They passed the State Fairgrounds off to the left, beyond the headlights moving north to the suburbs, going home. The southbound traffic was thin, almost to nothing this time of night, the taillights of a few cars up ahead; but they were gone by the time Clement stopped for the light at Seven Mile. He said, “This ain’t my night. You know it? I believe I’ve caught every light in town.” The girl clung to her door in silence. “We turn right, huh? I know it’s just west of Wood’ard some.”

He heard the girl’s door open and made a grab for her, but she was out of the car, the door swinging wide and coming back at him.

Shit, Clement said.

He waited for the light to change, watching the pale pink figure running across Seven Mile and past the cyclone fence on the corner. All he could see was a dark mass of trees beyond her, darker than the night sky, the girl running awkwardly, past the fence and down the fairway of the public golf course, Palmer Park Municipal-running with her purse, like she had something in it, or running for her life. Dumb broad didn’t even know where she was going. A Detroit Police station was just down Seven a ways, toward the other side of the park. He’d been brought in there the time he was picked up for hawking a queer and released when the queer wouldn’t identify him. If he remembered correctly it was the 12th Precinct.

Clement jumped the car off the green light so the door would slam closed, turned right, cut across Seven Mile in a jog to the left and came to a stop at the edge of the golf course parking lot. The girl was running down the fairway in his headlight beams, straight down, not even angling for the trees. Clement got out and went after her. He ran about a hundred yards, no more, and stopped, even though he was gaining on her.

He said, What in hell you doing, anyway? Getting your exercise?

Clement extended the Walther, steadied it in the palm of his left hand, squeezed off a round and saw her stumble-Jesus, it was loud-and shot her twice more, he was pretty sure, before she hit the ground.