Whoever’s date it was had just jilted him. When they got back to the car, he closed his eyes …

Allen looked up quickly at the young woman driving, felt the gun in his pocket and the roll of money. Oh, Jesus Christ, no …

“Look,” he said. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry. Real sorry. I didn’t hurt you, did I? Don’t give the police my description, will you?”

She stared at him. He realized he had to confuse the issue in case she went to the police.

“Tell the police I'm Carlos the Jackal from Venezuela.” “Whos Carlos the Jackal?”

“Carlos the Jackal is dead, but the police don’t know it yet. You tell them I’m Carlos and they’ll probably believe you.” He jumped out of the car and walked quickly away …

Back home, Ragen counted the money and made an announcement: “No one is to touch money. I have robbed this for to pay bills.”

Arthur said, “Wait a minute. I paid those bills with the money I found on the dresser.”

“Vat? Vy don’t you tell me? Vy I am going around robbing people?”

“I thought you’d know when you saw the money gone.” “So? And vat about money from second robbery? It vas gone, but not from paying bills.”

“The boys explained that to you.”

Ragen felt he’d been made a fool of, and he stormed around the apartment in a rage. He demanded to know who had been stealing his time.

Arthur reached Tommy, Kevin and Philip, but all three denied stealing time from Ragen. Philip described the blond girl he had seen in the car: “She looked like a cheerleader.

“You were not supposed to take the spot,” Arthur said. “Well, shit, I didn’t want to. I just found myself sitting with this broad in the goddamned car without knowing why. And I took off as soon as I realized what was goin’ down.”

Tommy said he’d bought the same girl a hamburger at Wendy’s, figuring she was someone’s date, “but that was just for about twenty minutes. The money was in my pocket already. ”

Arthur said, “Everybody stay home for a few days. We’ve got to figure out what’s going on. Nobody’s to leave until we find out who’s been stealing time from Ragen.”

“Well,” Tommy said, “tomorrow’s Dorothy and Dels fourth anniversary. Kathy called and reminded me. I promised I’d meet her in Lancaster and she’d help me pick out a present.” Arthur nodded. “All right, call her and tell her you’ll meet her, but don’t take too much money with you. Just what you’ll need. And get back here as soon as possible.”

The next day Tommy went shopping with Kathy in Lancaster, where they bought a beautiful chenille bedspread for a present. Kathy pointed out that this was just about the date fourteen years ago that their mother had become Mrs. Chalmer Milligan.

After dinner with Dorothy and Del and a quiet, pleasant visit with Kathy, Tommy sat in the car and waited until Allen came to drive him back to Channingway.