13
Under normal conditions, with the protected courtyard adjacent and another floor above, Lisa’s kitchen was well insulated from outdoor sounds. (I hadn’t heard the thump of bass from a single passing car, but maybe none of the males in the neighborhood were of prime s****l display age.) These were not normal conditions. The winds weren’t quite howling yet, but they were heading in that direction. A pair of wind chimes we’d missed in the courtyard were about to explode, and the rhythmic tapping of something against an upper story window needed investigation. A big branch landed on the back overhang with a bang, and we all jumped. We were running out of time.
Ray’s list had seven possible locations. We’d spread out a map on the kitchen table to get oriented and see the sites in relation
