After a while Xavier says slowly, “You know, Abe, I don’t think we’re cut out for this job.”

Abe drinks his coffee as if it were whiskey. “No one is.”

“But some more than others. And not us. You’ve got to be stupid to do this job right. No, not stupid exactly. It takes smarts to do it right. But…” He shakes his head.

“You’ve got to be a robot,” Abe says dully. “But I’ll be damned if I’ll become a robot for the sake of some job.” He drinks again.

“Well…” X can only shake his head. “That was bad luck, tonight. Damned bad luck.”

“A new definition.” But neither of them even cracks a smile.

For a long time they just sit there on the couch, side by side, staring at the floor.

Xavier nudges him. “More coffee?”

Chapter 59

59

Lucy returns to the duplex and wanders the rooms aimlessly. Dennis is due back from Washington late that night. Jim’s got class. Briefly she cries. “Oh, Lillian—”

Then she goes to put on her shoes. “Got to get organized, here.” She calls the Keilbachers. No answer. She’s got her sweater on, ready to go—but where? She calls the church. Reverend’s out on call, she gets his answering machine. Everyone’s gone! What is this? Vicar Sebastian, ineffectual as always, answers his phone and is reduced to speechlessness by Lucy’s news. He and Lillian were good friends, it may be he even had a crush on her. So he’s no help. Lucy finally says she’ll come pick him up. He agrees. Then she calls Helena, who thank the Lord is home, and tells her the bad news. Helena can’t believe it. She agrees to meet Lucy at the church.

Lucy drives to the church without seeing a thing. She just had lunch with Emma Keilbacher that day, and Emma didn’t mention any plans to go out that evening, did she? So hard to remember at a time like this. And she just worked with Lillian yesterday—

She forbids herself to think along those lines, and collects herself before going in to the church offices. Helena is already there, bless her. The vicar, pale and red-eyed, slows them for a prayer that Lucy has no patience for. They’ve got to find Emma and Martin.

So they get into Lucy’s car, and she drives to the Keilbachers’ house. Still no one home.

“I suppose they could have gone out to eat when Martin came home.…”

“They usually just go to Marie Callendar’s during the week.”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Between them Lucy and Helena know every restaurant that Emma and Martin might frequent. So Lucy drives them to Marie Callendar’s, but they’re not there.

“Where next?”

They try the El Torito on Chapman. No luck there. They track to Three Crowns, and then Charlie’s; the Keilbachers are nowhere to be seen.