Secret Prey

twenty dollars on me,’’ Lucas said.
    ‘‘So let’s go to the bank and you can take out a bunch of money.’’
    ‘‘Give me a break, huh? I don’t—’’ The phone in Sherrill’s purse buzzed, and Lucas said, ‘‘Probably Black.’’
    Sherrill fished the phone out of her purse, said, ‘‘Hello,’’ listened, and passed the phone to Lucas. ‘‘Dispatch, looking for you.’’
    Lucas took the phone: ‘‘Yeah?’’
    THE DISPATCHER SAID, ‘‘LUCAS, A WOMAN NAMED
    Andi Manette is trying to get you. She says it’s about a personal friend of yours and it’s extremely urgent. You want the number?’’
    ‘‘Oh, Jesus,’’ Lucas said. Andi Manette was Weather’s shrink. ‘‘Hang on.’’ He patted his pockets, found a pen and a slip of paper, and said, ‘‘What is it?’’
    He copied the number, punched the power button, punched it again, and dialed.
    Manette picked it up on the first ring: ‘‘Yes?’’
    ‘‘Andi? This is Lucas.’’
    ‘‘Lucas, I need to tell you something, but I don’t want you running off to help. Nobody needs help.’’
    ‘‘What? What?’’
    ‘‘Weather was . . . Somebody firebombed Weather’s house last night. She was singed a little, and has some small cuts, but she’s not badly hurt. She’s going to be staying with us for a while, until this is straightened out.’’
    ‘‘Firebombed! What do you mean, firebombed? Where is she?’’
    ‘‘The thing is, it would be best if you didn’t go looking for her. She’s pretty freaked out, and having you around, with all the associations, won’t help.’’
    ‘‘Well, Jesus Christ, Andi, what happened? Do I get to know that?’’
    ‘‘Nobody knows what happened. It’s being handled by the Edina police.’’
    ‘‘You don’t mean just an explosion or something, you mean somebody threw a firebomb through her window.’’
    ‘‘That’s exactly what happened,’’ Manette said. ‘‘ Somebody threw a firebomb through her picture window.’’
    ‘‘Andi, I swear to God I won’t come after her, but where is she? Tell me that. Just tell me.’’
    ‘‘She’s at my house, taking a nap right now. She’s had a couple of sedatives, she’s feeling better. But we figured that people would let you know, and that I’d better talk to you.’’
    ‘‘Let me know? My God, Andi, I’m probably a suspect. And even . . . I gotta call those guys.’’
    ‘‘Don’t call . . .’’
    ‘‘Not Weather. I’ve got to call Edina.’’
    ‘‘Okay. But please don’t come out, okay?’’
    ‘‘Okay.’’
    ‘‘Thanks. You know I’m trying to bail this out for the two of you, and I’m bailing as hard as I can.’’
    ‘‘Hey listen,’’ Lucas said. ‘‘Thanks for calling me.’’
    He punched off and Sherrill said, ‘‘Weather? Firebombed?’’ She looked perplexed.
    ‘‘Yeah. Last night. Listen, you go after these other guys. I’m running out to Edina.’’
    HE CALLED FIRST: THE CHIEF’S NAME WAS PETER HAFMAN and Lucas barely knew him.
    ‘‘Don’t have much to show you,’’ Hafman said. ‘‘ Somebody walked up last night and pitched a gallon jug of gasoline through the front window. We’ve got bits of the wick, looks like a piece of ordinary cotton cloth, I’m told. There is one odd thing . . .’’
    ‘‘What?’’
    ‘‘The bottle was scored so it’d break easier. Scored with a glass cutter. The guys out here say that sounds like a pro.’’
    ‘‘I never heard of that,’’ Lucas said. ‘‘Look, could I come out and talk to your guys?’’
    ‘‘Come on ahead.’’
    He rang off and handed the phone back to Sherrill, and it immediately beeped again. She answered and handed it back: Dispatch again.
    YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER CALL COMING IN. THEY SAY this one is urgent too.’’
    ‘‘Put it through.’’
    There was a click, and a woman said, ‘‘Chief Davenport?’’ She had a purring voice, a little smoky.
    ‘‘Yes, this is Davenport. Who is this?’’
    ‘‘Did you know that Jim Bone was sleeping with Dan Kresge’s wife? For a long time? And now she’ll get all those options that used to be worthless?’’
    And the phone went dead. Lucas looked at it, looked at Sherrill.
    ‘‘Now what?’’
    ‘‘That was our woman, I think.’’
    ‘‘Really? What’d she say?’’
    ‘‘She said Jim Bone is sleeping with Kresge’s wife. And that she’s gonna get a pile of stock options now that he’s dead.’’
    Sherrill’s eyebrows went up: