Max called me yesterday just before somebody cut his throat. Showalter looked and sounded ex-military in the interview. He had a thickset body and deliberate way of speaking and moving. He seemed smart and cautious. He didnt say much in the three minutes but managed to impress me as being harsh and wily. There was an intermission of two or three minutes during which a bailiff was sent to the district attorneys office to bring Carmen Monterrey into the courtroom. Then she came forward and was sworn. And what did you find? Yeah. He works at some big muckety-muck company in the city. Jerry said they gave out big bonuses to everybody. Go ahead, Judge Sedgwick said, smiling. Answer the question. What? Yes. We had no legal grounds to do so. But these are bad people. He was readier than we were, Stone explained. Get on the radio. He again forced a smile.Im all in. But my turn to buy. Speers opened her door and looked out. She eyed everyone and said,All we do is pass each other every day and night. How about we go out for some beer and chips, roomies? And actually get toknow each other? The old waiter came with our beers and grumbled when Koontz ordered one for himself. Koontz grumbled back at him, but he did it without any apparent pleasure. Instead, he kept peering around the back of the booth toward the bar. When his beer arrived he took a swallow of it, wiped his mouth with the back of a big hand, and turned to look at Murfin. For no very good reason, I was thinking about my tarnished past as I stood before the mirror in the bathroom trying to decide whether to shave off my moustache. Ruth went by in the hall, stopped, and leaned against the door jamb. Quane? No. He gets sort of crazy when hes having his relationships. As far as I know, hes never suspected. He just assumed that he and Jess slept together during his fling and Katherine was the result. Probably. Ive got every motorcycle we own on the streets looking for that black BMW you identified. Chapter 77.