He read it through twice, then said, “I think that’s all right.” He folded the paper, fumbled around until he found his pants pocket, and pushed it down inside. He looked up at me and said, “Okay, buddy. Do your stuff. The girl is Sally Durke. She lives in the Milestone Apartments. Go up there and get hard with her. Get plenty hard. You’ve got to spread it on thick. Throw a good scare into her. Tell her she’s hiding Morgan, that you’re going to see she’s arrested for harboring a fugitive from justice or whatever kind of a stall you want to make. Tell her that Sandra is suing for divorce, is going to drag her into it and is out to collect all Morgan’s property. Don’t say a word to her about this letter Sandra has given me. Pretend you’re a cop—no, you’d never make that stick—but get hard.”

“Then what?” I asked.

“Then shadow her. She’ll lead you to Morgan.”

“Morgan won’t come there?”

“Hell, no. Morgan’s too smart for that. Morgan keeps in touch with her, but he isn’t fool enough to walk into a trap like that, not when he knows the cops are looking for him.”

I turned to Sandra Birks. “Got some good pictures of your husband?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said.

Bleatie said, “You’ll find his pictures in the newspapers.”

“I know,” I agreed, “but they’re no good. I’ve already checked up on them.”

“I have a couple of snapshots and a good photographic portrait,” Sandra said.

“I’d prefer the snapshots.”

“Will you come this way, please?”

I nodded to Bleatie.

“Good luck, Lam,” he said, and stretched out on the bed. His lips looked as though he wanted to grin and couldn’t. “When you get done, Sandra, come back and give me that sedative. I think in about half an hour this nose is going to be hurting like hell—it’s a wonder you couldn’t watch where you’re driving.”

“Watch where I’m driving,” she said. “My God, that’s just like you. At the time, you claimed the other car deliberately ran into us. If you could only stay put once—”

“Save it,” he said. “Lam isn’t interested in the brotherly and sisterly affection of the Thoms family.”

Her eyes glared cold daggers at him. “It took you a hell of a while to find that out,” she said, and flounced out of the room. I followed along behind, closing the door after me.

Alma Hunter looked up with apprehensive eyes. “Did you get it?” she asked breathlessly.

Sandra Birks nodded grimly. “You bet I got it,” she said in a low voice, “and what I’m going to do to that baby isn’t even going to be funny!”