The Night Crew

The frat house was built on the side of a hill, with a narrow, rutted drive leading around back. Harper found a parking place and they walked back, and down the drive. Eight or nine feet of old poured-concrete foundation was exposed along the back side. The only window was boarded over with a sheet of plywood, but they could see light through a hairline crack at one edge. And at the door, they could smell the burning dope.

'You could get high standing outside,' Harper said.

He turned the knob and pushed: the door unexpectedly popped open, and he stepped through, A

'Gotta talk,' A

He handed it to her, and she took a hit, exhaled and handed it back: 'Now we're all criminals together, huh? So relax, and we gotta talk.'

Catwell, uncertain, hit on the joint himself, a last time, then pinched it out.

'Like a doper's bowling alley in here,' Harper said, waving at a layer of smoke that hung two-thirds of the way to the ceiling.

'You don't like it, get lost,' Catwell said.

'Both of you, shut up,' A

'That guy still chasing you?' Catwell's eyes were glassy, and his speech a little slow, but he seemed to be tracking.

'He killed another woman,' A

'Where're the fucking cops?' Catwell asked. 'Out chasing hippies?'

'They're looking,' A

'No, I didn't. I knew he was going out with you, though. He'd been talking about setting the whole thing up, the raid,' Catwell said. He dropped on the couch again, looked at the dead joint in his hand. 'You know, I miss that dickhead. I keep thinking I oughta go see him about something, but then I remember, he's gone.'

'I know how it is,' Harper said soberly.

'You knew he was setting up raid coverage,' A

'Just those guys over there,' Catwell said. 'The animal guy and that other surfer asshole.'

'We know the animal guy,' A

'You know, you had him on TV. The pig guy, the guy knocked down by the pig. I must've seen it fifty times,' Catwell said, gesturing at the television.

A

Now Catwell was confused: 'No, no, the other guy. He was setting it up with the animal guy, the guy who took care of the animals.'

Harper and A

'Sure.' Catwell nodded, then looked from A

A

Catwell continued: 'I don't know if the raider people knew who left the door open, 'cause Jase was being pretty quiet about the whole thing. I just knew because we were dopin' buddies. But he sort of went over and told the surfer asshole about the animal up there, and the labs, and told them he could get them in. Then he fixed it for the guy inside to leave the door open, and for that guy to fight with them. It looked pretty real on TVthey were pretty rough, so maybe the raider guys didn't know.'

'Why do you keep calling the surfer guy an asshole?' Harper asked.

Catwell shrugged. 'You know, he's one of those fuckin' blond short-hair oh-wow surf's-up pussy-hounds with big fuckin' white teeth and never had to work in his whole fuckin' life.' He looked at the dead joint again. 'How come guys like him don't get killed?'

A

'I don't know. He's in theater, or something.'

'Theater? I thought he was some kind of science geek.'

Catwell shook his head: 'Theater, is what Jason said.'

They talked for a few more minutes, but Catwell had nothing more. He lit up again as they were leaving, and Harper said, 'You oughta lock the door.'

'I will,' Catwell said, in the squeaky top-of-the-mouth speech of a man holding his breath. 'Soon as I can afford a lock.'

Outside, on the driveway, A

'Screw you with the TV people?'

'I don't knowI mean, it was good tape, so they'd probably use it anyway. But it sorta makes us look like chumps.'

'What do you think about this kid?'

'. Who set us up? I don't know: I talked to him for a couple of minutes, came onto him a little bit, you know, just to cheer him up,' A

'You said this guy was strong, but kind of soft.'

She nodded: 'Yeah. I just don't see him as being strong. But I don't know: he could be. I mean, he completely sucked me in. And if he's really in theater, he probably is in some kind of shape.' She thought about it, then said, 'Let's run him down. Find out.'

'What about Clark?' Harper asked.

'What time is it?' She couldn't see her watch in the dark.

'Time to go, if we're go

A

'How long will it take?'

'I don't know, but Louis can usually find people. He's got all the phone directories and he can get into utility records. The utilities have just about everybody.'

'Except maybe some students and illegals.' They came to the end of the driveway. 'So why don't we go catch Clark, while Louis looks for the kid.'

She nodded, reluctantly. It only made sense. 'All right.' she said. 'Where's the car?'

Harper pointed the key down the street and pushed a button, and the car flashed its parking lights at them. 'What's his name?' Harper asked, as they walked toward it. 'The kid?'

A

'Strange business, Batory.'

'Strange times, Harper.'