"I know, I know but…" Her lips trembled as her composure began to crumble. "I just don't think I can."
Jack gathered her into his arms. "You can. You're strong."
She sobbed. "I thought I was, but… I'm not. And how am I ever going to explain this to Vicky?"
Jack tried to steer her away from where she was going.
"Hey, do you think you could stir up another batch of that Stain oxy-clean gunk for me?"
Gia pushed back and stared at him. "Why? What for?"
"On the chance I might find someone who'd be interested in escaping something."
"What something?"
Me, he wanted to say, but didn't.
"I'm working on it."
"Jack, I don't understand. Even if you find someone willing, it won't work. The Stain can be transferred only twice. You know that. The book—"
"I've never been one to believe everything I read. But I can't put it to the test without the gunk."
"I-I saved it."
"Really? Why?"
"I don't know. I guess because throwing it away would be like throwing hope out the window."
"Yeah… hope."
He was low on hope, and running out of time. But he had to give this a shot.
Gia said, "How are you going to find this person before…?"
"Going on a little trip this afternoon."
"You're not leaving us, are you? There's so little time as is."
"Yeah, but if this works out we'll have tons of time."
"But how—?"
Vicky came bounding down the stairs.
"I can't find the keys, Mom."
Gia's smile looked forced. "Silly me. I must have left them in my coat pocket."
"Are we going, Jack?" Vicky said.
"Sure, if it's okay with your mother."
Gia opened the closet door. "I'm coming with you."
Vicky did her eye roll. "But Mah-om, we have to buy something."
"That's okay. You two can make a little side trip if you want, but there's no way I'm staying here alone." Her eyes bored into Jack's. "I want to spend every precious second I can with you."
Jack winked at Vicky. "You up for a little side trip, Vicks?"
She did her best to wink back. "Oh, yes!"
Jack swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. How was he going to tell her that after tonight she'd never see him again?
3
-16:35
Tom walked back toward Jack's place at an easy pace. He felt better now that he had some food under his belt. Barbecued spareribs and seafood salad from the buffet in a Korean eat-in deli. Only in New York.
Not much sleep last night. The E had kept him up into the early hours. He'd forced himself out of bed around one and it was after two by the time he'd showered and gone looking for someplace to eat.
What could he call the meal he'd just had? Breakfast? Brunch? A late dinner? An early supper? His clock was all screwed up.
The sight of men and women hurrying by with shopping bags full of wrapped gifts reminded him of how crummy the past few Christmases had been. Buying gifts, especially for the kids, was such a hassle. He didn't live with any of them and seldom saw them, so he never knew what to get them. Two years ago he'd given up and settled on gift certificates from Amazon. Let them buy whatever they wanted. Not like they appreciated anything he did for them anyway.
He hated to say it but he dreaded the occasions when he got saddled with all three kids at once. Little Tom and Nicole—offspring of Skank from Hell Number One—absolutely hated Donald, their half-brother via Skank from Hell Number Two, and Donald reciprocated with interest. What a nightmare.
Well, this Christmas they'd get nothing-nada-zip from Dear Old Dad. No Amazon certificate. Not even coal in their stockings.
Then what would the ungrateful little—
He turned onto Jack's block then and stopped as he saw the man himself trot down the steps of his brownstone. He wore a gray coverall under a brown leather jacket and had a backpack slung over his shoulder. He looked like a mechanic on his way to work.
Work…
Jack hadn't been exacll)< forthcoming about his work. Here was a chance to maybe get a clue as to what this repairman stuff was all about.
Wait. If what the Compendium said about the Lilitongue was correct, then Jack had less than a day left to him. Seemed unlikely he'd visit Gia dressed like that.
So what would be important enough to take him away from Gia at a time like this?
Good question. One Tom might have a chance to answer.
Well, why not? Not as if he had anything better to do with his time.
Jack hit the sidewalk and headed away from Tom. Toward Central Park.
Tom followed.
When Jack reached Central Park West he hailed a cab. As soon as one stopped, Tom hurried up to the curb to hail one of his own, all the while keeping an eye on Jack's. He breathed a little sigh of relief when he saw it stop at a red light two blocks down.
A cab screeched to a halt in front of him. He jumped in and said, "See that cab up there—the one with the plate that ends in seventy-two?"
"Yes," said the dark-skinned driver in a thickly accented voice. "You wish me to follow?"
"I wish."
"Then this is what I shall do."
And follow he did. Jack's cab picked up Broadway at Columbus Circle and followed that until it reached 42nd Street. It turned east. Jack got out where 42nd T-boned the United Nations. He stayed on the curb, looking as if he was waiting for someone.
"Hold it here," Tom told the driver.
A few minutes later an old Grand Am pulled into the curb and Jack got in. Tom had a quick look at the driver and thought he looked familiar. Who—?
Then he remembered. Jack's scam artist friend from the morgue. Joey something.
"Okay," Tom said as the Grand Am bolted from the curb. "Now we follow that car."
4
-16:14
"Man, do you look beat," Joey said as Jack settled into the passenger seat. "Whatcha do, pull an all-nighter?"
"Feels like it."
Jack had retrieved his Crown Vic from the garage and driven Gia and Vicky downtown to a spot in the East Village—a former vacant lot now full of bundled trees. Pickings were slim this late in the game, but they'd found a decent one and tied it to the roof of the car.
Gia had stayed with the car while Jack took Vicky into an art supply store where she bought her mom a new set of pigment tubes.
Then it had been back to Sutton Square to put up the tree and decorate it. Jack had held Vicky up to place the star on top before hurrying back to his apartment.
The good news was that Tom hadn't been in.
Jack had donned a dark gray twill coverall, then pulled on his leather driving gloves and a navy blue knit watch cap; he packed up his Glock plus an extra set of jeans and a flannel shirt, then put on his flight jacket and headed down to the UN.
Joey said, "Decided to bring your own hardware after all?"
He was pointing to the backpack Jack had placed on the floor between his feet.
Along with his extra clothes he had a Tupperware container of the Compendium recipe. But how was he going to explain the gunk to Joey?
Simple: lie.
"Some extra clothes and—"
"Clothes? What for?"
"Bloodstains. This could get wet."
"Shit. I didn't think of that. What else you got?"
"A kind of truth serum I want to try on one of these guys."
"What for?"
"Oh, I don't know. See if they're the whole deal or if there's something bigger behind them."
"You mean see if they're the shooters or the handlers. That's cool." Joey smiled. "And if they're being handled, we work our way up the chain, right?"
"Right."
"Only thing I haven't figured out is how we make sure El-Kabong is in there."