“I’d like to help,” Rod volunteered.

“That’s nice of you Rod but if you’re out in New Jersey—”

“I’ll come in right now. The electricity is back on here so I don’t have to worry about my family. I’ll just talk to Wally for a second.”

“Sure. Here he is.”

Rod waited while Jack handed over the phone.

“Hello,” Wally said, sounding quite nasal.

“Wally—you’re a hero.”

“My nose is crooked but we made a lot of people happy tonight. Now there’s a much more serious situation—”

“I’m coming in. I want to help, too.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Conrad Spreckles is out looking for this guy, too.”

“What?”

“It’s a long story. Regan just called Jack and told him. Conrad’s daughter was at a bar in New York and got involved with the whole thing.”

“Where can I meet you?”

“We’ve been assigned to the Upper West Side. That’s where we’re going in a few minutes.”

“I’m leaving now. I’ll call you when I get close and we’ll figure out exactly where to meet.”

Rod hung up. He did want to help. But he also had a funny feeling about the break-in at the Reillys. If Jack Reilly suspected any of them, he wasn’t letting on. Rod wanted to see who this friend of Wally’s was. Wally had seemed disturbed when he learned the Reillys expected them back tomorrow, not Wednesday. But no matter what happened, Rod wanted it to be clear that he was a trustworthy man. Except, of course, about showing up when promised.

Rod turned. Lee was standing there staring at him. “My dear, for someone who lets everything roll off his back, you look a little worried.”

39

“A ccording to Cal, this is the address of the bar where Georgina’s grandmother worked,” Regan said as she stopped the car in front of what was now a health food restaurant. It was locked up tight, with large metal gates in front of the windows.

“And from what he said about her grandmother, she must be rolling in her grave,” Billy commented.

Regan sighed. “It must have been a tremendous loss for Georgina when her grandmother died.”

Melanie nodded. “It seemed that way when she told me about her.”

“I wonder if Georgina’s been back to New York since then.”

“I don’t know,” Melanie answered. “When we were flying up here, I asked if she’d ever been to New York. She said yes but not in years. She never said a word about her grandmother having lived here.”

Regan sighed. She glanced around the dark and quiet street. “I don’t think there’s anyplace around here Georgina could have dragged poor Chip. Since we’re following her grandmother’s footsteps, let’s try the Lower East Side.” She flipped on the radio.

“Lights have come back on in sections of New Jersey,” an announcer said excitedly. “That means people can get out of bed and turn on the air conditioner—”

“If the lights came back on in Manhattan, it would certainly help,” Regan commented.