Chapter 63

I HAD NO IDEA how to get in touch with Steve.

It was late - who the hell knew where he was staying. And Jill had only been missing for the day. She could show up and be pissed over all the attention. There was nothing to do but wait and worry ourselves sick and, in my case, feel guilty.

I called Cindy and she was there in fifteen minutes. Claire called Edmund and said she was going to stay for a while, maybe the night.

We sat in Jill's den¹, curled up on couches. There was always the chance she'd had a change of mind and gone to visit Steve, somewhere.

Around eleven my cell phone rang. But it was only Jacobi, checking in, telling me no one in the Berkeley bars they'd checked admitted to recognizing Hardaway. Then we all sat around without speaking. I don't even remember what time we dozed² off.

I woke a few times in the night, thought I heard some-thing. "Jill?" But it wasn't her.

First thing in the morning, I went home. Joe had made the bed and left the apartment looking tidy. I showered and called in to the office to say I'd be late.

An hour later I was down at Steve's office in the Financial Center. I left the Explorer right there on the street. By the time I pushed through the office doors, I could barely control the panic I was feeling.

Steve was right there, in reception. He was practically draped over the receptionist, sipping³ a coffee, his leg perched casually⁴ on a chair.

"Where is she?" I said. I must've startled him because coffee splattered all over his pink Lacoste shirt.

"What the hell, Lindsay..." Steve held up his hands.

"Your office," I said, glaring at him hard.

"Mr. Bernhardt?" the receptionist said.

"It's okay, Stacy," Steve said. "She's a friend." Yeah, right.

As soon as we were down in his corner office I slammed the door. "Are you nuts, Lindsay?" Steve said.

I pushed him into a chair. "I want to know now where she is, Steve."

"Jill?" He turned up his palms and actually seemed con-fused.

"Cut the shit, you son of a bitch. Jill's missing. She didn't show up for work. I want to know where she is."

"I don't have the slightest idea," Steve said. "What do you mean, `missing'?"

"She had a trial yesterday, Steve," I said, losing control, "and she didn't show up for it. Does that sound like Jill? She didn't come home last night, either. Her car's there. And her briefcase⁵. Someone got inside the house."

"I think you've got your facts a little twisted, Lieutenant," Steve said with a derisive⁶ laugh. "Jill tossed me out the other night. She changed the locks on Fortress⁷ Bernhardt."

"Don't mess with me, Steve. I want to know what you've done. When was the last time you saw her?"

"How about eleven o'clock the other night, through my own living-room window, as I was banging on the fucking door, trying to get back into my own house?"

"She told me you were coming by yesterday morning to pick up your things."

Anger flashed in his eyes. "What the hell is this, an inter-rogation?"

"I want to know where you spent Friday night" - I stared at him hard - "and everything you did Saturday morning before you came to work."

"What's going on? Do I need a lawyer, Lindsay?"

I didn't answer his question, just turned away and walked out of there. I hoped to God Steve didn't need a lawyer.

1 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

2 dozed   

v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄，昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐，便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

4 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

5 briefcase   

n.手提箱，公事皮包

参考例句：

• He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
• He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。

6 derisive   

adj.嘲弄的

参考例句：

• A storm of derisive applause broke out.一阵暴风雨般的哄笑声轰然响起。
• They flushed,however,when she burst into a shout of derisive laughter.然而，当地大声嘲笑起来的时候，她们的脸不禁涨红了。

7 fortress   

n.堡垒，防御工事

参考例句：

• They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。