and chaparral. Not her idea of a spot for a saunter.
She pulled in front of the main entrance to the building and went inside. It was frigidly cool, and a shudder went through her. She was momentarily lost, blinded by the contrast between the bright light outside and the darkly painted walls.
Someone said, "Yes? May I help you?" from a dim corner.
Before Charlie's eyes could adjust, another voice came from the other side of the room. "She's here to see me, Marion. This is Eric Lawton's wife."
"Dr. Lawton's... ? Oh, I'm awfully sorry. About... How d'you do? I am sorry. He was... Such a lovely man."
"Thanks, Marion. Mrs. Lawton... ?"
Charlie finally began to make out the shapes of things: the white-haired woman behind a mahogany reception desk and reflected in the mirror behind her, Sharon Pasternak who'd just come through a heavy-looking, metal-plated door. She was wearing a lab coat over black leggings, Nike running shoes, and athletic socks.
Sharon Pasternak came to Charlie's side and put a hand on her arm. "Have you actually found that paperwork we were missing?" she asked determinedly, fixing her eyes on Charlie. "You'll be saving my life if you say yes." She squeezed Charlie's arm, and it felt like a warning. So Charlie nodded and forced a smile.
"Great," Sharon said. "What a relief. Come on back."
"She doesn't have clearance, Dr. Pasternak," Marion protested.
"It's okay, Mar. Don't worry. I'll take her over to the coffee room."
"Dr. Cabot won't - "
"It's cool," Sharon said. "We'll be less than five minutes. Time us."
"I'll be watching the clock," Marion warned.
Sharon guided Charlie across the lobby, not to the heavy door through which she herself had emerged but rather to a less secure door that led to a cafeteria-style room that was, at this time of day, deserted. She made no preamble when they got inside. She said tersely, "You've figured it out. Someone must have phoned your house. Did they leave a name? A number I can call?"
"Someone searched my house," Charlie said. "Someone tore it apart. After you were there."
"What?" Sharon glanced around hastily. "This is serious trouble. We can't talk here, then. The walls have ears. If you'll give me the name, I'll contact them myself. It's what Eric would've wanted."
"I don't have any name." Charlie was feeling hot now, and she was growing confused. "I thought you had it. I assumed that because when you came to the house and then left with nothing and then the house was searched again... What were you looking for? Whose name? All I have is the..."She couldn't bring herself to say it, so horrible and low it seemed to her that her husband - a man she had adored and had thought she knew - had actually stolen from his employer. "I want to return the money," she said in a rush before she could think of an excuse not to speak.
Sharon said, "What money?"
"I've got to return it because they're not going to let up if I don't. Whoever they are. They've searched the house once, and they'll be back. No one puts out that kind of money without expecting ... what do you want to call it?... the goods?"
"But that's not how it works," Sharon said. "They never pay. So if there's money somewhere - "
"Who are they?" Charlie heard her voice grow louder as her anxiety increased. "How do I contact them?"
Sharon said, "Ssshhhh. Please. Look, we can't talk here."
"But you came to my house. You searched. You were looking - "
"For their names. Don't you see? I didn't know who Eric was talking to. He just said that it was CBS. But CBS where? LA? New York? Was it Sixty Minutes or just the local news?"
Charlie stared at her. "Sixty Minutes?"
"Keep your voice down! Good grief! I'm on the line here, about six steps away from losing my job or going to jail or who the hell knows what else, and then what good will I be to anyone?" She looked to the doorway, as if expecting a camera crew to come barreling through. "Look, you've got to leave."
"Not till you tell me - "
"I'll meet you in an hour. In San Juan. Los Rios district. D'you know it? Behind the Amtrak station. There's a tea place there. I don't know the name, but you'll see it when you cross the tracks. Turn to the right. It's on the left. Okay? An hour. I can't talk here."
She shoved Charlie toward the door of