It wasn’t that the morals of the young in Isherwood had deteriorated to partner swapping.

It was more like a buffet.

Bean had to concentrate before he could realize that the ringing wasn’t inside his head. It was the phone hidden amid the pile of dirty clothes that Susie hadn’t been around to pick up.

He stood and stretched tiredly and didn’t realize the countless shots of Mr. Jack’s Old No. 7 had had any effect until he took a step and found his legs now jointless and made of rubber. He crumpled to the carpet and floundered there, having to crawl hand over hand to reach the phone. He finally managed to pluck the handset from its cradle on his third try. “Su . . . Susie?” he slurred hopefully.

The voice at the other end was a deep baritone. “No, it’s me, Charlie. Ron, over at county. You okay?”

Bean sat up and wiped at his face as if to uncover a patch of sobriety that lay hidden beneath his slack expression. “No, I’m fine. Just caught me nappin’s all.”

“Ooh, sorry about that.”

“ ’S okay. What can I do ya for?”

The voice sighed. “We’ve been getting a few calls tonight from over your way.”

Bean thought for a moment, trying to remember why that should sound so familiar. “Wait a minute . . . let me guess. This time of year—”

“Yep. Mrs. Conder. The kids are bothering her again, probably soaping her windows or corning. Happens every year this time. We send a car and they’re long gone before we get halfway there.”

“She’s an old woman,” Bean offered as an excuse. “She scares easy.”

“I can understand that,” Ron said, “it being this close to Halloween and all. My mom’s the same way. Trouble is, we’ve had some flu going around and I really can’t spare the manpower tonight. So I was wondering if maybe you’d check this one out. I hate to bother you after hours, but I thought you’d be up watching TV or something.”

Normally Bean would’ve let him simmer a while before agreeing, and not without a good speech about dereliction of duty and plumb laziness. But tonight his brain cells were too steeped to answer anything but yes or no. He said yes, not realizing he had saved a county officer’s life.

“I appreciate it, Charlie. And I owe you one.”

Bean hung up and staggered across the room to where he’d shed his pants and holster and began to redress himself. He was feeling a little better; maybe he could make it out there to the trailer court, just to check things out.