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Sheff’s long and healthy profit ested that Travis Center had gone way over budget and way behind schedule Your tax dollars at work But now Travis Center was co back into the red

I looked at their projections for next year--there was only one pending deal The entire resources of the co the city’s new fine arts complex Sheff Construction had done their cost estiured their payroll based on that incoood estimated timetable for their sub-contractors They would be back in the black again easily

The only proble process for the fine arts colesworth, hadn’t even started yet I stared at the coe city works project like Travis Center And, et the next one I was just about to ask the co open

"Before I call the security guard," the man in the doorway said, " at ood as his picture His silver hair was flat on the left side and he had red lines on his cheek like he’d just been sleeping on a corduroy-covered pillow He earing the same dark blue suit pants he’d had on that afternoon, half untucked froray justins His shirt rinkled and his tie was hanging loose around his neck In the picture he also wasn’t holding a tiny silver 22

I shut down Spider John and spit out the disk Then I stood up very carefully

"Sorry," I said "I talked to Dan earlier, said I’d be coht he’d cleared it with you Tim out front didn’t mention you were still here" I held up iti Garza’s stare

Garza’s dark eyes narrowed The gun lowered a few inches, then caain

"I don’t think so," he said

"Maybe if I earing a tie?"

A smile flickered across the left side of Garza’s mouth "Timothy is his last name Sam Timothy Nobody calls him Tim"

"Shit Missed the comma"

"Yeah"

Garza motioned for me to come around the desk, turnedme doith one hand He took the co in contractors’ school?" I asked

He gave me another half smile We were buddies now Then he went around the desk to reclai on the other side His face looked calm, still half-asleep, but his dark eyes were alert, ot more anxious when they saw Beau Karnau’s photos on the desk Garza looked quickly from me to the photos, to the computer, then back at ot Jackson Tres Navarre No comma"

Garza stared at me for a "

I didn’t like the way he said that Garza ed

"You , Mr Navarre"

So I said to him, ‘I’ll keep my eyes open’ I close ers, then pointed at me "I just think that’s funny"

He e His teeth were as white as his un a little too reed I looked down at the family picture on his desk "No other place to sleep, Mr Garza? Problems at home, maybe?"

Garza’s smile hardened His face turned the rusty color of Hill Country granite

"Let’s talk about you," he said

I was thinking about options for leaving Garza’s office without a police escort or a bullet in my anatomy At the moment the alternatives seemed slim I decided, for the moment, to confuse him with the truth

"Dan wanted to hireabout Lillian Cae"

Garza stroked hisyour boss, Mr Navarre?"

"Only when I have questions"

Garza leaned back in his chair He propped one foot on the edge of the desk I couldn’t help noticing the bottorooves, pointed toe, maybe a ten and a half wide

"Such as?" he asked