Have a nice day.”

When she drives off Martin says, “Nice lady. Think she’ll survive?”

“We’ll know soon enough.”

14.

Milo Fister, Faith Stallone, Maybe Taylor.

MILO’S PHONE RINGS. “It’s her. Let’s go.”

Faith says, “I can’t believe we’re meeting a contract killer in your parking lot in the middle of the morning.”

“Her first choice was a secluded rest stop in the middle of the night. Which do you think is safer?”

“Neither.”

Milo’s office is on the eighth floor of what locals call The Flashcube Building, which is the centerpiece of a large suburban Louisville office complex. He and Faith climb in their respective cars and drive to the farthest corner of the parking lot, where they park, leaving an empty space between their cars, as directed.

Milo gets out of his car and approaches Faith’s Mercedes.

She lowers the window.

He says, “What if she asks us to get in her car?”

“We’ll say no. What’s she going to do, shoot us in the parking lot? In broad daylight? What’re we, fifty yards from Shelbyville Road? Nonstop traffic? She’d never chance it.”

“Okay. Let’s make a pact. We don’t get in her car under any circumstances.”

“I thought I just made that clear, Milo.”

“You did. I’m just thinking out loud. I do that whenever I’m about to meet a stone killer face to face.”

“You think she’s already killed Byron Zass?”

“No. She said she’d give us proof.”

“His dead body in the trunk would be proof.”

“She’d have to prove he’s dead. Not passed out, or drugged.”

“And what medical background do we possess that would help us make that determination?”

“None. Which is why she’ll need to prove it, somehow.”

Faith says, “What made you choose Byron? You just met him once, at dinner.”

“That’s the first reason. I don’t know him. But the second is, he’s dating Lexi, right in front of her husband.”

“Ex-husband.”

“They’re separated, not divorced.”

“A technicality.”

“Maybe so. But it’s way too soon to bring him into the group. You saw how it affected Brody. I half expected him to slit his wrists in his car after dinner.”

“Killing Byron won’t make her go back to Brody.”

“Probably not. But it’ll make Brody feel better to know Lexi lost someone that was important to her.”

“You’re being awfully hard on Lexi. She may have stopped loving Brody, but at least she never cheated on him. That’s more than I can say for your wife and my husband.”

“Did you see the way Zass smirked at Brody when I said she was faithful? I guarantee you they were having an affair before she and Brody separated. By the way, we’re both supposed to be out of our cars, standing in front of your hood. And our hands have to be empty.”

“Whatever.”

Seconds after Milo and Faith get in position, a nondescript black sedan starts moving slowly toward them, and parks in the vacant space between their cars. A young woman gets out.

“That can’t be her,” Faith whispers. “She’s a child.”

Milo shrugs.

The girl says, “Call me Maybe.”

“Like the song?” Faith says.

“I came up with that name months before the song came out,” Maybe says, indignantly.

“I don’t know,” Faith says.