ELVIRA was quiet, sitting between Max and me on the way back.
"Your friend Lily… she was nice."
"But you know it was all game, right?"
She flashed the no-soul smile of a little girl who learned to do tricks too soon. I pulled up outside Train's place. Max stepped out, holding the door for Elvira like a chauffeur.
"Tell Train I'll be around to see him soon," I told the girl. "I won't be taking you back. Just one last talk. I want to part friends. Tell him, he'll know what I mean."
She turned to face me. "Did my mother kiss you goodbye the last time you saw her?"
"No."
She slid off the seat without a word. I didn't look back.