What about her? Mason asked. And what are you doing here this late? I thought youd closed up the outer office long ago. Montgomery answered.His grandfather, Carroll Chilton, did. We called him Poppy. But I havent seen him in years. Only by hearsay. Thethump-thump beats of the chopper blades, the swirl of heated desert air, the taste of red sand in his mouth along with the biting fumes of aviation fuel in his bloody nostrils. None of those things should happen while youre dying, because dying was enough of a bitch. All right, Mason conceded. Bring along a notebook and some pencils. Sit in the back seat and keep notes on any conversation. Lets go. Yes, sir. Nothing, Mason said, except that theres some indication the person who committed the murder escaped by water. The police may decide theyll put two and two together. Have you been out anywhere tonight? She stopped talking and commenced quietly weeping. Go, Frank, Billy said, and be sure to say hello to Cindy for me. Montgomery put her phone way and joined him. She was pale and avoided looking at the dead men. I knew by experience about how far it would be possible to fling an ordinary weapon of ordinary weight under those circumstances, so I went out to the place where I thought such a weapon might have landed. Sure enough, I found a track in the moist soil, indicating that something had struck, bounced, then slid under some loose, moist soil. I probed in this soil and found the revolver. You may be right, he said. The Candidate also asked me to find out what you want. I told him Id ask. Bacchetti. Be right there. Dino rose. Please excuse me, one of my guys wants to see me at the door. He left the room, and took the conviviality with him. Everybody just sat. Yes. What is that? Mason asked. Who?.