Mindy was given very specific instructions before Susan made the monitored call to Snake. Everything from here on would be recorded and placed into evidence.

"Snake? It's Mindy."

Snake's voice, heard for the first time--Susan's mental impression of Snake altered, as it always did when an imaginary opponent began to become an actual one. Snakes voice, oddly contralto and thin--flat and unmelodious:

"So why didn't your number come up on the caller ID?"

"I musta had the number block on."

"You calling from your cell?"

"No. A landline. I know better than to call you on a cell."

"See that you keep yourself smart. I don't like people being stupid around me."

"Aw, you know better than that. What's wrong, honey? You sound a little tense."

"It's none of your damn business."

"You usin'? Sometimes that makes me tense if I'm in the wrong mood."

Susan scribbled on a notepad and showed it to Mindy. "MRA, dammit." Move Right Along.

"Oh--okay. Listen, Snake, I'd like to come over in an hour or so to pick up one."

"Just one?"

"Yeah. That okay?"

"I can probably do that."

"Listen," Mindy began to visibly sweat. She chewed her lip. "I want to bring a friend along who'd like to meet you."

"Friend? What made you think that would be all right?"

"Hey, honey--just askin', okay? If it's not all right, I won't, okay?"

"Why do you want to bring this friend?"

"She's a player, honey. She'd like to talk to you for a little while and see if you and her can do some business."

"How well do you know her?"

"Oh, I've known her since we were kids. She's in kind of a bind right now, and I want to help her out--she wants to make some money."

"What's she look like? Crow's here, and he wants to know. Crow doesn't like ugly women." Two voices audible at the other end now, laughing.

"She's not ugly. Be nice to her, please? She's my friend, and I don't want to get her feelings hurt."

"Yeah, we'll be as nice to her as she deserves--okay. Go ahead and bring her. But if she's wrong, she'll end up somewhere wet. You know what I mean? And so will you."

"Aw, don't say stuff like that, okay?"

"One hour. We'll be here, but I'm not guaranteeing anything longer than that. Crow and me have stuff to do."

Susan drove Mindy to the apartment in an innocuous UC vehicle, a two-year-old VW beetle, mint-green. Juba and Juan were in position around the corner, monitoring the wire that Susan was wearing--an altered cell phone; you could even call out on it and receive calls, but it was a transmitter as well. Better to have nothing on you but a cell phone. Everyone has a cell phone. But not everyone has a wire taped to her body. That wasn't something Susan wished to be caught with.

She was armed, as well--UC's never went in unarmed--a flat little .380 holstered in the small of her back. If things went south, and it wasn't a shooting war, Susan was pretty certain she could hold up her end if necessary for the thirty seconds it took Juba and Juan to charge in and start breaking heads. If not, she'd better work towards a fourth-degree black belt...

Susan and Mindy approached the apartment door, and Susan drew in a calming breath. First approaches were antsy. She shifted her stance to put her weight on the balls of her feet. Mindy rang the bell, a cheery "bing-bong".

"Snake, are you home?"

Susan let her breath out, slowly. Showtime.