Donna started to pull her hand away, but Jud tightened his grip. "Do you have time for a Bloody Mary?" he asked.

"Well..."

"Sandy," he said, "how about a Coke or 7-up?"

"Sure!"

"How about it?" he asked Donna.

"Sure. Why not?"

"I think the Welcome Inn should have what we're looking for. Are you on foot?"

"We've been on them all morning," said Donna.

"In that case, I'll personally chauffeur you to the door." He walked beside them to his Chrysler, and found it locked. Larry grinned out at him, brimming with satisfaction. Jud made a cranking motion. With a humming sound, the passenger window opened.

"Yes?" Larry asked innocently.

"They're friends."

"Maybe your friends."

Jud turned to Donna. "Charm him."

She bent beside the car. At eye level with him, she said, "I'm Donna Hayes." She reached a hand into the window. Larry met it with his hand and shook it briefly, making a smile that seemed to strain his face.

"Admit it," he said. "You're a reporter."

"I'm a passenger-service agent with TWA."

"You're not."

"I am."

"She is," said Sandy.

"Who asked you?" he snapped.

Sandy began to giggle.

"Who's she?"

"That's Sandy, my daughter."

"Daughter, eh? Then you're married?"

"Not anymore."

"Ah-ha! A feminist!"

Sandy turned away, laughing out of control.

"Don't you like feminists?" Donna asked him.

"Only with Bearnaise sauce," he said.

When Donna laughed, the corners of Larry's mouth began to tremble with concealed mirth. "I suppose..." He swallowed. "I suppose I'll be relegated to the backseat with Little Miss Giggles." He unlocked the door and climbed out.

Donna stepped into the car. She scooted to the middle of the front seat. "Miss Giggles can manage the backseat on her own."

"A lady! I've met a lady!" Larry got in beside her. She unlocked the driver's door for Jud, while Larry reached behind him to get the lock of the back door.

"Where to?" Larry asked, slapping his thighs.

"The Welcome Inn," said Jud. "For drinks and lunch."

"Wonderful. A party. I love parties." He looked over his shoulder. "Don't you love parties, Miss Giggles?"

"I find them enchanting," replied Sandy, and burst into a new fit of hysteria.

As they were passing the Chevron station, Sandy called out, "There's our car!"

"Is it sick?" Larry asked.

Donna said, "We had a little accident last night."

"Nothing serious, I hope."

"Just bruises and scrapes."

"Would you like me to stop?" Jud asked.

"Would you mind?"

He pulled into the station. Larry climbed out to let Donna through. Then he got back in and shut the door.

"I suppose it's never difficult for a woman to demolish a car," Larry said, looking around at the girl. "How did your mother accomplish it?"

Jud didn't listen to the girl's reply. All his attention was focused on Donna: on the way the sun shimmered in the flow of her brown hair, on the inward curve of her back and how the mounds of her buttocks shifted under her corduroy pants as she walked. In front of the office, she met a man wearing coveralls and a smirk. They talked. Donna tossed her rump to the left and slid a hand down her rear pocket. She nodded. With a graceful pivot, she followed the man to her car, where he opened the hood and shook his head.

Jud watched her hair sweep down the side of her face as she ducked to look under the hood. She straightened up, talking.

"Uh-oh," he heard Sandy say.

The man slammed the hood shut.

Donna talked to him, and nodded while he spoke. She pushed both hands into her hip pockets, and shifted again to her left leg. Then she swung around. She walked with long strides toward Jud's car, shrugged, made a face to show exasperation, and smiled.

Larry climbed out to let her in.

"Well," she told Jud, "it's still among the living. He has to send to Santa Rosa, though, for a new radiator."

"That'll take a couple of days, won't it?"

"He said we might be able to leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Sandy sounded worried.

"There's no way around it, honey."

"Do you need to get somewhere in a hurry?" Jud asked, and pulled onto the road.

"No, not especially. Two days in this town is just about two days longer than we'd planned on, that's all."

"I spent twelve years in this marvelous berg," said Larry. "You'd be amazed at the variety of activities available to you."

"What sort of things?" asked Sandy.

"The most popular sport, by far, is sitting at the corner of Front and Division to watch the traffic light change."

"Oh boy."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Jud asked.

Donna nodded. "We've got a room at the Welcome Inn."

"Why, isn't that a joyful coincidence!" Larry proclaimed. "So do we! Do all of us play bridge?"

"Never touch the stuff," Jud said.

"Don't brag!"

"Besides, we've already got plans for tonight."

"Oh."

"We have some business to take care of," he told Donna.

"Are you just in town for today?" she asked.

"We may be around for a few days. It's hard to say, at this point. Depends on how things go."

"What sort of business are you in?"

"We're with..." He suddenly knew that he didn't want to lie. Not to this woman. The need to retain a cover wasn't as great as usual, and not worth the loss. "I'd rather not go into it," he said.

"Oh. Fine. I'm sorry if I pried."

"No, don't..."

"I'd be happy to tell you our business."

"Larry!"

"We're going to..."

"Don't!"

"Kill the beast."

"What?" Donna asked.

"Wow!" cried Sandy.

"The beast. The monster of Beast House. Judgment Rucker and I are going to lay it low!"

"Are you?" Donna asked, turning to Jud.

"Do you believe there is a beast?" he asked.

"Something killed all those people, I guess."

"Or someone," Jud said.

"The killer of Tom Bagley was not human," Larry insisted.

"What was it?" asked Sandy.

"We'll show you its cadaver," Larry said, "and you may decide for yourself."

"What's a cadaver?"

"It's a corpse, honey."

"Oh, gross."

"What we plan to do," Jud said, "is find out what-or who-killed the people in that house. Then we'll deal with it." He smiled at her. "Bet you didn't realize you were riding with a couple of lunatics. Are you still up to a Bloody Mary?"

"Now I may need two."

"Excuse me," Donna said. She scooted back her chair. "If the drinks come while I'm gone, don't wait on me."

"I'll come, too," said the girl.

Jud watched them walk across the crowded dining room. Then he leaned close to Larry. In a low voice, he said, "You screwed up real good, back there. If one more person finds out what we're doing in this town, it's all over. I keep my advance, drive back to San Francisco, and that's the end of it."

"Really, Judge. What possible harm...?"