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Toby called, “Where’s Norene?”
    “Here!” She came giggling from the timber, weaving badly as she walked. She carried her helmet in one hand, her flask in the other. “I hid!”
    “Ah,” Toby said. “Now for the unveiling!” He reached out and caught Anne by the ankle and pulled so that she had to jump from the box. She fell onto Curtin and they went down together. Toby laughed, took a small key from his pocket, and opened the small padlock on the side of the box. He threw back the lid with a gesture.
    “Voilà”
    By now everyone but the doctor had managed to crowd around. Lights swung up and into the box. Cain heard the redhead scream. Smathers’ swearing was definitely not of the legal variety. Cain said, “What the hell?” and darted forward.
    He and Lisa reached the box at the same time. Curtin was in Cain’s way and he snatched the man up and flung him to one side. He heard Toby’s exclamation of surprise and then he looked into the box.
    Cain felt Lisa beside him, felt her stiffen in horror. Then he turned and made a grab. He caught Toby Patton by the coat lapels. Cain swung on Toby with everything he had in his long arm and fist, enjoying the feel of the contact, enjoying the sight of Toby lifting up and arching over the box to land on his back on the other side. Snarling, Cain went after him.
    Even in his satisfaction of hitting Toby Patton, Cain could not get out of his mind what he had just seen: Stretched out in the coffin, clad in a shroud, was the still, pale form of Paula Ryerson.

CHAPTER FIVE
    “
MY
GOD!
” Lisa said hoarsely. “I’m glad Honor wasn’t with us. What a disgusting brute. I’ve never known Toby to be that bad before.”
    They were back in Cain’s coupe and almost to Cain’s apartment. Lisa was in her evening gown again but she had her shoes off. When Cain glanced at her, he saw that she was troubled by more than aching feet. She was nearly worn out.
    He said, “Maybe we’d better not bother with something to eat, Lisa. I’ll take you home and give you one of your pills.”
    “I don’t need a pill to make me sleep,” Lisa said. “I might have nightmares, though, at that.” She fumbled for his cigarettes. “But I’m okay, really. Some food will fix me up, I think. Stop at your place and get some coffee — I’m out — and we can eat at my house. I don’t want to face a lot of people right now.”
    “Can do,” Cain said, and swung left up the hill.
    Lisa handed him a lighted cigarette. “That fight did me a lot of good,” she said. “It was a genuine pleasure.” She laughed a little. “I think you really enjoy hitting people, Cain.”
    “People like that I do,” he admitted. He pulled into the curb across from his apartment and started to get out. He stopped, one foot on the pavement. “Did I leave a light on?”
    “I turned them off,” Lisa said. “You were carrying Honor and I flipped the switch. I remember it distinctly.”
    Cain said, “I’ll be right back,” in a thoughtful voice. He flipped away his cigarette as he reached the building and took the stairs two at a time. He paused at the door, one hand reaching for the knob. The door was ajar about an inch and he could see marks by the lock as if someone had used an instrument to pry it open.
    He pushed the door suddenly, stepped in fast, and stopped as quickly. There were three men on his couch. The man in the middle was the tweedy, masculine type, complete with sandy mustache and pipe. He sat relaxed with his heavy, handmade brogans thrust carelessly in front of him. He had a rugged, intelligent-looking face with sandy eyebrows and hair to match the mustache. His eyes were wide and gray and smiling — and a little vacant. On either side of him were men who could almost have passed for twins.
    One was the slender man Cain had thrown at Anse earlier. The other was equally smooth faced, equally over-dressed. Both were of medium height, thin faced, dark eyed, their hair slicked back with