Five seconds later her son said, "Mom?"
"Yes, darling."
A grimace, if a playful one. "Can I go meet Donnie?"
"What about brunch?"
"Can I do Starbucks instead? Please, please?" He was cheerful, almost silly. She debated, extracted a ten from her purse and handed it over.
"Thanks."
"Can I go too?" Maggie asked.
"No," Wes said.
"Mom!"
"Come on, honey," Stuart said. "I want to have brunch with you."
Maggie glanced at her brother darkly then said, "Okay, Grandpa."
"Bye, Mom," Wes said.
"Wait!"
The boy stopped and looked at her with small alarm in his face.
"Helmet." She pointed.
"Oh." He stared at it. "Well, we're walking. I've still got that flat."
"All the way downtown?"
"Yeah."
"All right."
"Yeah. Bye, Grandpa."
Stuart said, "Don't get a double shot of espresso. Remember what happened last time."
Dance hadn't heard about that incident. And didn't want to know.
The door closed. Dance started to call Boling again when she noted that Maggie's face was still troubled.
"You wouldn't've had any fun with them."
"I know."
Dance began to say something to the girl, make a joke, when her cell rang again. She answered. "Michael."
"Listen. May have our Solitude Creek unsub. A PG patrolman spotted a silver Honda Accord at the Del Monte View Inn."
Dance knew it, a big luxury nonchain hotel not far from where she lived.
"It's parked right behind the building. The driver was tall. Sunglasses. Hat but maybe he has a shaved head. Worker's jacket. He's inside now."
"Tag?"