“Oh, don’t be such a Little Miss Worry Wart,” she says. “Tomorrow we’ll all drive to Pittsburgh and send Willie home.”

“You know I love Cab,” I say. “But I’m just afraid he’ll be a bad influence on Willie.”

“And you know I love Willie. And what I’m hoping is this: that Willie will be a good influence on Cabot.”

“Bingo!” I say. “You win.”

Chapter 45

Chapter 45

I TELEPHONE RUDI SARKAR—from his own car—as The Duke lounges along the full length of the back seat, eyeing me. Hands-free dialing. All the caller does is speak into the air and say, “Dr. Sarkar’s office.” I tell Sarkar that I’ll be back in Manhattan around nine, maybe earlier. I want him to know that his car will be ready and available for him. For some reason, I don’t tell him that Leon Blumenthal has virtually ordered me back to New York.

“How were things in Walker Pasture?” he asks. There’s a very significant playful smirk in his voice.

“How’d you know that I…?” I begin, and then I stop.

Of course. I should have thought of it: Rudi Sarkar’s got a tracking system on his car.

“By the way, it’s not Walker Pasture. It’s Walkers, with an s, Pasture. It’s possessive case but without the apostrophe. I wouldn’t want you to get lost if you ever decide to visit.” As if the proper spelling and pronunciation of my little town’s name makes any difference.

“Sorry about that,” he says. Then he sarcastically adds, “You know that English is for me a second language.”

This little verbal tennis match has gone far enough.

“Hey, listen, Rudi, I really do appreciate the loan of the car,” I say. And I mean it. I’ve never driven anything this fancy. “Again, I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, Lucy. In fact, it has been a pleasure.”

A few hours later, after a much needed dog-business break out in front of our building, I drop The Duke in our apartment with a bowl of Big Lucy’s tasty pork shoulder. Then I take the Manhattan Bridge into the city and park Dr. Sarkar’s fancy car in his personal parking space at the hospital. As I exit the elevator and arrive at the residents’ cafeteria, I immediately notice that a little redecorating has taken place. Much of the space has been divided up with portable partitions. They’re not exactly floor-to-ceiling, but they do afford a little bit of privacy for some members of the law enforcement group. The remainder of the new setup is basically a bunch of modular cubicles with a few folding card tables on the periphery. These flimsy tables seem to be for assistants and secretaries.