The missing murder weapon.
I tensed, but one look at his face told me he didn't intend to use it. Instead he raised his arm and extended the gun, grip first.
"Take this," he said. "I never should of bought it. Never should of used it. I hated Dawson on account of what he did to my sister. But killing him wasn't worth what we've all gone through since."
I glanced at Amor; tears were trickling down her face.
Alex said, "Mama, don't cry. I'm not worth it."
When she spoke, it was to me. "What will happen to him?"
"Nothing like what might have happened to Dragon; Alex is a juvenile. You, however-"
"I don't care about myself, only my children."
Maybe that was the trouble. She was the archetypal selfless mother: living only for her children, sheltering them from the consequences of their actions-and in the end doing them irreparable harm.
There were times when I felt thankful that I had no children. And there were times when I was thankful that Jack Stuart was a very good criminal lawyer. This was a time when I was thankful on both counts. I went to the phone, called Jack, and asked him to come over here. At least I could leave the Angeles family in good legal hands.
After he arrived, I went out into the gathering dusk. An old yellow VW was pulling out of Benny's space. I walked down there and stood on the curb. Nothing remained of the shrine to Benny Crespo. Nothing remained to show that blood had boiled and been shed here. It was merely a stretch of cracked asphalt, splotched with oil drippings, littered with the detritus of urban life. I stared at it for close to a minute, then turned away from the bleak landscape of Omega Street.
CREDITS
Barnes, Linda: «Lucky Penny» by Linda Barnes first appeared in «The New Black Mask,» no.3, 1985. Copyright © 1985 by Linda Barnes. Reprinted by permission of Gina Maccoby Literary Agency.
Boucher, Anthony: «Crime Must Have a Stop» by Anthony Boucher first appeared in «Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine,» February 1951. Copyright © 1950 Mercury Publications, Inc. Copyright © 1978 Davis Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Curtis Brown Ltd.
Carr, John Dickson: «A Footprint in the Sky» from «The Department of Queer Complaints» by John Dickson Carr. Copyright 1940 by William Morrow & Co., Inc. Copyright renewed 1968 by John Dickson Carr. Reprinted by permission of Harold Ober Associates Incorporated.
Chandler, Raymond: «I'll Be Waiting» by Raymond Chandler first appeared in the «Saturday Evening Post,» October 14, 1939. Reprinted from «The Simple Art of Murder» by permission of Houghton Mifflin Co. All rights reserved. Copyright 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1944, 1950 by Raymond Chandler. Copyright © renewed 1978 by Helga Greene. Published in the British Commonwealth, excluding Canada, by Hamish Hamilton Ltd. (Penguin Books 1950) in the collection «Trouble Is My Business» (pp.125-143). Copyright © 1944 by Raymond Chandler. Reproduced by permission of Hamish Hamilton Ltd.
Daly, Carroll John: «The False Burton Combs» by Carroll John Daly first appeared in «The Black Mask,» December 1922. Copyright © 1922 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed © 1950 by Popular Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted by arrangement with Argosy Communications, Inc., representing Mary A. Daly, heir of Carroll John Daly.
Davis, Dorothy Salisbury: «A Matter of Public Notice» by Dorothy Salisbury Davis first appeared in «Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine,» July 1957. Copyright © 1957 by Dorothy Salisbury Davis. Copyright renewed 1985 by Dorothy Salisbury Davis. Reprinted by permission of Mclntosh and Otis, Inc.
Eberhart, Mignon: «Spider» from «The Cases of Susan Dare» by Mignon Eberhart. Copyright 1934 by Mignon Eberhart. Copyright renewed © 1962 by Mignon Eberhart. Reprinted by permission of Brandt & Brandt Literary Agents, Inc.
Faulkner, William: «An Error in Chemistry» from «Knight's Gambit» by William Faulkner. Copyright © 1946 by William Faulkner. Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.
