“Hey!” Andy’s eyes flashed. “Right there. What’s in there?”

Under his coat, Golod wore a sweater, and Andy had seen it several times now as he sorted through all of his possible hiding places. There was a suspicious lump at the bottom. She grabbed at it, Golod feigning ticklishness, and she quickly found a secret zipper, and then she found the bag of jewels.

“Look! He stole this!” She held it up less in triumph than in outrage, for she could still not believe how shameless the theft had been. There were bystanders already, and her cry made people break off from their destinations to try and see what was happening. A dozen, two dozen, like catching flies with honey.

“Well, now,” said Officer McKinney, and his hand landed on Golod’s shoulder, his baton jabbing in punctuation. “Thought you’d steal from Pike’s Place, did you? Thought you could steal from a pretty young girl and get away with it, did you?” When faced with outrageous behavior, the cops of San Francisco, even those who weren’t hotheads, tended to become operatic. “We’ll just see about that, Father. The jails might not be overflowing with rabbis, but I’m sure you can put your learning to use in the prison laundry.”

Golod said, “May I speak?”

“No, you may not,” McKinney said.

“I did steal the jewelry,” he said. “I’m very sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough,” Andy said.

“Well, you’re right, Miss Pike,” Golod said. “But you shouldn’t compromise yourself with actors.”

“I’m going to be a Four Minute Man,” Lee explained.

“I want the rabbi arrested,” she hissed. She shook the contents of the bag out, to make sure all the stolen merchandise was there (it was), and then she continued to stare hot needles at Golod while McKinney, in full lather, repeated vital points about common decency.

Lee was, to his consternation, falling in love. Each time she pointed or jabbed, he saw the bruise on her arm and he wanted to hold her again and tell her how confused he was about his father. He didn’t want to go to his audition. He wanted to make Andy happy. How did you will a girl to kiss you, especially when she was clearly not in a kissing mood? Wanting a kiss made him feel childish, presenting a scraped elbow to be bussed. He took a thoughtless glance toward Pike’s Place.

The door was just swinging closed.

Exiting was a Girl Scout.