California Fire And Life

103

She's sitting up on the examining table.

She looks exhausted and weak, but she's alive and Jack is so damn grateful for that he could kiss God on the lips.

"What happened?" he asks her.

"I got stupid," she says. "I went to meet a snitch alone and I wasn't paying attention and they set me up."

"Letty…"

"I'm all right," she says.

"Your arm?"

"It's fucked up but they fixed it," she says. "I'll be out of here this afternoon."

"Stay here," Jack says. "Take it easy."

She looks at him and there are tears in her eyes.

"One of them's dead," she says.

"You okay with that?"

"I'm not crazy about it," Letty says, "but I'm not eating myself up, either."

"They have an ID?"

"No."

But Jack sees there's this weird little look on her face.

"What?" Jack asks.

She tells him what the Vietnamese kid told her about Tranh and Do and the Vale house.

"They're dead," Jack says.

"How do you know?"

"I don't, but I do," Jack says. "Nicky took the real furniture out. Substituted it with cheap fakes. The guy who made the furniture is dead. The kids who dropped it off and picked up the real furniture are dead, too."

"And Pam."

"And Pam."

"Jack, I can reopen now…"

Voice starting to fade, she's a few moments from the Enchanted Forest.

"Okay," Jack says.

"You stay out of this now."

"Okay."

"Promise?" she asks. "Because these are dangerous people…"

"Promise."

"S'good." She closes her eyes. Murmurs, "Funny thing, Jack. I'm about out, and I hear the other guy? The driver? In the Caddy? He called me a 'bish.' Is that weird or what? I guess I am, though, huh? A real ball-busting bish."

She's out.

Jack squeezes her hand and leaves.

So angry that it feels like every square inch of his skin is on fire.

Flashover.