Clark said, 'Are we close?'

'Yes.'

Two minutes later I parked at the curb in a spot that left room for Dak's Mercedes, and then the four of us climbed out of Pike's Jeep. Dak jerked his thumb at the building, and Mon said, 'Let's go.'

Clark was walking fine, though every once in a while he made a little wince. The cancer.

We reached the condo, knocked twice, and waited for Teri to unlatch her door. It should have been a surprise homecoming, and it should've been nice, but it wasn't.

Teri opened the door the third time I knocked, and I knew something was wrong. 'Teri.'

Her eyes made little round O's when she saw Clark. 'Daddy!'

Clark said, 'Hi, sweetie.'

Teri, what's wrong?'

Teri's eyes filled and she threw her arms around Clark and wailed. 'Charles ran away.'

CHAPTER 27

Mon ran back to the Mercedes, and the rest of us went inside, Clark with an arm around Teri. Winona jumped off the couch when she saw Clark and ran to him, shrieking and grabbing him around the waist. Guess she wasn't all that worried about Charles, or maybe she was just that much happier to see her father. I said, 'How long has Charles been gone?'

Teri wiped her nose. 'Since before lunch.' It was after three now.

'Do you know where he went?'

'Uh-uh.' She wiped her eyes again. 'He said he wanted to look around the building. He said he'd be back soon, but he never came back.'

I gave her a hug and tried to look confident. 'It's okay, kiddo. We'll find him.' Charles might be anywhere.

Mon came back with Dak and the two Walters, and nobody looked happy. They stood in a little clump in the front door, Dak angry and firm. 'Now what?'

' Clark 's son is missing.'

Dak glared at me as if I had to be kidding.

'We can't just drive away. We have to find him.'

Dak looked angrier still. 'You said this wouldn't take long. You said we would pick them up and leave.'

Teri had stopped sniffling and was looking at Dak and his pals. She said, 'Who are these people?'

Clark said, 'These are the men I'm working for, honey.' Like they were Sears, and had a great retirement plan.

I said, 'What can we do, just leave him?'

Dak stalked past me, slumped onto the living room couch, and shook his head. Walter Senior and Walter Junior sat next to him. Mon stood by the coffee table and gave Dak a smug smile, the look saying 'I told you so.' They talked among themselves, then Dak sighed and looked defeated. 'Describe the boy and we will help you look for him.'

Teri told us that Charles was wearing big shorts and the black Wolverine T-shirt, and after a bit the four Viets left, Dak telling them to meet back at the condo in thirty minutes. Revolutionary operation.

I said, 'Did Charles take anything with him?'

Teri said, 'No.'

' Winona?'

Winona shook her head without looking at me.

'Did he say anything about the park or a 7-Eleven or anything like that?' The Russians didn't know where we were and had no reason to be in Studio City, so I wasn't worried about them. The Studio City Park was a block away, and two convenience stores were within a couple of blocks. The convenience stores would have video games and magazines and comic books, any of which would be an ideal way to kill a few hours if Charles was bored.

Teri said no and Winona shook her head again.

Pike and I split up. I cruised the park, getting out of the car and walking around the community center they have there. Half a dozen moms with babies were in the sand pit, but none of them had seen a boy matching Charles's description. Eight guys were playing basketball, but they hadn't seen Charles either. I cruised the surrounding streets, then stopped at the little market and the two convenience stores, again describing Charles and again being told that no one matching that description had been around.

Thirty-eight minutes after I left the safe house, I was back, and so were the Viets and Joe Pike, and none of us had found Charles or anyone who had seen him. When I came in empty-handed, Nguyen Dak put his face in his hands. More delay. Teri said, 'Didn't you find him?'

'Not yet. But we will.' I was thinking that if Charles had met another kid here in the complex, he had probably gone home with that kid to hang out. Probably playing Sega right now. I told Clark what I was thinking. 'You and the girls could go down to Long Beach with Dak, and I can wait here. When Charles shows up, I'll join you.'

Dak stood. 'That's an excellent idea.' I think he smiled for the first time in hours.

Clark considered it, but didn't seem convinced. 'Well, maybe.'

Teri said, 'What's in Long Beach?' You could hear an edge in her voice. Tired of always moving. Tired of all the new places.

Clark said, 'That's where I work, honey.'

Winona looked uneasy. 'I want to go home.'

I shook my head. 'If you need anything there, Joe and I will pick it up for you. Best if you guys go straight to Long Beach.'

Winona looked even more uneasy, and picked at her shoe. 'I think we should go home first.'

I stared at her. Teri looked at her, too. ' Winona, you know something?'

'No.' Stubborn.

The muscles in my shoulders and neck tightened, and now I didn't like what I was thinking. Now what I was thinking scared me. ' Winona, did Charles say anything to you?'

She shook her head.

'Did Charles tell you that he was going home?'

She picked harder at the shoe and a little piece of rubber came away. 'Charles said he'd beat me up if I said.' Charles.

Joe said, 'Little girl.'

Winona snuck a glance at him. Joe was standing against the wall with his arms crossed, eyes dark and hidden behind the glasses. If you were Winona 's size he probably looked twelve feet tall. He said, 'I'll protect you.'

Winona still wasn't happy about telling. 'He said he thought waiting around here was dumb because we all knew that Daddy would come home. He said he was going to go wait for him.'

Clark said, 'Oh, dear.'

Winona said, 'He made me give him my key.' The little troll key ring.

Walter Tran Senior looked at his son and nodded. 'Children are a source of great misery.'

I glanced at Pike, and neither of us were liking it. The Russians knew about their house. 'Home is pretty far away. Would Charles know how to get there?'

'Charles is good with directions.'

If Charles headed home, he'd probably use Laurel Canyon to get over the mountains to the basin side. If he was walking it would take a long time and he might still be on the road, but Charles didn't seem like the type who'd hesitate to put out his thumb. If he caught a ride, he might be there now. Of course, the Russians might be there also.

I dialed their number and let it ring fifteen times. No one answered.

Teri said, 'Maybe he's scared to answer.'

'Sure.' I didn't believe it, and that gave me hope. If Charles was there he'd have to answer just to say something smart. 'Okay. I'll drive over and see if he's there.'

Clark and Teri both said, 'I'm going, too.'

'No. Stay here and pack your things. If Charles is there, we'll leave as soon as we get back.'

Dak put his hands together like he was praying. Mon smirked, and rolled his eyes.

I left Pike with them, and drove along the route that I thought Charles would take, cruising slow enough to check out storefronts and lawns and the knots of people standing at pay phones and bus stops. I cruised the parking lot of every minimall I passed, looking in the 7-Eleven and the Subway and the game arcades, and Charles wasn't in any of them, and little by little, I worked my way over the mountain and down into the basin and along Melrose to the house that the Hewitt family called home.

It took me almost an hour and fifty minutes to reach their house, and when I got there I checked the street for Dobcek's tan Camaro. The Camaro wasn't around, and that made me feel better about things.