“Well, where’s Arthur?” Allen asked. “He should have told us.”

“I cannot find Arthur. He is off somevere vit scientific studies instead of controlling spot. I am one who has to get money to pay bills.”

“What are you gonna do now?” Tommy asked.

“I do it once more. Is last time. No one must touch money.” “God,” Allen said, “I hate these mix-up times.”

In the early hours of Wednesday, October 26, Ragen put on his leather jacket and made his way, for the third time, across the city of Columbus, toward Ohio State University. He had to get money. He had to rob someone. Anyone. At about seven-thirty, he paused at an intersection where a police cruiser had also stopped. Ragen gripped his gun. The officers might have some money. As he started toward them, the light changed and they drove away.

Walking along East Woodruff Avenue, he saw an attractive blond woman pulling a blue Corvette up the driveway of a brick apartment building. The sign on the wall said gemini. He followed her up the driveway around to the back parking area, certain she hadn’t seen him. He had never considered robbing a woman, but now he was desperate. It was for the children.

“Get into car.”

The woman turned, startled. “What?”

“I have gun. I need you to take me someplace.” Frightened, she followed his instructions. Ragen got in the passenger side and pulled out two guns. Then Adalana wished him off the spot for the third time …

Adalana was becoming worried that Arthur might discover she had been stealing Ragen s time. She decided that if Ragen was ever caught, he might as well be blamed for the whole thing. Since he had come out with guns, and certainly had intended to commit robbery, everyone would believe he had been out the whole time. If he couldn’t remember what had happened, it would be blamed on the vodka and the drugs.

She admired Ragen, his aggressiveness as well as his tenderness with Christene. There were qualities about Ragen she wished she possessed herself As the young woman drove her Corvette, Adalana talked about herself as if she were Ragen.

“I want you to stop at that office building over there,” she said. “There should be a limousine parked in the back lot.” When they saw the limousine, Adalana picked up one of the guns and aimed it at the car. “I’m going to kill the man who owns that car. If he were here now, he’d be dead. That man deals in cocaine, and I happen to know he killed a little girl by giving her cocaine. He does it to children all the time. That’s why I’m going to kill him.”

Adalana felt something in her jacket pocket. She found Tommy’s handcuffs and laid them on the floor of the car.

“Whats your name?” Adalana asked.

“Polly Newton.”

“Well, Polly, I see you’re low on gas. Pull into that service station.”

Adalana paid for five gallons of gas, then told Polly to take 1-71 north. They drove until they reached Worthington, Ohio, where Adalana insisted they stop at the Friendly ice cream store for a couple of Cokes.