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"Have I come at a bad time? Maybe you'd like me to leave you two alone?" Terry asks, deadpan, as he regards Bud White and a nurse struggling to adjust the sling that holds up Bud's shattered arm.

"Hardy har har. Thorne, you never have good timing." Bud's head is pounding.

"If he's giving you a tough time, he responds well to blunt instruments about the head and neck area," Terry tells the nurse, now giving Bud a smirk. "Well, mate, you've looked better. How you feeling today?"

The nurse glides out of the room, relieved the patient has someone else to focus his bad mood on.

"I understand you found me," Bud says as Terry takes a seat in the chair near his bed. "You and Richie."

"Not exactly." Terry fills him in on what he knows. When he gets to the part about Franki calling Richie, Bud's eyes widen but he says nothing. Interesting. "So, we secured your place. Found a few things of interest."

"Yeah? Well, the scotch was a present so I hope you didn't put too big a dent in it."

"First of all -- about the dog?"

Bud leans into his pillow. Spooky! Jesus, he'd forgotten all about her!

Terry says, "The dog, Bud? I presume there's a logical explanation. She doesn't seem your type, mate."

"I'm watching her for a friend." Bud looks over at Terry and tries to sound casual. "So, did Franki take the dog with her?"

Terry purses his lips. "So, the dog is Franki's? That's what you're saying? I gotta say I'm relieved on the one hand and maybe less happy on the other."

"Are you ever happy, Thorne? And, yeah, the dog is Franki's."

"Well, we didn't know that at the time so I asked Kathy to take care of her until you were out of the hospital."

"I'll let Franki know when she comes to visit."

Terry looks out the window, considering the next thing he want to broach with Bud. Then he takes a deep breath and launches in. "About Franki ... There's something else we found at your apartment that you should know about."

"So spill it and quit acting like a drama queen."

"Does the name Mercedes Guttierez ring any bells, Bud?"

Bud searches his memory. The name isn't familiar. If Terry's asking about it, must have to do with the job, Bud figures. Is that someone he arrested once? He's just not sure. He shakes his head 'no,' he doesn't know anyone by that name.

Terry reaches in his jacket pocket and takes out a piece of white paper, letter size. He looks down at it. Then up at Bud. "Well, meet Mercedes Guttierez. This comes courtesy of Richie and his connections at the station. And I'm only doing this because I'd want to know if I were in your position."

Bud takes the piece of paper and it turns out to be a jail release sheet for one Mercedes Guttierez. "I don't understand," he says.

"We found a broken credit card in your front room in this lady's name. It apparently fell out of her hand after she used it to break into your place the night you fell."

"But this is ..." Bud taps the mug shot at the top of the sheet.

"Franki. Yeah. We know. You want the rest?"

Bud closes his eyes but keeps his grip on the paper. "Give it to me straight, Thorne."

"It's apparently a well-used alias of your friend Franki. So well-used, in fact, that she used it on her last arrest and served time under that name. And has run up a good bit on the credit card we found. Probably not intending to pay it back anytime soon, if you catch my drift. In other words ..."

"In other words, she's been lying to me," Bud says softly. He turns away from Terry and his voice is flat when he says, "I'm kinda tired, Thorne. How about you take a hike and let me digest this."

"She was in jail for three months, Bud."

"Okay. I heard. Now leave me alone for a little while. Okay?"

"Sure. Bud, if you need anything, let me or Richie know. If you need us to ..."

"I need you to leave, Terry. That's all I need right now."

Terry takes another minute sitting in the chair, hating that he's brought such news to Bud. But Bud had a right to know. He rises and leaves the room. As he waits for the elevator, Terry considers that whatever this girl's up to, Bud has to face that she's holding some mighty big secrets.