miles south of Sarasota."
"Does she know where your sister is?"
"Jenny? I got no idea."
"But she was the one who told you Jenny was in Los Angeles, verdad? "
"Yes," she said. He pronounced it so pretty. Los Angeles. The Spanish way. Los to rhyme with "gross," the first syllable of Angeles sounding like "ahn," all of it so pretty. But the other one had a knife.
"Did she also tell you when your sister was in Houston?"
"I guess it was her told me, yes," Kate said.
"Your mother, verdad? "
"Yes."
"Whose name is?"
"Annie."
"Carmody?"
"No, Santoro. She remarried. I told you, Jenny's my-"
"And she lives where? Your mother?"
"I told you where."
"Venice, you said."
"Yes."
"Do you have the address?"
"Yes," she said.
"Will you give it to me, please?" Ernesto said.
Kate looked at the knife in Domingo's hand.
"Yes," she said, and went into the bedroom for her address book.
Ernesto gestured with his head for Domingo to follow her. Domingo went into the bedroom. The telephone was on the bedside night table, and Kate was sitting on the edge of the bed, leafing through her address book when he came into the room. The telephone rang as he walked through the door. Without once thinking they might not want her to answer the phone, she picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" she said.
Domingo came across the room at once.
"Katie?"
"Yes?"
He was standing in front of her now.
"It's Mother."
"Oh, hi, Mom," she said, and covered the mouthpiece. "My mother," she said to Domingo. She uncovered the mouthpiece and was about to say that two men were here asking for her address when her mother said, "Alice is dead."
"What?" she said.
"Alice. She was killed yesterday in Miami Beach."
"Oh my God!" Kate said.
"She was stabbed," her mother said, and suddenly the phone was trembling in Kate's hand. "The police called me five minutes ago. Took them all that time to locate me. Because my name is different, you know? My last name. They think it was drug-related. They really don't know, Katie. They see an addict, they automatically figure drug-related."
"Oh God, Mom," Kate said.
She got up suddenly, moving away from Domingo, trying to find some room for herself in the narrow space between the bed and the wall, Domingo still there crowding her, the open knife in his right hand.
"I have to go to Miami to identify the body," her mother said. "Can you meet me there?"
"When?" Kate asked.
Domingo was watching her, listening to her end of the conversation.
"I thought I'd drive over there tonight. They're holding her body in the morgue, they need a positive ID."
"I… uh… I don't know, Mom. I have to go to work tomorrow, tomorrow's a workday. If you can handle it alone…"
"This is your sister, " her mother said.
"I know she's my sister…"
Domingo looked suddenly alert.
"So?" her mother said.
"I'll have to call you back later," Kate said.
"I'm going to need help with the funeral arrangements, too."
"Let me see what I can do about work, okay, Mom? Can I call you back?"
"I won't be leaving for a while yet."
"All right, I'll get back to you," she said, and put the receiver back on the cradle.
Ernesto was standing in the doorway to the room. She wondered how long he'd been there.
"Your mother?" he said.
"Yes."
"What did she want?"
Kate hesitated.
"Yes?" Ernesto said.
"She… she…"
" Le contd de su hermana," Domingo said.
"No, she didn't!" Kate said.
"Did she tell you about your sister?" Ernesto asked. "That your sister is dead?"
Kate said nothing. If
"Does she know where your sister is?"
"Jenny? I got no idea."
"But she was the one who told you Jenny was in Los Angeles, verdad? "
"Yes," she said. He pronounced it so pretty. Los Angeles. The Spanish way. Los to rhyme with "gross," the first syllable of Angeles sounding like "ahn," all of it so pretty. But the other one had a knife.
"Did she also tell you when your sister was in Houston?"
"I guess it was her told me, yes," Kate said.
"Your mother, verdad? "
"Yes."
"Whose name is?"
"Annie."
"Carmody?"
"No, Santoro. She remarried. I told you, Jenny's my-"
"And she lives where? Your mother?"
"I told you where."
"Venice, you said."
"Yes."
"Do you have the address?"
"Yes," she said.
"Will you give it to me, please?" Ernesto said.
Kate looked at the knife in Domingo's hand.
"Yes," she said, and went into the bedroom for her address book.
Ernesto gestured with his head for Domingo to follow her. Domingo went into the bedroom. The telephone was on the bedside night table, and Kate was sitting on the edge of the bed, leafing through her address book when he came into the room. The telephone rang as he walked through the door. Without once thinking they might not want her to answer the phone, she picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" she said.
Domingo came across the room at once.
"Katie?"
"Yes?"
He was standing in front of her now.
"It's Mother."
"Oh, hi, Mom," she said, and covered the mouthpiece. "My mother," she said to Domingo. She uncovered the mouthpiece and was about to say that two men were here asking for her address when her mother said, "Alice is dead."
"What?" she said.
"Alice. She was killed yesterday in Miami Beach."
"Oh my God!" Kate said.
"She was stabbed," her mother said, and suddenly the phone was trembling in Kate's hand. "The police called me five minutes ago. Took them all that time to locate me. Because my name is different, you know? My last name. They think it was drug-related. They really don't know, Katie. They see an addict, they automatically figure drug-related."
"Oh God, Mom," Kate said.
She got up suddenly, moving away from Domingo, trying to find some room for herself in the narrow space between the bed and the wall, Domingo still there crowding her, the open knife in his right hand.
"I have to go to Miami to identify the body," her mother said. "Can you meet me there?"
"When?" Kate asked.
Domingo was watching her, listening to her end of the conversation.
"I thought I'd drive over there tonight. They're holding her body in the morgue, they need a positive ID."
"I… uh… I don't know, Mom. I have to go to work tomorrow, tomorrow's a workday. If you can handle it alone…"
"This is your sister, " her mother said.
"I know she's my sister…"
Domingo looked suddenly alert.
"So?" her mother said.
"I'll have to call you back later," Kate said.
"I'm going to need help with the funeral arrangements, too."
"Let me see what I can do about work, okay, Mom? Can I call you back?"
"I won't be leaving for a while yet."
"All right, I'll get back to you," she said, and put the receiver back on the cradle.
Ernesto was standing in the doorway to the room. She wondered how long he'd been there.
"Your mother?" he said.
"Yes."
"What did she want?"
Kate hesitated.
"Yes?" Ernesto said.
"She… she…"
" Le contd de su hermana," Domingo said.
"No, she didn't!" Kate said.
"Did she tell you about your sister?" Ernesto asked. "That your sister is dead?"
Kate said nothing. If
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