"You know me and evidence, Michael."
"Okay, the bottom line is that it was mixed with the same substance found in apples, grapes and candy."
"You think Pell was . . . what? Poisoning something?"
Food was the raison d'etre of Central California. There were thousands of acres of fields and orchards, a dozen big wineries and other food processors all within a half-hour drive.
"It's a possibility. Or maybe he's hiding out in an orchard or vineyard. We scared him at Moss Landing and he gave up on staying in a motel or boardinghouse. Think about the Pastures. . . . We ought to get some people searching."
"Have you got anybody available?" she asked.
"I can shift some troops. Get CHP too. Hate to pull them off the search downtown and along One, but I don't think we have any choice."
Dance agreed. She relayed to him Carraneo's information about the T-bird.
"Not racing forward at the speed of light, are we?"
"Nup," she agreed.
"What're you up to?"
"Schoolwork."
"I thought the kids were out for the summer."
"My schoolwork. On the manhunt."
"I'm headed your way right now. Want some help sharpening your pencils and cleaning the blackboard?"
"Bring an apple for the teacher, and you're on."
Chapter 20
"Hi, Michael," Wes said, slapping him five.
"Hey there."
They talked about the boy's tennis camp--O'Neil played too--and about restringing rackets. Her lean, muscular son was skillful at most sports he tried, though he was now concentrating on tennis and soccer. He wanted to try karate or aikido, but Dance deflected him from martial arts. Sometimes the boy boiled over with anger--its source his father's death--and she didn't like encouraging fighting as a sport.
O'Neil had undertaken a mission to keep the boy's mind occupied with healthy diversions. He'd introduced him to two activities that were polar opposites: collecting books and spending time on O'Neil's favorite spot on earth, Monterey Bay. (Dance sometimes thought the detective had been born in the wrong era and could easily picture him as the captain of an old-time sailing ship, or a fishing vessel in the 1930s.) Sometimes, while Dance had a mother/daughter outing with Maggie, Wes would spend the afternoon on O'Neil's boat fishing or whale watching. Dance was violently seasick unless she popped Dramamine, but Wes had been born with sea legs.
They talked now about a fishing trip in a few weeks, then Wes said good night and wandered off to his room.
Dance poured some wine. He was a red wine drinker and preferred Cabernet. She had a Pinot Grigio. They walked into the living room, sat on the couch. O'Neil happened to be on the cushion that was directly beneath Dance's wedding picture. The detective and Bill Swenson had been good friends and had worked together a number of times. There had been a brief window before his death during which Dance, her husband and O'Neil were all active law enforcers; they'd even worked on a case together. Bill, federal. Dance, state. O'Neil, county.
With a loud snap, the detective opened the plastic box of take-out sushi he'd brought. The crackle was a modern-day Pavlovian bell, and the two dogs leapt up and bounded toward him: Dylan, the German shepherd, named for the singer-songwriter, of course, and Patsy, the flat-coated retriever, dubbed in honor of Ms. Cline, Dance's favorite C&W singer.
"Can I give them--?"
"Not unless you want to brush their teeth."
"Sorry, guys," O'Neil said. He held the tray open for her. "Forgot the apple, Teach. How's tuna?"
She laughed and declined his offer. He started to eat, not bothering to open the soy sauce or wasabi. He looked very tired. Maybe it was just too much trouble to wrestle with the packets.
"One thing I wanted to ask," Dance said. "Is the sheriff okay with CBI running the manhunt?"
O'Neil set down the chopsticks and ran his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. "Well, I'll tell you. When my father was in Nam his platoon sometimes had to take out Vietcong tunnels. Sometimes they'd find booby traps. Sometimes they'd find VC. It was the most dangerous job in the war. Dad developed this fear that stayed with him all his life."