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a lot to me.”
Molly looked at him silently. After a time she said,
“A lot of
people love you, Jesse.”
Jesse smiled. “Including you?”
“Especially me,” Molly said.
“And don’t shut me off by being
cute.”
“It’s hard for me not to be
cute,” Jesse said.
“I give up,” Molly said.
They were both silent for a moment.
Then Jesse said, “Thanks, Molly,” and went on into his
office.
At quarter past twelve Jesse showed up at the Gray Gull, and got
a seat by the window, in a corner, where it would be easier to talk. The Lincolns showed up at 12:30. They came in bubbling with good cheer. Tony was wearing a navy pea coat and a gray turtleneck sweater. Bria
Jesse
stood as they approached.
“Hi,” Tony said. “Thanks for
coming.”
“Never turn down a free lunch,” Jesse said.
“Well, I know how busy you must be, but Bria
enjoyed talking to you before, and since we were in the neighborhood.”
Jesse nodded. The Lincolns took off their coats and piled them on the empty fourth chair at the table.
“Please,” Bria
“There’s no need for you to
stand.”
“I’ll wait for you,” Jesse said.
When they were all seated, the waiter brought menus.
“You come here very much, Jesse?” Bria
“Yes.”
“What’s good?”
“The view,” Jesse said.
Both Lincolns laughed.
“Oh my,” Bria
“That’s not too
encouraging.”
“I guess we’d best not test the
kitchen,” Tony said. “Sandwiches
okay?”
“Sure,” Jesse said.
“It’s after noon,” Tony said.
“Shall we have a
cocktail?”
“We really ought to,” Bria
Jesse nodded. Both the Lincolns ordered a cosmopolitan. Jesse had cranberry juice and soda.
“Of course,” Tony said. “How
thoughtless of us. You’re on
duty.”
Jesse let it go.
“The view is certainly everything it should be,” Bria
said.
The day was bright, the neck across the harbor was covered with
new snow. The ocean water reflected the blue sky.
“It’s what they’re
selling,” Tony said. “If Jesse is right about the food.”
Jesse ordered the club sandwich again. Tony and Bria
tuna salad on toasted whole wheat. Goes great with the cosmopolitan, Jesse thought.
“How’s the investigation going?”
Tony said.
“The serial killings?”
“Yes. Oh, of course,” Tony said.
“Talk about an amateur. It
never occurred to me that you had other cases.”
Jesse smiled.
“So in the serial killings,” Tony said.
“Are you getting
anywhere?”
Bria
“There’s progress,” Jesse said.
“Really,” Tony said. “Are you at
liberty to talk about
it?”
Jesse shook his head.
“I understand,” Tony said.
“I hope none of them suffered,” Bria
“The victims?” Jesse shook his head.
“It was over pretty
quick.”
“Good,” Bria
“Do you think they knew, before they were shot, that they were
going to be shot?”
Jesse shrugged.
“What must it be like,” Bria
“To know you’re going to
die.”
“Bria
knows that.”
“It’s one thing,” Bria
“to know you’re going to die
someday, and quite another to know you’re going to die in the next
moment.”
Tony nodded.
He said, “Have you ever been in that position, Jesse?”
“Facing death?” Bria
Jesse smiled.
“I’m just a small-town cop,”
Jesse said. “Mostly we give out
parking tickets.”
He noticed that Bria
Neither of them had eaten much of their sandwiches.
“It must make everything very intense,”
Tony
said.
“I always wondered what it was like for the shooter,” Jesse
said. “That might be intense.”
“Exercising the ultimate human power,”
Tony said.
“If the shooter thinks about that kind of stuff,” Jesse
said.
“Do you think they do?”
Again Jesse shrugged.
“I’m just a small-town cop,”
Jesse said. “Mostly we give out
parking tickets.”
“I read somewhere that you came here from Los Angeles,” Tony
said.
His wife’s hand was still resting on his thigh. He had covered
it with his hand as they talked.
“Everybody has to come from someplace,”
Jesse
said.
“I think you are being modest,” Bria
know a lot about being a policeman.”
Jesse gri
“I’ve got a lot to be modest
about,” he said.
Tony gestured to the waiter for the check.
“You are a very interesting man,” Tony said.
“You certainly are,” Bria
“I hope you haven’t minded us
asking you all these dumb questions.”
“Not at all,” Jesse said. “I
wish more citizens were as
interested in the police department.”
“Well, I don’t know why they’re
not,” Tony said.
He stood and put out his hand.
“I know you must be pressed for time.”
“A little,” Jesse said.
“Go ahead,” Tony said.
“I’ve got the check.”
“Thanks,” Jesse said.
“It’s been a nice break to talk with you.”
“Oh, how nice,” Bria
“We must do it again
soon.”
Jesse stood, shook Tony’s hand, and
Bria
door. Tony and Bria
“Can he be as simple as he seems?” Bria
“He probably is,” Tony said.
“But even if he isn’t, what
difference does it make. He’s simpler than we are.”
“You’re so sure,” Bria
“You can’t seriously think that some small-town cop is as smart
as we are.”
“He didn’t say he wasn’t from
Los Angeles,” Bria
said.
“I don’t care if he’s from
Mars,” Tony said. “People don’t
become policemen because they are great thinkers.”
“Are we great thinkers,” Bria
“We’re not ordinary, Bria
ordinary.”
She leaned toward him and kissed him on the mouth and let the kiss linger.
“I’ll try to remember,” she said.
60
Jesse drove up Summer Street with Candace in the front seat beside him.
“I don’t even know what a vizsla
is,” she said.
“It’s a Hungarian pointer,”
Jesse said. “Sort of like a smallish weimaraner, only gold.”
“Do they bite?”
“I don’t think so,” Jesse said.
“Are you having second
thoughts?”
“No. I want him. I’m just
nervous.”
“Your parents are okay with this,” Jesse said.
“I don’t think my mother likes it too much,” Candace said. “But
my father said yes.”
“So it’s yes.”
“My mother does what Daddy says.”
“And why do you want the dog?”
“I want somebody I can love,” Candace said.
“Right answer,” Jesse said. “But
loving isn’t enough, you know.
You have to take care.”
“I know. Feed him. Walk him.” She wrinkled her nose. “Clean up
after him. I went over all this with my mother and father.”
“How is it at home?” Jesse said.
“My mother is kind of, like …
sulky.”
“And your father?”
“Daddy’s great.”
“Your mother will get over it,” Jesse said.
Like I know.
“I never saw Daddy fight with anybody before.”
“Like with the Marinos?”