"Peter," she said, sounding a little offended. "You can count on me to know things."
"All right. Well, thanks."
"Don't mention it. Now, what about Margo? How's she doing?" Lisa said.
"She's fine."
"You went to see her?"
"This morning, yes, and--"
"No, I mean at the hospital. Didn't you hear? Margo was coming back from the bank today and walked in while her apartment was being robbed. Three robberies in one day! You, Margo, Sarah! What is going on? Do you know?"
"No," Evans said. "It's very mysterious."
"Itis. "
"But about Margo...?"
"Oh yes. So I guess she decided to fight these guys, which was the wrong thing to do, and they beat her up, maybe knocked her unconscious. She had a black eye, I heard, and while the cops were there interviewing her, she passed out. Got completely paralyzed and couldn't move. And she even stopped breathing."
"You're kidding."
"No. I had a long conversation with the detective who was there. He told me it just came over her, and she was unable to move and was dark blue before the paramedics showed up and took her to UCLA. She's been in intensive care all afternoon. The doctors are waiting to ask her about the blue ring."
"What blue ring?"
"Just before she became paralyzed, she was slurring her words but she said something about the blue ring, or the blue ring of death."
"The blue ring of death," Evans said. "What does that mean?"
"They don't know. She isn't able to talk yet. Does she take drugs?"
"No, she's a health nut," Evans said.
"Well, I hear the doctors say she'll be okay. It was some temporary paralysis."
"I'll go see her later," he said.
"When you do, will you call me afterward? And I'll handle your apartment, don't worry."
It was dark when he got to Morton's house. The security people were gone; the only car parked in front was Sarah's Porsche. She opened the front door when he rang. She had changed into a tracksuit. "Everything all right?" he said.
"Yes," she said. They came into the hallway, and they crossed to the living room. The lights were on, and the room was warm and inviting.
"Where are the security people?"
"They left for dinner. They'll be back."
"Theyall left?"
"They'll be back. I want to show you something," she said. She pulled out a wand with an electronic meter attached to it. She ran it over his body, like an airport security check. She tapped his left pocket. "Empty it."
The only thing in his pocket were his car keys. He dropped them on the coffee table. Sarah was running the wand over his chest, his jacket. She touched his right jacket pocket, gestured for him to empty it out.
"What's this about?" he said.
She shook her head, and didn't speak.
He pulled out a penny. Set it on the counter.
She waved her hand: more?
He felt again. Nothing.
She ran the wand over his car keys. There was a plastic rectangle on the chain, which unlocked his car door. She pried it open with a pocket-knife.
"Hey, listen..."
The rectangle popped open. Evans saw electronic circuits inside, a watch battery. Sarah pulled out a tiny bit of electronics hardly bigger than the tip of a lead pencil. "Bingo."
"Is that what I think it is?"
She took the electronic unit and dropped it into a glass of water. Then she turned to the penny. She examined it minutely, then twisted it in her fingers. To Evans's surprise, it broke in half, revealing a small electronic center.
She dropped that in the glass of water, too. "Where's your car?" she said.
"Out in front."
"We can check it later."
He said, "What's this about?"
"The security guys found bugs on me," she said. "And all over the house. The best guess is that was the reason for the robbery--to plant bugs. And guess what? You have bugs, too."
He looked around. "Is the house okay?"
"The house has been electronically swept and cleared. The guys found about a dozen bugs. Supposedly it's clean now."
They sat together on the couch. "Whoever is doing all this, they think we know something," she said. "And I'm beginning to believe they're right."
Evans told her about Morton's comments about the list.
"He bought a list?" she said.
Evans nodded. "That's what he said."
"Did he say what kind of a list?"
"No. He was going to tell me more, but he never got around to it."
"He didn't say anything more to you, when you were alone with him?"
"Not that I remember."
"Going up on the plane?"
"No..."
"At the table, at dinner?"
"I don't think so, no."
"When you walked him to his car?"
"No, he was singing all that time. It was sort of embarrassing, to tell you the truth. And then he got in his car...Wait a minute." Evans sat up. "He did say one funny thing."
"What was that?"
"It was some Buddhist philosophical saying. He told me to remember it."
"What was it?"
"I don't remember," Evans said. "At least not exactly. It was something like 'Everything that matters is near where the Buddha sits.'"
"George wasn't interested in Buddhism," Sarah said. "Why would he say that to you?"