“Holman, listen-we’ve had exactly one interview with a woman who had a bad marriage. We don’t know what they were doing or why.”

“It feels like they were up to something. This isn’t what I wanted in my head.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake.”

Holman glanced at her and saw her frowning. She swerved out of the diamond lane to zoom around two women in a sedan, then cut them off when she dived back into the diamond lane ahead of them. Holman had never driven this fast unless he was high.

She said, “We don’t know enough for you to think any differently about your son, so stop it. You heard this depressed woman with her husband sneaking around and you know the money’s missing, so you’ve jumped to this conclusion. Maybe they just liked to hang out. Maybe this fascination with Marchenko and Parsons was just a hobby.”

Holman didn’t believe it and felt irritated that she was trying to cheer him up.

“That’s bullshit.”

“You’ve heard of the Black Dahlia? The unsolved homicide case?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“That case has become a hobby for a lot of detectives. So many LAPD dicks are into that case they got together and formed a club to talk over their theories.”

“I still think it’s bullshit.”

“Okay, forget it. But just because they were sneaking around doesn’t mean they were doing anything illegal. I can think of plenty of ways we might be able to tie what they were doing with Marchenko and Parsons and Juarez.”

Holman glanced at her, doubtful.

“How?”

“Did you read the obituaries for Fowler, Ash, and Mellon?”

“Just Richie’s.”

“If you had read Fowler’s, you’d know he spent two years on the CRASH unit-that’s Community Reaction Against Street Hoodlums, what the LAPD named their anti-gang unit. I’m going to call a friend of mine who used to run CRASH. I’ll ask him what kind of exposure Fowler had with Frogtown.”

“Fowler killed Juarez’s brother. Juarez and his brother were both in Frogtown.”

“Right, but maybe there’s a deeper connection. Remember when we talked about a possible insider connection to Marchenko and Parsons?”

“Yeah.”

“The real money is in the vault, but the amount of money in the vault varies during the week. People come in, cash their paychecks, and take the money away, right?”

“I know that. I used to rob banks, remember?”

“So once or twice a week, banks receive a shipment of new cash so they’ll have enough to meet the customer draw. You said you didn’t see how a couple of takeover hitters like Marchenko and Parsons could have an inside accomplice, but all it takes is someone who knows when the area branches are scheduled to receive their shipments-a secretary, somebody’s assistant, a Frogtown homegirl, say, and her boyfriend passes it along to Marchenko and Parsons to get cut in on the split.”

“But they hit different banks.”

“It only takes one inside job to have an insider, and then the Feeb and the cops are all over it. I’m just theorizing here, Holman, not jumping at conclusions. LAPD learns of a Frogtown connection, so they turn to the cops with Frogtown experience to develop or follow up leads-i.e., Fowler. That could explain how your son leaving his house to discuss Marchenko and Parsons with Fowler led to Warren Juarez.”

Holman felt a flicker of hope.

“You think?”

“No, I don’t think, but I want you to understand how little we know. When you’re asking your daughter-in-law about Thursday night, pick up the case reports your son had-the stuff he got from the Detective Bureau. You gave me the cover sheets, but I want to see what was in the reports. That should tell us what he was interested in.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll know more tomorrow when I start talking to people and read those reports. I could wrap this thing up with a couple more calls.”

Holman was surprised.

“You think that’s all it’ll take?”

“No, but it seemed like a good thing to say.”

Holman stared at her, then burst out laughing.

They came down through the Sepulveda Pass and into the darkening city. Holman watched Pollard maneuvering her car through the traffic.

He said, “Why do you drive so fast?”

“I have two little boys waiting for me at home. They’re with my mother, the poor kids.”

“What about your husband?”

“Let’s keep the personal stuff out of this, Max.”

Holman went back to watching the passing cars.

“One more thing-I know you said you didn’t want me to pay you, but my offer is still there. I never expected you to go to all this trouble.”

“If I asked you to pay, I’d be scared you would have to rob another bank.”

“I’d find another way. I’ll never rob another bank.”

Pollard glanced at him and Holman shrugged.

She said, “Can I ask you a question?”

“So long as it isn’t personal.”

Now Pollard laughed, but then her laugh faded.

“I put you away for ten years. How come you’re not pissed off at me?”

Holman thought about it.

“You gave me a chance to change.”

They rode in silence after that. The lights in the shadows were just beginning to twinkle.

PERRY WAS STILL at his desk when Holman let himself into the lobby. The old man’s leathery face twitched and trembled, so Holman read that something was wrong.

Perry said, “Hey, I want to talk to you.”

“You get your car back okay?”

Perry leaned forward, lacing and unlacing his fingers. His eyes were watery and nervous.

“Here’s the money I charged you, the sixty bucks, those three days for the car. Here it is right here.”

As Holman reached his desk, he saw the three twenties laid out face up, waiting for him. Perry unlaced his fingers and pushed the three bills toward him.

Holman said, “What’s this?”

“The sixty you paid for my car. You can have it back.”

Holman wondered what in hell Perry was doing with the money laid out like that, the three Jacksons staring up at him.

“You’re giving back the money?”

“Yeah. Here it is. Take the goddamned money back.”

Holman still didn’t move for the money. He looked at Perry. The old man looked worried, but angry, too.

Holman said, “Why are you giving this back?”

“Those wetbacks said to give it back, so you tell’m I did.”

“The guys who brought back your car?”

“When they come in here to give me the keys, those gangbanging motherfuckers. I was doing you a favor, man, renting out that car, I wasn’t trying to rip you off. Those bastards said I should give back your cash else they’d fuck me up good, so here, you take it.”

Holman stared at the money but didn’t touch it.

“We had a deal, fair and square. You keep it.”

“No, uh-uh, you gotta take it back. I don’t want that kind of trouble in my house.”

“That’s your money, Perry. I’ll straighten it out with those guys.”

He would have to talk to Chee in the morning.

“I don’t appreciate two hoodlums comin’ in here like that.”

“I didn’t have anything to do with it. We had a deal, fair and square. I wouldn’t send two goons to shake you down for sixty bucks.”

“Well, I don’t appreciate it, is all. I’m just telling you. If you thought I was ripping you off, you should’ve said so.”

Holman knew the harm had been done. Perry didn’t believe him and probably would always be afraid of him.

“Keep the money, Perry. I’m sorry this happened.”

Holman left the sixty dollars on Perry’s desk and went up to his room. The clunky old window unit had the place like a deep freeze. He looked at Richie’s picture on the bureau, eight years old and smiling. He still had a bad feeling in his stomach that Pollard’s pep talk hadn’t been able to shake.

He turned off the air conditioner, then went downstairs again, hoping to catch Perry still at his desk.

Perry was locking the front door, but stopped when he saw Holman.