“You didn’t tell her brother?”

“We didn’t tell him anything except that we’d heard it on the radio. I told him that he had to make the identifications because Marvel couldn’t stand to do it, and I didn’t know either one of them. He went along.”

“Was it bad?”

“Man, Marvel is fucked up. I’m going to have to take some time with her.”

“Jesus, John, I’m sorry

“

“And there’s the other thing,” he said. “The council’s called another special meeting, but it’s not until tomorrow night.”

“Hmph. I would have thought

I guess that’s OK, but I would have thought they’d do it quicker.”

“Maybe stalling for time. Maybe trying to figure out who knows what. You take care.”

“Yeah,” I said. “You, too.”

When LuEllen returned, she was wearing the intent look she develops when she’s working, when she’s turning a job in her mind.

“Where were you?” I asked.

“Greenville,” she said. “I shadowed Dessusdelit back to her place and waited for a few minutes, to see what she’d do. She came back out, got in her car, and drove down to Greenville.”

“To do what?”

“Visit a bank,” LuEllen said. “She had a briefcase with her when she came out of her house. She was carrying it by the handle and threw it in the backseat of the car. When she came out of the bank, she was carrying it with both hands.”

“She took something out of the bank,” I said.

“Yeah. Out of the safe-deposit box in a town where she’s not known.”

“She had some money stashed.”

“She had something stashed, and now she’s got it in her house. She’s thinking about running.”

“And you

“

“I’m going to hit her again. She killed Harold and Sherrie, and she’s got to pay.”

“You weren’t that close to Harold, and you never even knew Sherrie.”

“They’re fuckin’ Nazis,” LuEllen snarled. Then, in a milder voice, she said, “Besides, there’s some bucks in it. Truth be told, she’s the kind of fat cat I’d hit just for the money, and the first time around we never really touched her.”

Bobby reported a flurry of calls between Dessusdelit, Hill, St. Thomas, and Ballem, all cryptic but increasingly testy. Ballem had gone to the chief of police about the burglary of his house but hadn’t formally reported it, Bobby said. And he’d gotten the murder photos in the mail, delivered while Dessusdelit was in Greenville.

“He didn’t tell her what the pictures were, but he wants to see her tonight. They’re meeting at his house after dark. He’s only about three blocks from her, so she’s going to walk over. Hill’s going to be there, but they haven’t said anything about St. Thomas. I think they’re cutting St. Thomas out.”