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The guy in the hearse probably just stopped on the road to get his bearings, figured out his mistake, and turned around to get on the right track. Two unrelated incidents.’
    ‘I hope you’re right,’ Dani said.
    ‘So do I,’ Jack looked over his shoulder. ‘There it is,’ he said without excitement.
    ‘Where?’
    ‘Second car back, in the other lane.’
    ‘What should I do?’
    ‘Just keep going,’ Jack said, and faced the front.
    ‘Toward home?’
    ‘He’ll probably turn off. Chances are that he’s not following us. Really. I can think of several times I was absolutely convinced cars were tailing me. They stayed back there, turn after turn. But nothing ever came of it. They just happened to be heading the same way.’
    ‘Yeah, I’ve gone through that too.’ She eased into the left-hand turn lane.
    Jack looked around.
    ‘Is it there?’
    ‘Afraid so. Just behind this Mercedes.’
    ‘Oh Jack.’
    ‘Everybody takes Crescent Heights from here.’
    Dani knew he was right. The road led directly into Laurel Canyon Boulevard, one of the few routes over the hills to the western side of the valley. The knowledge, however, didn’t ease her mind.
    ‘When do we decide he is following us?’ she asked. ‘Our next turn-off’s Asher. By then, it’ll be too late.’
    The signal changed, and she made her left turn.
    Jack was silent for a few moments. Then he said, ‘I think we’d better play it safe. We certainly don’t want to lead him to your door.’
    ‘That’s for sure.’
    ‘What’s the road before Asher?’
    ‘Dona Lola.’
    ‘Okay, take that instead. If he turns there, we’ll know.’
    ‘Then what?’
    ‘We’ll worry about that when it happens.’
    ‘Don’t you mean if it happens?’
    ‘Right, if.’
    They continued up Crescent Heights. Though Dani kept checking the rearview, there was always at least one car between them and the hearse. Jack, sitting sideways, had a better view and sometimes spotted it.
    ‘We’re coming up on Sunset,’ Dani finally said. She drove this route almost every day. Half the cars, she knew, would turn off at Sunset – a major boulevard and the last opportunity to leave Crescent Heights before it became Laurel Canyon and climbed into the hills.
    She drove through the intersection. ‘Is it . . .?’
    ‘Still with us.’
    ‘Oh shit.’ She wiped her sweaty hands on her skirts.
    ‘Just means he’s heading toward the valley like the rest of us.’
    ‘Yeah.’
    The narrow road led upward, twisting and banking, the darkness of the wooded hillsides unbroken except for an occasional window light.
    ‘Isn’t that store up ahead?’ Jack asked. ‘That old-fashioned country store?’
    Dani nodded.
    ‘Pull into its parking lot. But do it suddenly, if you can, and don’t signal.’
    ‘What if he pulls in?’
    ‘At least there should be some people around.’
    ‘Okay,’ Dani said. She didn’t want to do it, wished she had more time to prepare herself. Dona Lola was five minutes away, but seemed like the distant future compared to this.
    The road curved and she saw the well-lighted store standing among the trees. A man with a grocery bag was climbing down its wooden stairs. Half a dozen cars were parked in its lot.
    Jack was right. A good place to confront the hearse. Certainly better than the lonely darkness of Dona Lola Drive.
    She checked the mirror. The car behind her was a safe distance back. Suddenly, she jerked the steering wheel to the right. They hurtled into the parking lot and she hit the brakes.
    Twisting around, she gazed back at the cars on Laurel Canyon.
    The hearse sped by, along with the others.
    Dani slumped back in her seat and sighed. She felt exhausted.
    For a few moments, they sat in silence. Then Jack said, ‘Would you like me to drive the rest of the way?’
    ‘No, it’s all right. We’re almost there.’ She turned the car around, waited for a break in the traffic, then accelerated onto the road. ‘Anybody ever tell you you’re