"Take it easy, huh Tom? My Christ, we've been pals since dinosaurs ruled the Earth. I screw up just one time-which by the way wasn't even my fault, if you want to know the truth-and by the way, I'm lucky to even be alive after the way you guys ditched me last night-so I mess up just once, and it's like I'm suddenly dirt. You're talking to me like I'm some kind of worthless f.u.c.king loser. You don't know your limitations? Man, that's lousy. That stinks." I knew I sounded whiny and pathetic, but I couldn't stop it. "So maybe I missed those kids last night, I'd like to see you do any better. I'd like to see anyone do any better."

"None of us could've done much worse."

"Yeah, sure. n.o.body else even got close to 'em."

"Well, you didn't get close enough."

"I'll take care of them. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried, Si. Do you know who is worried?" He said, "Bring her over here," to someone else.

"Hey," I said.

My stomach was suddenly taking a nosedive. I'd half expected something like this, but expecting it and getting it are two different things.

"It's Simon," I heard Tom say.

Then he must've stuck the phone in Lisa's face. "Simon?" she asked. She sounded pitiful.

"It's me, babe."

"G.o.dd.a.m.n you!" she shrieked. More than once. She really sounded crazy and scared.

"Calm down," I told her.

"Go to h.e.l.l!"

"I'm on your side, babe."

"Oh, really? Oh, really? I know these guys. I know all these guys. They're all your good old buddies, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Why are they doing this to me?"

"Doing what?" I asked.

Instead of answering, she yelled, "Make them let me go!"

"I will," I told her. "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."

Tom's voice came back. "We won't hurt her if ..."

"Sounds like you've already hurt her."

"Not much. But tomorrow night at ten we're gonna start on her in earnest. Unless we've got the kids by then. You bring us Jody Fargo and Andy Clark, and they'll get it instead of Lisa."

"Hey."

"We want them both alive. Right here, alive, ten tomorrow night. "

"If you wanted them alive, how come you sent Dusty to ... ?"

"Good question, Simon. The answer's simple. Dusty says the girl's a fox."

"What, that comes as a surprise?"

"Matter of fact. None of us saw much of her last night-unless maybe you did. So we didn't know she was such a fox. Not till Dusty got back. He got a good, close look at her with his scope. Fact is, he's the one suggested we try to get her alive. Said it'd be a waste of fabulous p.u.s.s.y just to pop her off at a distance."

"What did he do, miss her on purpose?"

"Do you think he'd admit it, if he did?"

"Well, s.h.i.t."

"Looks like he's got the hots for her. And now he's got the rest of us interested. So bring her in alive, Si."

"All by myself?"

"Hey, we already lost Minnow. I don't want to risk anyone else."

"Just me."

"That's about the size of it."

"It really sucks."

"Tell you what. I'll make things easier for you. I won't insist you bring Andy in alive. Mitch and Chuck'll be disappointed, but what the h.e.l.l-I don't want to make things impossible for you. So it'll be enough to put Andy down. Do that and bring us Jody, and everything'll be cool."

"How about giving me a couple more days?"

"No way. You've got till ten tomorrow night. One minute after, we start working on Lisa."

Just then, I almost told him about the tapes I'd been making all day. Something made me hold off, though.

"Any questions, comments, suggestions?"

"I'll take care of it," I said, and hung up.

Right after that, I turned my recorder on and started playing catch-up, telling about the calls. I've been talking into this thing for fifteen minutes or so, I guess. It's given me a chance to calm down.

At least Tom's giving me a second chance.

And he really did give me a break, allowing me to kill the boy, Andy. If I get a chance to take him alive, I will. It'll earn me some Brownie points from Mitch and Chuck. But now I won't have to worry about it. I'll drop him at a distance if there's no easy way to s.n.a.t.c.h him.

Everything might turn out fine, after all. If I take care of business, Lisa'll get released and I'll be back in everybody's good graces. Probably.

Which makes it a smart play to keep quiet about these tapes. They're like dynamite-they'll blow up the bridges behind me. One mention of these things, there won't be any going back. It'll be them or me.

And there are a lot more of them.

I really want Jody for myself. That's the problem.

One of the problems. Another might be getting my hands on her, if she's "got more security than the President" like Tom says.

A guy could get hurt.

If I don't get her, though, things will take a very nasty turn. The guys won't stop with Lisa. They'll go after my sisters, and so on. They'll go after me, too.

Anyway, I want to get her.

Tom said I've got to deliver her alive, but he didn't say she has to be in mint condition. So, basically, I'll be able to do almost everything to Jody before turning her over tomorrow night.

I'd better quit gabbing, now, and get to work.

Man, I'm starting to get excited.

Ready or not, here I come.

Part Five.

Missing in Indio.

Chapter Twenty-three.

The phone rang three times while Jody rushed to get it. She half expected the caller to be Rob. They hadn't seen each other since the day before yesterday when they met at the mall, and she missed him. But what would she say? Should she tell him about the murders and everything? Probably better not to. Dad might not like it if she ...

"h.e.l.lo?" she asked into the mouthpiece.

"Wilson Spaulding here. Let me speak to your father." The odd little man's bl.u.s.ter was missing. He sounded angry. Or scared.

"This is Jody, Mr. Spaulding. Is something the matter?"

"You're double-d.a.m.n right something's the matter. Now, call your father to the phone."

"What happened?"

"Do like I say, young lady."

"Dad's not here."

"Don't lie to me."

"I don't lie, Mr. Spaulding. Dad had to go out for a while. Is Andy all right?"

"I'm sure I wouldn't know. I can't believe Jacko left you alone tonight. You're supposed to be under guard. This doesn't make any ..."

"I'm not alone. Now what do you mean, you don't know if Andy's all right? You don't know? How could you not know if he's all right?"

"He's gone, that's how. Gone, vanished, poof!"

"What!"

"The little s.h.i.t absconded with himself!"

"He's gone?"

"Are you deaf?"

Jody felt as if she might blow up. Don't! she warned herself. The jerk'll hang up and I'll never find out anything. "Dad will want all the details," she said, trying very hard to sound polite. "I need to know what to tell him, Mr. Spaulding. He gets really mad at me when I don't take good messages for him." A total lie, but w.i.l.l.y had no way of knowing. "Please?"

"When do you expect him back?"

"Any time. I don't know for sure, though. He might be away for another hour, or something."

"I might very well not be here an hour from now. My patience, such as it is, has very nearly run itself to the end of the line."

"Where are you calling from, Mr. Spaulding?"

"A Texaco station. In Indio."

"India?"

"Not India, Indio."

That's what I said, you creep. "Oh, Indio. Okay."

"A little burg on Interstate 10 ..."

"Yeah, over near the Salton Sea. We've been there. And you're calling from a Texaco gas station. And you say that Andy is gone."

"He certainly isn't here. That adds up to gone."

"Dad'll want to know when you first noticed he was missing."

"About twenty minutes ago."

"Around nine?"

"Give or take. I spent quite some time running myself ragged, looking for him. With no success, I needn't add."

"Where did he go?"

"If I knew that, young lady, he wouldn't be lost."