“Toast?”
“No.”
“Cereal?”
“No.”
“What have you got?” he asked.
“Coffee.”
“How do you live like this?”
I took two coffee mugs from the cabinet and set them on the counter. “I keep forgetting to stop at the store.”
I gave Briggs his coffee, set him in front of the television, and brought Tiki in to keep him company while I took a shower. I wanted to help Briggs but I had nowhere to go. I was out of ideas.
I took as long as possible in the shower, drying my hair, applying makeup. I wasn’t eager to start my day.
“Hey,” Briggs yelled from the living room. “Did you die in there? Let’s go!”
I ambled out. “Where do you want to go?”
“The Clinic. I think you should bust in there and search the place. Dollars to donuts Pitch is in there.”
“How am I supposed to bust in? No one answers the door.”
“Break a window. Kick down the door. What the heck do I care? Just get in.”
“Why don’t you go in? You’re the only one with a way to get in.”
“I’m afraid I’ll get caught trespassing or something. And then I’ll for sure lose my job. You and Fatso break into places all the time. It don’t matter with your job. And you got a cop for a boyfriend.”
“I’ll drive us out there, and we’ll take a look, but I’m not breaking in.”
“How about if something’s going on?”
“Like what?”
“Like a helicopter landing. Or Pitch looking out a window? Or attack dogs patrolling the property.”
“If we see any of those things I’ll call Morelli.”
“I guess that’s okay,” Briggs said. “I just don’t want Pitch getting away.”
I parked within sight of The Clinic, and Briggs and I watched the building for three hours.
“I’m hungry,” I said. “And nothing’s happening. I’m giving up on this.”
“He’s gotta be in there,” Briggs said. “Where else would he be?”
“Switzerland?”
“There’s a car coming,” Briggs said. “Duck down!”
The car sped past us and turned in to the driveway to The Clinic’s garage. We sat and waited and an hour later the car left The Clinic and drove down the road. I followed at a distance.
“This is big,” Briggs said. “This is a new car. It’s a silver Lexus. It wasn’t in the garage that night. And it doesn’t belong to Nurse Cokehead.”