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Kate.
    â€œFBI.”
    â€œJesus!” Her voice was filled with disgust. “FBI? You trust the FBI?”
    â€œI trust Spitz,” said Joe.
    â€œYou trust this guy, too,” said Kate, anger making a snarl of her voice. “You’re beginning to have a lot of faith in people, Joe. Maybe it’s time you got out of this business.”
    His smile was small. “I also trust you, Kate.”
    She sipped her beer, then sighed and shook her head. “Maybe I’m the one who should quit. It’s getting too hard to be happy.”
    â€œWait until I kill the Bunny,” said Joe. “Then it’ll be safe for you to find another line of work.”
    That was the second time I heard Joe say he was going to kill the Bunny. During all of the years I’dknown him, I’d never heard him mention killing anyone, not even when we were in ’Nam. Even Kate seemed surprised at his words, maybe because people in her line of work prefer to use euphemisms when referring to violent or illegal acts.
    â€œDo you want me to contact Spitz?” I asked Joe.
    Joe looked at the woman. “I think it’s the thing to do. If J.W. does it, there won’t be a direct link to you and me. The Boss won’t be surprised to get Spitz’s call, because he probably knows by now that you’ve gone underground.”
    â€œI’d prefer to keep it in the firm,” said Kate. “Your friend here and this Spitz guy are outsiders.”
    â€œYou may not have found everything the Bunny left in your apartment,” said Joe. “You know what I mean. There may be more needles in the clothes in your closet and bureaus, or in the rugs. Or something may be hooked up to one of your kitchen appliances or your toilet.”
    â€œYes, yes,” she said impatiently. “All right, do it your way. Have your friend here call his FBI pal.”
    â€œMy name’s Jackson,” I said. “My friends call me J.W.”
    â€œI know what your name is,” said Kate. “You told me and then I saw your ID when I took your wallet away from you. Remember?”
    â€œHow can I forget? When I picked it up I was glad to see that my money was still in it.”
    â€œThere wasn’t much to steal.”
    â€œA thief would have to rob me every day for years in order to make any money.” I looked at Joe. “What do you want me to tell Spitz?”
    Joe gave me a telephone number for Spitz to call, and Kate gave me the address of her apartment in Bethesda, then said, “The message is that the Bunny’s been there and left needles where people sit and sleep, and that the cleaners should be very careful. Spitz should say that he doesn’t know where I am but that I’m fine. He shouldn’t say more.”
    â€œI’ll tell him that.”
    â€œI don’t want him to say who called him or from where.”
    â€œI guess I’d be jumpy in your place, too,” I said. “But you can trust Jake.”
    â€œThis business can make you sick,” she said irritably.
    More than one shrink has hypothesized that you have to be at least a little sick to go into the spook business in the first place. Could be, but the same could be said of people who go into a lot of professions, including psychiatry.
    â€œI’ll have to go home to make the call,” I said. “I don’t carry Jake’s number around with me.”
    â€œAs fate would have it,” said Joe, “I just happen to know that number.” He told me what it was, and looked at Kate. “Now you have it, too,” he said. “It may come in handy for you someday. The Bureau may not be on your list of favorite organizations, but Jake Spitz is okay.” He handed me his cell phone.
    I punched the number and the voice on the other end of the line asked who was calling.
    â€œAn old friend of Jake Spitz,” I said. “I’d like to talk with him.”
    â€œMay I