“The money comes out of the general fund.”

The congregation groaned.

Steve shook his head. “Relax. I have a feeling that Coop guy is a big deal and won’t be hard to find. And we can make up some of the cost of a P.I. with a good bake sale.”

“Dad, I want to help,” said Jerry.

“You will. You’ll be working with your mom rounding up the pies and cakes and whatnot.”

Jerry’s stomach tightened, like it wanted to kick his dad in the head. No, he thought. No. He started to say something. Oh, forget it.

Susie came over and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “Don’t sulk, dear. It will be fun.”

“Yeah. Sure it will, Mom.”

“I guess that’s it for now,” said Steve. “Be sure to get with Susie and let her know what you’re bringing to the sale. We don’t want to end up with fifty Bundt cakes. Is there any other business?”

“Let me just be one hundred percent about something,” said Leonard. “The biker wasn’t in Lynyrd Skynyrd?”

“No. He was in the Edgar Winter Group,” said Kevin.

“Then who was in Lynyrd Skynyrd?”

“Your mom,” said Janet.

Before Leonard could reply Steve said, “Meeting adjourned. Hail Caleximus.”

“Hail Caleximus,” said the congregation.

As people talked with his mother or went outside to smoke, Jerry stayed by himself in the corner by the filing cabinets. No one is sticking me with a bake sale. Not this time. I’ll show all of you something you’ve never seen before.

The map was acting strangely again. It was old and sometimes seemed like it was starting to get senile. The lines of force and stars grew fuzzy, stuttering across its face. Sometimes they stopped completely and the map turned to static like an old TV screen. Then Qaphsiel had to bang it against something hard to get it working again. Still, it had brought him here, and he could feel that it was the right place to be. Only a couple of days too late.

Qaphsiel stood at the corner of Fifth Street and Flower, with a view of the Blackmoore Building and the Ketchum Insurance Tower. None of the streetlights were working. A PG&E crew stood around a hole that looked like it had been gnawed in the street. A few cricketlike bugs hopped around the repair crew’s truck tires, hungrily eyeing the engine wiring.