The Night Crew

'Yeah.'

'You gotta get this one,' A

'Jesus.' They stared at the phone until the tone stopped

Wyatt began setting up a neighborhood search, and at the same time, sealing the area off. Harper took A

'Not yet. Let's find the kid. Jake, it can't be Clark.'

'That sounds like wishful thinking. where'd he go tonight? Why'd he disappear?'

'We don't know that he did. We probably just missed him. Wyatt thinks we've made most of this upjust put stuff together and come up with fantasy. That's what we've done with Clark.'

'I still think.'

'Let's concentrate on McKinley. Please.' She was begging him.

'We don't even know where he is, A

A

She took the phone out and scrolled through to the Witch, and pushed the button. The Witch answered on the first ring.

'This is A

'What'ya got?'

'A question. You know that kid that got in the fight with the animal activists? Nosebleed and all?'

'Yeah. But talk faster, I'm on a deadline.'

'You had him on a couple of talk shows.'

'Shit, he was on "Today", what do you mean, a couple talk shows.'

'All right, all right, but the day after the raid, you shot extra stuff on him. I need his address, where he lives, and a phone number.'

'A

'I need the fuckin' numbers,' A

'Hey.'

'Listen,' A

After a moment of silence: 'Anything to do with China Lake?'

A

The Witch screeched, 'This kid is in the China Lake killing?'

'No, no, for Christ's sake, he didn't have anything to do with it, that's a different story. But I've got an inside thing on China Lakea serial killer thing,' A

'So what's happening with McKinley?' the Witch asked suspiciously.

'He's fucking with me,' A

'That sounds promising,' the Witch said. 'I'll have somebody look around.'

'Right now,' A

'You know, you can be a major pain in the ass.'

'Yeah, but a fairly cheap pain, considering what I deliver. So call me back.'

'Hold on, just hold on. I'm go

A

'Maybe something,' A

The Witch was back: 'You got a pencil?'

Wyatt, nearing panic, was sealing Venice.

A

'You've got to stay in touch,' Wyatt said anxiously. 'We'll call you if we need you: If you get one ring, then one ring, then one ring on your phone, you know, fifteen seconds apart, answer the third one.'

'Okay,' A

McKinley lived in a bleak cinder-block apartment in Culver City. The parking lot was begi

'Students,' A

'It was three-thirty-seven?' Harper asked.

'Yeah.'

The door faced a narrow i

McKinley's room was dark, the door locked.

'Can't kick it,' Harper said quietly. 'Too many people, too much noise.'

'Let's see if we can find a manager,' A

The manager had a first-floor apartment facing the parking lot. A dark-eyed woman answered the door, spoke to them in a language that A

The woman smiled and pointed a finger up: 'Bat-room. yes.'

A

'What?'

'There's a key board behind the door.'

Harper stepped sideways, and A

Harper said, 'Thank you, thank you,' and A

The 337 peg held two keys.

'Can I try for it?' She muttered.

'She's looking right at us,' Harper said, turning to her. 'Hold on.'

Harper walked toward the woman, talking. 'We wanted to talk to one of your renters.'

The woman said something else, jabbing her finger at the back. A

Dropped it. Stepped on it. Stood with her hands crossed in front of her as Harper and the woman stood jabbering at each other. Then a man's voice said, 'Hello,' and both Harper and the woman turned toward the back. A

Harper told the manager that he and A

'Yes, yes, he is here. Apartment three-thirty-seven,' the manager said, bobbing his head. 'He has been much on the television, yes? You see him on the television? He's a hero, yes?'

A

Outside.

'Get the key?'

'Got it.'

'Hope they don't notice.'

'We'd have to be pretty unluckysome of the apartments have two or three keys, some don't have any.'

'Hope the key works.'

'Hope we don't find a body.'

'Don't even think it.'

The key worked. They stepped inside, and A

'Let's get through it quick,' A

'Got a phone number,' Harper said a minute later. 'It's on a refrigerator magnet. I think he uses it.'

'Okay. We can get it to Louis.'

A