Then he asks Tahir what nationality he is. When he says Pakistani, Jack asks, ‘Where can I find a rocket launcher?’”

He laughs. “Bear in mind, all these questions are bein’ written down on paper, which means they’re evidence! So Jack walks back to the truck, starts it up, puts it in gear, all while forgettin’ the dead body’s organs are hung up in the broken glass of one of the pumps. He winds up pullin’ the top half of the gas pump behind him, and of course, it’s scrapin’ the ground, makin’ a God-awful sound. Later, Jack insists he had no clue there was a body hangin’ from the tow truck! He drives about 20 yards before he’s surrounded by a dozen squad cars and Baton Rouge Swat. They put him face down on the street and ask what the fuck he’s doin’ with a body hangin’ from the hoist, and you know what he says?”

“Tell me.”

“He says the cops must have put it there while he was on the ground. You know, like they were plantin’ evidence, like it was some kind of fuckin’ dime bag!”

I say, “I believe him. Let him go.”

“Good one.”

“It’s not a joke. I’ve come here to get him. You’ll have to turn him over.”

“Like hell I will! We traced the truck to Bobby DiPiese. Ever heard of him?”

“I have.”

“We figure Jack is one of Bobby’s goons, though he claims he never heard of Bobby, and has no idea who was hangin’ from the truck.”

“I believe him,” I say. “Open his cell. I’ll take it from here.”

“You’re insane.”

“The guy’s a good Samaritan. A hero.”

“What?”

“He found the truck at night. Hurt as he was, he attempted to drive it all the way to your police station. He was even willing to fill the gas tank for the owner.”

“Uh huh. And the body?”

“It was dark when he found the truck. He didn’t see the torso hanging from the hook.”

“Bullshit! He pumped gas in a station lit up like Rockerfeller Square! Oh, and the pump he used was five feet from the one he intended to use because, as I said, the body was hung up on the gas pump next to his truck!”

“He was hog bit, right?”

“So?”

“He was probably delirious by the time he made it to the gas station.”

“In which case he shouldn’t have been drivin’.”

“I agree. Charge him for reckless endangerment and release him to my custody.”

“You’re as crazy as he is.”

I press a button on my cell phone, explain the situation to the White House. They contact the U.S. Attorney General’s office, and thirty minutes later, Jack’s in my limo, reunited with Jill. You’d think she’d be all over him, but when he tries to embrace her she pushes him away, wrinkles her nose, and says, “The stink coming off you makes pig shit smell like honeysuckle.”

As we wait for the sketch artist to show up my thoughts turn to Callie. I wonder what she had planned in New York City that was so important she had to get back right away.

11.

Callie and Kathleen.

CALLIE’S ALONE IN Kathleen’s living room, peeking through the blinds. Here’s what she knows: Addie has band practice till 5:30, and Kathleen should already be home, since she gets off work at 3:05.

Must be nice being a teacher, she thinks. Home by 3:30, weekends off, winter breaks, Thanksgiving, two weeks for Christmas, twelve weeks’ summer vacation….

Callie’s eyes are drawn to a chubby girl with pink hair walking on the sidewalk in front of Kathleen’s house. As she passes by, Callie notices a printed message on the butt of her sweatpants that reads, “What Would Scooby Doo?”

Seems like everyone’s got something written on their asses these days.

Kathleen’s car suddenly turns the corner, pulls into the driveway. When Kathleen enters the house she goes straight to the bathroom. Callie gives her a moment of privacy, while listening at the door. The toilet flushes, then Kathleen washes her hands.