The Night Crew

down the one-way street that took her out of the canal district, and out to the hospital. Watched the rearview mirror. Nothing that seemed furtive, nothing that seemed consistent. But Anna read thriller novels, and thought she could probably trail somebody all over L.A. without being spotted. You stay ten cars back, with traffic the way it was, and you’d never be spotted.
    Of course, once he saw which way she was going, he might figure that she was heading for the hospital. There wasn’t much on-street parking, he’d figure her for the ramp. She worked it out: and when the hospital came up, she turned in at the ramp, found a place on the third floor.
    Put her pistol in her main pocket, her trigger finger wrapped around the front of the trigger guard so she wouldn’t accidentally fire it. Checked the mirrors, got out and walked self-consciously to the hospital entrance.
    She saw no one who seemed out of place, who seemed to be watching, who seemed at all interested in her.
    • • •
    Except Creek. When she walked into his room, Creek was on his feet, like a bear in a dressing gown, trailing plastic lines that went to a saline bottle hung from a three-wheeled pole. Pam Glass sat in a chair by the window, knitting.
    Creek turned as Anna came in, and grinned, and she said, ‘‘My God, what are you doing out of bed?’’ and looked at Glass for an answer.
    ‘‘I’m getting better,’’ Creek said, but his voice was a croak, and his face still seemed gray.
    ‘‘The doctor told him to,’’ Glass said, answering Anna.
    ‘‘They’re sure that’s okay?’’ Anna asked Glass.
    ‘‘They think it’s great,’’ Glass said. ‘‘As long as he doesn’t overdo it.’’
    ‘‘ ‘Overdo’ is his middle name,’’ Anna said.
    They discussed it for another fifteen seconds, Anna and Glass talking to each other, checking Creek like he was a defective car, until Creek said, ‘‘Hey, am I the village idiot or something?’’
    ‘‘You’re not that responsible,’’ Anna said. Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. ‘‘Jeez, I’m glad to see you up.’’
    ‘‘Where’s Harper?’’ Creek asked. ‘‘He’s supposed to be watching you.’’
    ‘‘I had to get away for a little while—I’m being careful,’’ Anna said. To Glass: ‘‘Have you heard the latest?’’
    Glass nodded: ‘‘The actress. Brutal. They added a halfdozen guys to the task force, and there’s gonna be some news about it.’’
    Anna recoiled: ‘‘I won’t come into it, will I?’’
    Glass grinned. ‘‘Can’t stand the heat, huh? You know how it is . . . a couple of days, and something’ll leak.’’
    ‘‘Yeah . . . jeez.’’ Anna pulled at her lip, staring at Creek. ‘‘You: get back into bed.’’
    ‘‘Why? I feel okay.’’
    ‘‘ ’Cause I want to take Pam away for a few minutes, and I don’t want you dropping dead while we’re gone.’’
    ‘‘You’d rather have me laying dead in bed?’’
    ‘‘Yeah, as a matter of fact. Then it wouldn’t be my fault for not telling you to lay down.’’
    Creek shook his head, not following the logic, but sat on the bed, and finally pulled his legs up.
    ‘‘Stay there,’’ Glass said.
    ‘‘Arf, arf,’’ Creek said. ‘‘Like the family dog. Stay, Fido.’’ In the hall, Glass said, smiling but intent, ‘‘I’ve been wanting to talk to you.’’
    ‘‘About Creek.’’
    ‘‘Yes. Right now, if you crooked your finger, he’d come running. I want to know if you’re going to crook.’’
    Anna shook her head. ‘‘I’m not sure you’re right about that—but anyway, Creek and I . . . I don’t know. We went past that point. Or I did. And I think he did, but maybe he hasn’t figured it out yet.’’
    ‘‘Why didn’t . . . you know.’’
    ‘‘He came along at the wrong time, and by the time I was, you know, ready for something . . . it was too late. We’d been sort of . . . brotherly-sisterly for too long.’’
    ‘‘He never tried to . . .’’ They were both fumbling for words, as though they were creating a special Creek vocabulary. ‘‘. . . develop anything?’’
    ‘‘Not directly. Creek looks like a bear, and he’s been to jail, and the Marines, and all that—but he’s sensitive. He usually knows what I’m thinking before I do, and if you guys last, he’ll get that way with you.’’
    ‘‘He already is, a little.’’
    Anna nodded, grinned and poked Glass on the arm: ‘‘He’s