let the engine idle

Giacomo’s smile was queasy. “You’re probably gonna get pissed but I didsomething.”
“What’s that?”
“I went over there. To Tori’s apartment. Knocked on all the doors and askedif they remembered Tori, or seen any guy hanging around. What a dump. Mostlyyou got Mexicans living there, I’m gettin’ all these confused looks, no speakyEnglish. You could get hold of the landlords and ask ’em to pull their rentalrecords.”
“Seeing as you already tried and they said no?”
“Hey—”
Milo said, “Don’t worry about it, just tellme what they said.”
“They said diddly.” Giacomo handed over a scrap of paper. Holiday Inn stationery.A name and a 323 number.
Milo said, “Home-Rite Management.”
Giacomo said, “Bunch of Chinese, I talked to some woman with an accent. Sheclaimed they didn’t own the building two years ago. I try to explain to herthis is important but I got nowhere.” He ran his hands along the sides of hishead. “Stupid bitch—it’s like my brain’s gonna explode. I’m bringing Tori backhome in a fuckin’ carry-on. ”
 
We drove him back to the Holiday Inn, let the engine idle, and walked him tothe hotel’s glass doors.
“I’m sorry about that alkie crack, okay? That other time, that Indian place,you guys had tea, I was just…” He shrugged. “Out of line, none of my business.”
Milo placed a hand on his shoulder. “Noapologies necessary. What you’ve gone through, I couldn’t hope to understand.”
Giacomo didn’t repel the contact. “Be straight with me: Would you considerthis a bad one? Compared to most of them that you get?”
“They’re all bad.”
“Yeah, of course, sure. Like someone else’s kid ain’t as important as mine.But my kid’s what I’m thinking about—think I’ll ever be able to not think aboutit?”
Milo said, “People tell me it gets easier.”
“Hope so. You find anything, you’ll let me know?”
“Of course.”

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