was at Bragg in ninety-eight,” Avery said, adjusting his glasses. “I saw what your boys did in the valley. I know the signature of a professional strike.”
“She is nineteen,” I said again, my voice flat.
“And she was carrying something they wanted,” Avery said. “This was not a robbery, Walker. Her purse was still on her shoulder when they brought her in. Her phone was in her pocket.”Browsing Mens Outfits
“What are you saying?”
“They did not want her money,” Avery said, turning off the light board. “Get her out of this town when she can walk.”
I left the hospital through the side doors, where the autumn air smelled of wet asphalt and rotting leaves.
I drove the three blocks to the university campus in my old sedan.
The tires did not make a sound on the wet asphalt, which was littered with damp yellow leaves.
I
