"I'm sorry, Ms. Randall," he said. "But Cheryl DeMarco's stuff belongs to Cheryl DeMarco. It is not mine to give, nor yours to take."
"Wow," Sunny said.
"Excuse me?"
"You're good," she said.
"I'm afraid I don't understand," the Patriarch said.
"You truly sound like a kind man concerned with the individual rights of your people," Sunny said.
"Yes," the Patriarch said.
"But you are actually a man who will prostitute out young girls for money."
Sunny watched as the pinkness faded from the Patriarch's face, and his hair and face became the same color. It didn't improve his appearance.
"What…" He seemed to be trying to catch his breath. "What… are you… saying?"
"I'm saying you're a pimp," Sunny said. "And I want Cheryl's stuff down here in one minute or I'm calling the cops."
"No," the Patriarch said. "No. Wait."
His voice had grown hoarse. Sunny held her arm out and looked at her wristwatch.
"No, we'll get them right away. Just wait a minute. I'll have someone get them right now."
Sunny nodded and continued to look at her watch. The Patriarch picked up the phone and punched a button.
"Darlene," he said. "This is an emergency. Get a couple of the girls to go to Cheryl DeMarco's room and pack everything up and bring it to my office."
He paused, listening.
"Use whatever is necessary," he said. "Suitcase, plastic bag, whatever, just hurry up."
He hung up the phone.
"It will be here very soon," he said.
Sunny stopped looking at her watch and stood where she had stood since she came in, at an angle to the desk so that she could see the Patriarch but also see the door to the office.
"But we have to talk. We have to make some arrangement," he said. "First of all, no such thing has ever happened. In fact, I categorically deny everything."
"Categorically," Sunny said.
He shook his head as if there was something in his ear. "Who on earth," he said, "has told you such a terrible thing?"
Sunny shook her head sadly.
"Jarrod," she said. "Jarrod. Don't any of you jerks ever learn? What gets you in trouble, remember, is not so much the crime, it's the damn cover-up."
"You called me Jarrod," he said.
"I feel that I know you," Sunny said.
"I prefer to be called Patriarch," he said.
"Frankly, Jarrod," Sunny said, "I don't give a rat's ass." The Patriarch blinked again.
"What are you going to do?" he said.
"When your minions bring it to me," Sunny said, "I'm going to take Cheryl's stuff and leave."
Blink.
"Are you…" he said. "What are you… Are you going to cause trouble?"
"Oh, absolutely," Sunny said.
Two blinks.
"Surely," he said, "we can work something out."
The door opened and a short woman in jeans and a T-shirt came in carrying a black plastic trash bag. She looked at the Patriarch. He nodded, and the woman put the bag in front of the desk and backed out of the room.
"It would be good if you gave me a list of your principal donors," Sunny said.
"Oh my God," he said, "no. That's privileged information."
" 'Privileged,' " Sunny said, and shook her head. "It should be available in your annual report. Have a copy of that handy?"
"We, ah, don't do an annual report," he said.
"I think you're supposed to," Sunny said. "I'll check with the IRS."
"IRS?"
"You do annual taxes?" Sunny said.
"We're simply a small, private spiritual organization," the Patriarch said.
Sunny picked up the trash bag. It was light. Cheryl didn't seem to have much stuff.
"And whorehouse," Sunny said, and carried the bag out of the office.
59
THIS TIME IT WAS Normie who brought Jesse in to see Reggie. He didn't say anything, but Jesse could feel Normie's attitude like an aura.
Reggie was sitting in the backyard under an awning with a glass of iced coffee. Both the Bang Bang Twins were with him, dressed alike in yellow sundresses. If they had any memory of appearing naked before him, Jesse couldn't detect it. They were as charming and composed as they were before the incident.
"Can I get you some iced coffee, Chief Stone?" one of the twins said.
"Yes," Jesse said. "Thank you."
She went to get it. Jesse looked at the remaining twin.
"Robbie?" he said.
She laughed.
"You had a fifty-fifty chance," she said. "Actually, I'm Rebecca."
"Mrs. Galen," Jesse said.
"Got that right," Reggie said. "I think."
Everybody laughed. Robbie came back with the iced coffee. Jesse added sugar and milk.
"Why I stopped by," Jesse said, "is to inquire after Bob Davis."
"Bobby," Reggie said.
Jesse nodded.
"Damn, I miss him," Reggie said.
"Where is he?" Jesse said.
"Don't know."
"Why isn't he here?" Jesse said.
"He quit," Reggie said. "Told me he wanted to kick back a little. Go to the track, play golf, look at the ocean."
"Golf," Jesse said.
"What he said."
"You have a replacement?" Jesse said.
"Normie Salerno," Reggie said. "For the moment."
"Seems to me that he's no Bob Davis," Jesse said.
"No," Reggie said. "He's not. But he's here until I get somebody else."
"You know where Bob is?"
"Nope."
"No forwarding address?" Jesse said.
"Nope. Told me he wanted a clean break. Shook my hand and"-Reggie shrugged-"went."
"We all miss him," one of the twins said.
"He was sweet," the other twin said.
"Knocko's guy goes," Jesse said. "Then yours."
"Yeah."
"Then Knocko went," Jesse said.
Reggie looked at Jesse in silence for a long time.
Finally he said, "Meaning?"
Jesse made an airy motion with his hand.
"Just reviewing the facts of the situation," he said.
Reggie nodded.
"Well," he said. "If there's nothing else…"
"No," Jesse said. "Nothing else. I'll find my way out."
All three of them watched him leave. As he reached the corner of the house, Jesse turned and looked back.
"Watch your back, Reggie," he said.
None of them spoke.
60
JESSE GATHERED the eight women in the Bond of the Renewal in the living room of the Renewal House. Sunny was with him, and Suit, and Molly, and the Patriarch.
"I don't understand," the Patriarch said. "I don't understand why you are doing this."
"I'm investigating a reported felony," Jesse said.
"Do I need a lawyer?"
"You know that better than I do," Jesse said.
"I don't know any lawyers," the Patriarch said.
"If I arrest you," Jesse said, "a lawyer will be provided."
"Arrest?"
The Patriarch was horrified.
"I need to talk to these ladies now, sir," Jesse said. "I'll ask you to join Officer Simpson outside."
The Patriarch hesitated. Suit took his arm, and they left the room. Molly closed the door and leaned against the wall beside it.
"I'm Jesse Stone," he said to the women. "I am the chief of police here in Paradise. The officer by the door is Molly Crane. And the other woman is a private detective from Boston named Sunny Randall, who is working with us."
The eight women looked dutifully at each of the people as Jesse introduced them.
"As you may know," Jesse said, "a member of the Bond, Cheryl DeMarco, has reported to us that she was forced to have sex with one or more of the donors at a fund-raising event here recently."
No one said anything.