Chapter Forty:

Saturday, November 1, 1997 – Los Angeles, CA – Cedars-Sinai

Inez was dressed in a jeans and a light blouse and carried a travel pillow under her arm. She intended to stay for the night. Before she reached the waiting room, she dialed Thompson's number.

"De Pina, glad you called – was about to call you. We found Strate's wallet. It was in some debris on the side of the convenience store. Doesn't look like anything was taken. Ring's still there, cash, receipts, just like Ms. Duke said."

"Prints?"

"None but his, even partials. This is just a wild ass guess, but looks like it might have been cast off when he was hit and just landed there. Possible only Strate can tell us."

"Okay, I'll let you know if anything develops here," she said and then caught him before he could hang up, "Do you have Kate Broussard's mobile number?"

"Yep. Think so. If not, may be in Strate's phone. Why?"

"I tried to call her to let her know about E before the media gets wind. I've left her three messages at her apartment since this morning but she hasn't called me back. Just tried her again and still no answer."

"If I come across it, I'll call you."

"Thanks."

After she hung up, Inez put her phone and pillow in her tote bag and walked into the waiting room to find Soonie and Daisy on opposite sides of the room and Mrs. Huang half asleep on one of the recliners.

"Mrs. Huang," she said, touching her arm gently so as not to startle her, "your nephew has come to take you home. He's waiting downstairs. Someone will go down with you."

"Thank you," she said. "I am a little tired. Have you come to stay?" She pointed to the pillow in the tote.

"Yes."

The deceivingly frail looking lady, her papery skin stretched over thin bones and accentuating the purple veins underneath, lifted herself from the chair. When she reached the door where Inez was waiting, she turned toward Soonie and Daisy.

"Nothing is permanent in this world," she said, in her soft little seventy eight year old voice. "Everything can be taken away from you in an instant. Cherish what you have while you have it. And let it go when you don't have it anymore."

Inez held the door open for her and released her into the care of an orderly.