“I’ll be at Robin’s tonight.” I wrote down Robin’s phone number and handed it to her.
“Smart,” she said. “Because if this was personal, they might be back.”
“Good to know. Thanks for that.”
She chuckled as she left. More cop humor?
I walked back to the kitchen in time to see the girls gathered at the west-facing window to watch the sun set.
Robin topped off my glass. “I called a locksmith. He should be here within the hour.”
I almost collapsed with gratitude. I’d completely forgotten that little detail. I sat on the couch and watched as the sky filled with pink and coral streaks.
Vinnie broke the silence. “We are happy to have the morning sun on our side, but the evening sun is more dramatic.”
“I love it,” I said, and hated that someone had marred my wonderful home.
Robin put the bottle in the recycling bin. “Inspector Lee has great hair, doesn’t she?”
“Very pretty,” Vinnie said. “But she is too thin.”
I took a big gulp of wine. “I was just thinking the other day that she needs a makeover.”
“Yeah,” Robin said, “but tonight probably wasn’t the best time to bring up the idea.”
“You could do me,” Vinnie said, draining her glass. “I would very much enjoy a makeover.”
Suzie stared at Vinnie, appalled, then looked at Robin and me. “I’d better get her home.”
Robin insisted that I spend the night at her house and I didn’t argue. I hated leaving my place unoccupied, but Suzie and Vinnie promised they would keep their eyes and ears open and alert our other neighbors to do the same.
I called my parents’ house that night, but there was no answer. My father didn’t own a cell phone, so I had no way of reaching him if he wasn’t home. I called my sister China and my brothers, but they hadn’t heard anything yet. I made them promise they’d call me as soon as they heard from Dad.
The next day I woke up to the smell of coffee and dragged myself out of bed. After examining my face and finding the bruise had turned to pale yellow, I stumbled to the kitchen, where Robin sat reading the newspaper.
She took one look at my worn plaid pajamas and said, “We could go shopping today.”
“I don’t need anything.”
She snorted. “Yeah, you do. Appropriate sleepwear, if nothing else.”
I poured myself a mug of coffee, stirred in a little half-and-half, and took a sip before responding. Then I took another sip and decided there was no suitable response.
“I’d better get moving,” I said finally. “I need to finish the Covington job.”
“I’ll pick up something cute for you while I’m out.”
“Sweet, but not necessary.”
I showered and dressed in jeans, sweater, jacket and comfortable yet stylish flats. No more heels this week. My mangled feet and aching calves couldn’t take it. I used some of Robin’s makeup to cover the bruise on my face and thought I did a pretty good job.
Robin lived on the edge of Noe Valley, one of the nicer, upscale neighborhoods in the City, a land of attractive three-story flats, charming shops and baby strollers. Whenever we ate out in her neighborhood, Robin would warn me to watch my ankles. Those new mothers with their strollers played hardball.
After thanking Robin for safe haven and breakfast, I walked down the block to Twenty-fourth Street, where the Phoenix Bookstore had two paperback copies of Goethe’s Faust in stock. One of them contained a convenient German translation on the pages facing the English text. I bought that one, determined to read it from start to finish for any possible clue to Abraham’s last words. I also found a German-English dictionary and bought it for good measure.
I strolled back to my car, enjoying the cool, sunny weather. For the first time in a few days, I didn’t get the eerie feeling that someone was watching me. But I did have a compelling urge to go home, see if my place was okay and clean up and reorganize things. The burglar had made a huge mess, but the fingerprint guys hadn’t helped the situation. Fine black powder covered every surface.