with Sue. They are not operating at one hundred percent.”
Murphy glanced at the radio in her pocket and then back at whoever she was talking to. Her expression had changed, from potential executioner to something more like a schoolteacher you don’t want to cross. Murphy had been damaged in the same way before. “That’s a wallet in your pocket, son?”
“Yes, ma’am,” mumbled the voice.
She nodded. “Take it out with just two fingers. Toss it over here to me. Nice and easy.”
“I don’t want you to hurt me,” said the voice.
Murphy tilted her head and I saw pain in her eyes. She lowered the gun and her voice became gentler yet. “Just toss me the wallet. I’m going to set things right.”
“Yes, ma’am,” mumbled the voice again. A ratty old nylon wallet hit the floor near Murphy’s feet.
Murphy picked it up, never taking her eyes off the group. I saw her go through the wallet.
“I like dogs,” ventured the voice. There was a disconnected tone to it.
“They won’t hurt you if you stay there,” Murphy said. “Joshua? Is that your name?”
“I . . . Yes, ma’am. It was. I mean, it is. Josh.”
“Josh. Age nineteen,” Murphy said. A flicker of anger entered her blue eyes. “Jesus, these game-playing bastards.”
“Bitch, technically,” I said.
Murphy snorted. “Come here, Josh.”
Molly approached the top of the stairway and stood next to me, where she usually did, a little behind me and to my left. She must have gotten a look at my position through her little tuning fork.
A Big Hood appeared in front of Murphy. He was about five hundred times bigger than she was. He had hands like shovels. One of his hands was bleeding.
“Take the hood off, please,” Murphy said.
He hastened to do so. He was an ugly, blunt-featured kid. His hair was longish and matted. It had been months since it was cut, combed, or washed. He didn’t have enough beard to notice from the top of the staircase, and he didn’t look too bright. He blinked his eyes several times in the light coming from Murphy’s flashlight.
“Hello, Josh,” Murphy said, keeping her tone level and calm. “My name is Karrin.”
“ ’Lo, Karrin,” Josh said.
“Let me see your hand,” she said firmly.
“Establish the pattern,” Molly murmured under her breath. “Good.”
Josh hesitated a moment and then held out his hand. Murphy examined it. “Doesn’t look too deep. It’s already beginning to stop bleeding.”
“Had worse, ma’am,” Josh mumbled.
She nodded again. “Do you know why you were on those stairs?”
“Bad people,” Josh said. “Bad people who were going to hurt us.” He frowned. “You?”
“I could hurt you right now, but I’m not going to. Am I?” Murphy said.
“No.”
“That’s right,” she said. “I know this is hard, Josh, but I’m probably your friend.”
He frowned. “I don’t know you. You’re a stranger.”
“I’m going to help you,” she said. “Help all of you, if you’ll let me. Get you some food and some clean clothes.”
Josh shrugged a shoulder. “ ’Kay. I’m hungry.”
Murphy looked away from him, and I saw her control another expression of anger. “I’m looking for a little bald man. I know he’s here.”
Josh looked uncomfortable.
“Is he here? Downstairs?”
“You know he is,” I muttered.
It hadn’t carried to the radio, but Murphy glanced with an arched eyebrow up the stairway, then turned back to the kid.
Josh looked back and forth and shifted his weight.
“Tell me the truth, Josh,” Murphy said. “It’s all right.”
“Downstairs,” Josh said. “With Boz.”
“Boz?” Murphy asked.
“Boz is big,” Josh said.
Murphy eyed the kid up and down and squared her shoulders. “Um, right. Okay, Josh. There’s one more thing I want you to do for me, and then you can go sit down with your friends.”
“ ’Kay.”
“My friends are up at the top of the stairs. I want you to ask them in.”
Josh furrowed his brow. “Huh?”
“Invite them inside, please.”
“Oh no,” he said, shaking his head. “No one in the secret hideout. Orders.”
“It’s all right,” Murphy said. “I’m giving you new orders. Invite them in, please.”
Josh seemed to waver. “Umm.”
Murphy’s hand dipped into her pocket and he seemed to flinch. Then it emerged holding one of those high-activity protein bars wrapped in Mylar. “You can have this, if you do.”
The way to a dim minion’s heart was evidently through his stomach. Josh snapped up the bar with both hands and said, up toward the top of the stairs, “Won’t you please come inside?”
I took a tentative step forward and felt no resistance. The threshold had parted. Molly did the same and hurried down the stairs.
“Will, Andi,