shouting, âWhat are you doing?â
She gasped, stunned by his outburst, and said, âIâm hot. I was going to roll the window down.â
âNo,â he said firmly. âNo windows. Donât want you screaming again, do I?â
âWhoâs going to hear me here on the highway?â
âI said no.â
âI wonât scream,â she said. âIâm just real hot. I need air.â
âYeah, well, you should have thought of that in the mall. Didnât need air then, did you?â he said coldly.
What was he talking about? And whatâs happening to him? Why did he sound so angry?
âIâm real hot,â Didi repeated.
He swirled one of the central vents on her. âHere,â he said. âHereâs some air.â
Didi sat back against the brown vinyl seat and closed her eyes. She wiped her sweating head, opened her eyes, and said, âCouldnât we stop for a drink? Iâm thirsty.â She was hoping to bring some of his earlier politeness back.
âNo, we canât stop for a drink,â he snapped. âWhat do you think this is? A trip to Disney World? Sit and be quiet. Please,â he added, composing himself.
Didi had no choice about sitting, but she did shut up. Heâs moody, she thought. Is this maâam and please thing just a facade? God help me if it is.
After a few moments, he said, âLook, Iâm sorry, but we have to make tracks. I have to concentrate, okay? Donât want to go too fast, donât want to go too slow. Weâll stop soon.â
Oddly comforted by his courteous demeanor, Didi nodded and then said, âDonât you want to call my husband?â
âNo!â His nasal voice was shrill. âWhy would I want to call him?â
Beads of sweat ran down her cheeks. âTo ask him for money?â
Shaking his head, he leaned toward her and touched her gently on the arm. âYouâre so naive. Thatâs what I like about you.â
Didi wiped her face and then licked her fingers. Ten minutes later, the salt in the sweat made her crazy for a drink, but she didnât talk.
What was her Rich doing? He must have realized by now she wasnât coming to the Laredo Grill. Where was he? Was he trying to call? Then she remembered her cell phone. Sheâd left it on standby at Warner Bros. after she called him. Could he have called already and she hadnât heard? Or was that the phone ringing?
3:25 P.M.
Rich Wood didnât find his wife at the Valley View Mall. He didnât find her at the Galleria Mall, either, though the parking there was more complicated.
Rich knew his wife liked to use valet parking at the Westin Hotel adjacent to the Galleria; Didi loved to just get out of the car and pay four bucks and not worry about parking space. So he drove over to the Westin and asked about Didiâs van at the valet window. The valet, whose name tag read José, asked Rich to describe the van and Didi. Rich did. âOh, jes, Didi, no, she no park here today. She have baby soon?â
José said that the last time heâd seen Didi was four days ago, and he always tried to park her car close for her because when she came out of the mall with the bags, âshe no like to wait so much.â
The fact that the valet knew his wife by name because she visited the Galleria so often amused Rich. Oh, you Didi. You lead a secret life away from me. While I work, youâre getting to know José. You never told me you were on a first-name basis with the Westin valet.
But he didnât have a wife to say that to just then. He didnât even have her van.
Before he left, he dialed her cell phone number again from the pay phone inside the Westin.
3:30 P.M.
The light trill of the cellular phone was unmistakable this time. Didi didnât move. Glancing over at the man from the corner of her eye, Didi saw he was hypnotized by the road and the radioâs loud music. He