Stone pulled up a chair, shook out the contents of the envelope, and went through the paperwork. To his astonishment, it was all there. A little greasy, but there. Some people need a lot of friends, Ruth said. Id better get in there, honey. Ill see you in a little while. Its okay, Denise. Is Brad here? Ive been calling and calling and nothing. One of the details that Vullo was especially interested in was how Max Quane had looked as he had crawled from the bathroom into the living room to die on the cheap green rug. Is that so? asked Devine. Uh-huh. No. Chapter 18 My daughter called a few minutes later, upset about the shooting and worried about me. She then told me about the granddaughter of mine she was carrying in her sixth month. Sarahs voice always redeemed me. Even though I was talking to a woman, I was also talking to a girl whose mere name inspired all the sentimental moments of her early life. How her face glowed in the candlelight from her fourth birthday cake; how shed had a two-line part in the second-grade play; how beautiful shed looked in that new dress the night of her ninth-grade dance. And then, the remorse for never being there enough for her. How she said she’d forgiven me for that once she’d grown up. But I couldn’t forgive myself. That would be too easy. They made a game of undressing each other and spent the time well. Theres a place I know down by the water. Well, I put it in front of an electric heater so it would dry out more rapidly. I beg your pardon, Mason told him. I think I was cross-examining the witness. I havent finished with my cross-examination. Herbie, across the room from where Stone and Dino waited by the door, tried a breadstick and spat it out..