Newkirk, New Mexico honored its ancestors and shrugged off its supposed problems.
At the Hotel Bel-Air they went to their rooms and quickly wheeled their luggage over to the parking lot.
Along with the Mercedes-Maybach GLS SUV, Caroline unlocked a second car, a Range Rover SV Carmel with Nevada plates and a Sierra Club decal on the rear window.
They loaded luggage into the SUVs and drove their own cars down to the parking lot at the Ralph’s in Westwood to rendezvous.
A thin veil of smoke hovered over the patio.
One of the busboys, newly arrived from Newkirk, New Mexico, knelt and prayed.
