“Yeah.”
The weight in my chest felt so heavy I almost couldn’t breathe. I changed the subject, “And Jett…anything?”
Vick said, “We’ve got people looking, but no, nothing on her or on Berenko or Wesley or any of their men.”
“How’d you know who it was?”
“You told us what happened when you were on the way here.”
“I did?”
“Uh-huh.”
“How long have I been here?”
“Less than an hour. Not long.”
I thought of Berenko torturing Jett and knew that an hour could be way, way too long.
I said, “Thanks, Vick. I mean it.”
“I’d do it for anybody. Don’t think you’re special or anything.”
“I’d kiss you if I could get up,” I said.
Vick stood. “I gotta go. Check on you two later.”
He left and I looked across at Archie.
“Thanks, Arch.”
“No problem. I gotta keep my actors in top shape. It’s purely business.” Archie winked at me. He said, “This girl, Jett. She’s in big trouble.”
“Big.”
“I know Vick’s alerted the LAPD as well as his S.O. and they’re looking, but Ronny, you’ve always been good at this kind of stuff, you and Hondo both. Faster than the cops can be, I think.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
The nurse left the room and Archie said, “They want to keep you overnight to make sure you’re okay. Personally, I think you need to start doing what you do. She doesn’t have until tomorrow.”
I motioned for him to close the door, then got up and staggered to the closet for my clothes.
Archie said, “I brought you new ones. The others were ripped to shreds.”
“Thanks.” I sat on the bed and dressed. When I finished I said, “You drive your Corvette here?”
Archie tossed me the keys. “Go save her.”
I snuck up to ICU and found Hondo. No one was in his room, so I slipped inside and stood beside him. His face was pale, his breathing shallow. I put my hand on his head and it felt cool, almost cold. I whispered, “For you, I will find her.”
I stood there for a long moment, then went to his closet and rummaged through his clothes, or what was left of them. Hondo had said they “Got it” when he was at the bus station, so that was what I hoped to find. It didn’t take long.
In his back pocket was a postcard of the HOLLYWOOD sign on Mount Lee. I looked at it, and then ran my thumb across the image. A small round indentation, like that made with the tip of a ballpoint pen was directly below the W. There was no writing on the back. I put the postcard in my pocket and left.
**
I parked in front of our office and hobbled like an arthritic old man to the door. I fumbled with my keys before finding the office key, then I unlocked the door and went inside.