Dark of the Moon

24

WHEN THE OUT-OF-TOWN COPS had been milling around the salad bar, Virgil had spotted a deputy from Dodge County that he'd done some work with a few months earlier. When they got off the phone with Williams, he took Jesse along and introduced her to the guy, whose name was Steve Jacobs. Jacobs was chatting with another cop, a deputy named Roger Clark from Goodhue County. Virgil told them about the killings in Bluestem and introduced Jesse as one of the people under threat.

"It'd be good if we could get her bodyguarded until this evening," Virgil suggested.

"I'd guard her body as long as she wants," Jacobs said.

"Me, too," Clark said.

Jesse said, "Ha-ha," but she liked the attention.

Virgil: "I'm a little serious, here, Jesse. I don't want you running around outside. Todd's a smart guy and until we figure out how to drag him down, you've got to be careful."

"Mom and I were planning to go shopping, and then come back here and watch some movies," she said.

"Don't get alone," Virgil said. "You should be okay-but just don't get alone. I'll be back by eight o'clock to get you wired up. If you get the smallest little crinkle of thought that something's wrong, find Steve here, or Roger, or one of these other cops, and tell them."

"I'll be okay," she said Jacobs said, "We'll keep an eye on her."

"Where are you going?" Jesse asked Virgil.

"I've got an appointment at the fire department to learn CPR, and then I'll poke around, see if I can spot Todd without being too obvious about it."