Good People

A

On the other hand, shitty parenting wasn’t something he was exactly unfamiliar with, his line of work. He’d seen many a mother suck the grocery money through a crack pipe.

Still. He turned away from the waterline. The bathroom entrances were on the other side of the concession building. And past that, a hundred yards or so, was the parking lot.

Halden threw the half-smoked cigarette in the sand, started forward, a walk that grew quicker with each step, dress shoes ringing off the concrete. He rounded the corner of the building, headed for the bathroom.

The door was closed. A heavy padlock dangled from the latch.

“No, no, no,” Halden said, turning fast, staring at the parking lot, remembering the sound of the engine driving away.

He felt a terrible heaviness settle on him. It was over. Forget bringing them in himself. Forget being the guy with all the answers, the hero cop that saved the day. They were on the run now, probably on their way out of town. It was time to call in the cavalry. And suffer all the consequences that came with that. He sighed, rubbed at his forehead.

What had happened to spook the two of them? Tom had been nervous about the lawyer question, but Halden couldn’t imagine them ru

Wait.

He sprinted for the car, thinking of the folder Lawrence Tully had given him at the steakhouse, all the personal information he’d collected on the Reeds. Bank statements, bills, credit history. Addresses and family members.

Fuck the cavalry. He could still pull this off.

“PLEASE,” the sister said. “Please, he’s scared.” Even by the murky light filtering through the closed blinds, he could see her eyes, wide as a girl in those Japanese comics.

Jack felt for her, he really did. No way he was going to hurt a baby, but she didn’t know that, and he couldn’t imagine what was going on in her head, the raw-veined panic of it. Still, this was the job, and sometimes the job was ugly. He set the phone down. “That was good,” he said. “You did good.”

There was a clatter from the other room, a crash like pans falling to the floor. He heard Marshall curse.

The woman winced. “Please,” she said, and took a step forward. Raised an arm, the fingers shaking. Her skin was pale, and he could smell her from here, the fear sweat. “Please.”

“Please what?”

“He’s only. He’s. Please. My son.”

Jack looked down at the baby cradled in his left arm. A cute kid, all cheeks and wide, curious eyes. “Don’t worry,” he said. “This will all be over soon.” He looked back up at her. “I promise.”

20

TOM HAD BEEN DOWN THIS STREET more times than he could count, but everything looked different now. Brighter and in sharper focus. He could see the detail in every leaf as though each was on a distinct and brilliant plane. It was almost overwhelming, all that clarity.

“You have the key?” A

They’d fled south on Lake Shore, and every moment he’d expected blue lights behind. He had seen the effort it cost her not to put the gas to the floor, to stay at the same five-miles-over everyone else was maintaining.

“I’ll do it,” he’d said. “I’ll bring it to him.”

“No. Both of us.”

He knew that tone, hadn’t argued. Instead, he’d just quietly made a plan: After they picked up the money, he’d hop in the car, lock the doors, and leave her behind. No point both of them strolling up like sheep.

But then A

Careful what you wish for. “There’s a spot,” he said.

She nodded, pulled the Pontiac to the side, threw it in reverse, and parallel parked. The location was good, halfway down the block from Sara’s house, far enough for their purposes.

A

“We’re going to be okay,” he said, not believing it. “Once he has his money, there’s no reason to kill us.”

She turned, lips quivering. For a moment she hesitated; then she threw herself across the seat, wrapping her arms around his neck, his back, ratcheting against him like she would never let go. “I love you so goddamn much.”

He smiled into her neck, ran his fingers through her hair. “Shhh.”

For a moment they held each other, and then she leaned back. “If we make it through, I’m going to – I’ll never-”

“I know,” he said. “Me too.” He glanced at the clock. Thirty minutes since they’d left the beach. He wanted more than anything to stay right here. “It’s time.”

A

He nodded, feeling a sick heat through his bowels. He opened the car door with a squeak, swiveled to get a foot out.

“Tom.” Her voice a levee holding back too much. He turned, and for her sake made himself smile. She managed a thin smile back, eyes shining. “Be careful.”

He winked. Then he shut the door and started down the sidewalk before his nerve collapsed. Wolfram was a quiet street, trees and brick apartment complexes and the odd town house. He remembered helping Sara move in, angling her futon through the front door, hauling an armoire that had to weigh ten thousand pounds. Afterward, they’d headed to a nearby bar she knew, place called Delilah’s. Great music. The three of them had pounded Old Style and Jim Beam, sweaty and laughing and singing along.

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. Too much at stake to be any less than a hundred percent. The clouds had begun to break, patches of scattered sun spilling through the trees. His mouth was dry, and his legs felt light. Tom dug in his pocket, came out with the brass key clutched in his good hand. Sara’s blinds were all closed, but he thought he saw movement at one of them. His heart felt like it might smash through his ribs.

He stepped onto the porch.

ANNA WATCHED HIM WALK AWAY, and every step cranked barbed wire around her heart. All this time they had been so caught up in chasing the things they thought they wanted, they had forgotten the things they already had. Never again. She thought it repeatedly, a mantra that would keep him safe and bring him back to her. That was all she wanted now.