Sudden prey

''Lucille… I'm all right, but the man, the boy, he… Jim, I think I'm going to throw up.''

She started toward the bathroom with her husband behind her, one hand in the middle of her back, patting her, and A

Hotel security was there in force, along with four or five uniformed cops. She stepped back, said, ''Madson, M-A-DSO-N, Tilly, Oklahoma, T-I-L-L-Y,'' to the

Nagra, then popped the recording tape and slipped it inside the waistband of her pants. She had two spare tapes in a black pouch on the carrying strap: she took out a spare, slipped it into therecorder. Hotel security usually didn't ask if they could have the tape, they simply took it, destroyed it, and apologized later.

A

The manager-type asked, ''What's wrong?''

''She saw the man jump, she's in the bathroom…''

The manager went by, into the Madsons' room, while the security man ran down the hall toward the elevators. A

Into the stairwell, down and around, and around, to the first floor. Pause, listen. Nothing. She stepped into the hallway, saw a sign that said, ''PARKING

RAMP,'' and went that way.

CREEK WAS STANDING FIFTY FEET FROM THE BODY. NO blood, no movement, nothing but a hotel clerk and three cops walking reluctantly toward it. Creek saw her coming and made his open-handed ''Got anything?'' gesture.

She'd pulled the headset back on. ''Quick quotes from a witness,'' she said into the mike. ''They said there was some kind of party before he jumped, or fell, or whatever.''

''I'm having a little trouble dealing with this,'' Jason said. He looked at the body.

''With what?'' A

''I'm just… my head's fucked up,'' he said. Then: ''A

He turned his knees in, so he was standing on the edges ofhis te

A

''It's not nothing,'' Jason insisted. ''You're probably done for tonight, anyway. You gotta couple of bucks?''

''Yeah, sure,'' A

''Thanks.''

And he went, hurrying away across the stone patio, Creek peering after him. In the background, they could hear sirens: fire rescue, too late.

''What was that all about?'' A

Creek shook his head. ''I don't know.''

''Well…'' A

The jump was there, in-and-out of focus, but undeniably real, taking her breath away: and at the last second, the man's arms flailing, his face passing through the rectangle of the lens display, then the unyielding stone patio.

''Jeez,'' she said. She looked at Creek. ''This is…'' She groped for a concept, and found one. ''This is Hollywood.''