’t talk.”

“Open your eyes, Kitty.”

“No.”

“Open your eyes.”