Gardner, Erie Stanley: «Leg Man» by Erie Stanley Gardner first appeared in «The Black Mask,» February 1938. Copyright © 1938, 1966 by Erie Stanley Gardner. Reprinted by permission of Curtis Brown Ltd.
Gault, William Campbelclass="underline" «See No Evil» by William Campbell Gault first appeared in «New Detective» as «See No Murder. «Copyright 1950, renewed 1978 by William Campbell Gault. Reprinted by permission of Don Congdon Associates, Inc.
Glaspell, Susan: «A Jury of Her Peers» by Susan Glaspell first appeared in «Everyweek,» March 5, 1917. Copyright © 1917 by Susan Glaspell. Reprinted by permission of Curtis Brown Ltd.
Grafton, Sue: «The Parker Shotgun» by Sue Grafton first appeared in the anthology «Mean Streets.» Copyright © 1986 by Sue Grafton. Reprinted by permission of The Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency, Inc.
Hillerman, Tony: «Chee's Witch» by Tony Hillerman first appeared in «The New Black Mask.» Copyright © 1986 by Anthony Hillerman. Reprinted by permission of Curtis Brown Ltd.
Hoch, Edward D.: «Christmas Is for Cops» by Edward D. Hoch first appeared in «Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.» Copyright © 1970 by Edward D. Hoch. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Macdonald, Ross: «Guilt-Edged Blonde» by Ross Macdonald first appeared in «Manhunt,» January 1954. Copyright 1953 by Flying Eagle Publications, Inc. Copyright renewed 1981 by The Margaret Millar's Survivor's Trust u/a 4/12/82. Reprinted by permission of Harold Ober Associates Incorporated.
McBain, Ed: «Small Homicide» from «The McBain Brief» by Ed McBain. Copyright © 1982 by Hui Corporation. Reprinted by permission of the William Morris Agency, Inc., on behalf of the author.
Muller, Marcia: «Benny's Space» by Marcia Muller first appeared in the anthology «A Woman's Eye,» edited by Sara Paretsky and published by Delacorte Press. Copyright © 1991 by Marcia Muller. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Pronzini, Bilclass="underline" «Words Do Not a Book Make» by Bill Pronzini first appeared in «Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.» Copyright © 1968 by H.S.D. Publications, Inc.; revised version copyright © 1988 by Bill Pronzini. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Queen, Ellery: «The Adventure of Abraham Lincoln's Clue» by Ellery Queen first appeared in «MD Magazine.» Copyright © 1965, 1968 by Ellery Queen. Reprinted by permission of the author and the author's agents, Scott Meredith Literary Agency, L.P., 845 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022.
Rawson, Clayton: «From Another World» by Clayton Rawson first appeared in «Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine «in 1948. Copyright 1948 by Davis Publications, Inc. Copyright renewed 1976 by Mrs. Clayton Rawson. Reprinted by permission of Curtis Brown Ltd.
Rinehart, Mary Roberts: «The Lipstick» by Mary Roberts Rinehart first appeared in «Cosmopolitan magazine,» July 1942. Copyright 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Copyright © 1972 by Frederick R. Rinehart and Alan G. Rinehart. Reprinted by permission of Henry Holt and Co., Inc.
Sale, Richard: «A Nose for News» by Richard Sale first appeared in «Detective Fiction Weekly,» December 1934. Copyright 1934 by Munsey Publications, Inc., and 1960 by Popular Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of the Estate of Richard Sale c/o H. N. Swanson, Inc.
Stout, Rex: «Christmas Party» from «And Four to Go» by Rex Stout. Copyright © 1956, 1957 by Rex Stout. Copyright © 1958 by the Curtis Publishing Company; renewed. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA, Inc.
Stribling, T. S.: «A Daylight Adventure» by T. S. Stribling first appeared in «Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine,» March 1950. Reprinted by permission of the estate of Louella Stribling.
Woolrich, Cornelclass="underline" «Rear Window» by Cornell Woolrich is reprinted by permission of Sheldon Abend. Copyright © 1996 by Sheldon Abend d/b/a/ Authors Research Company.
