High profile

Again Jesse felt it across his shoulders. He was aware, against his hip, of the mild weight of his holstered gun.

“Is he here?” Jesse said.

Je

“Here?”

“Did he follow you here?” Jesse said.

“No. I saw him outside my apartment this morning, so went out through the back cellar door and down the alley. I took a cab here.”

“How long has he stalked you.”

“I saw him near the station when I went in, the day after it happened. Yesterday, he was hanging around a shoot I was on in Natick…. What would you have done if he were here.”

Jesse was quiet.

“I want to know,” Je

“I would have seen to it,” Jesse said, “that he never hurt you again.”

Je

“Would you kill him?”

“If I had to,” Jesse said.

“I’d kill him,” Je

Jesse nodded.

“I need you to get me a gun.”

Jesse nodded.

“And show me how to use it.”

“I can do that,” Jesse said.

“You know what the bastard was like?” Je

Jesse shook his head.

“He came into my apartment right behind me,” Je

Jesse was very still.

“For crissake, stand there and undress,” Je

Jesse waited. Je

“And then I’m standing there completely undressed, nothing on, and the fucking sonovabitch couldn’t get it up.”

Jesse nodded.

“I had to stand there naked and watch him fondle himself until he was hard enough.”

Je

“Then he made me lie on the floor and he did it. On the floor. He jammed it in and pushed hard and called me names and told me I liked it rough.”

Jesse nodded.

“It hurt,” Je

“Did you see a doctor?”

“No.”

“I can take you,” Jesse said.

“No.”

“How can I make it better?”

“Find him and kill him.”

Jesse nodded. Je

“I’ll find him,” Jesse said.

“And kill him?”

“Can you work with a sketch artist?” Jesse said.

Je

“Could you pick him out of a mug book?” Jesse said.

Je

“I have to stay with you,” Je

Jesse nodded.

“I’ll protect you,” he said.

“All the time.”

“There’ll be someone with you,” Jesse said, “all the time.”

“You?”

“Me or somebody good.”

“I want you,” Je

“We’ll figure something out,” Jesse said. “We’ll make it work.”

13

Je

“Can you talk with Lutz?”

“Sure,” Molly said.

“See if he can ID the woman,” Jesse said. “Find out what Weeks was doing in town. Why Weeks needed a bodyguard, that kind of thing.”

“I can do that,” Molly said.

“Thank you.”

“And run the daily briefing, and the front desk.”

“I know you can.”

“And take care of my husband and four kids.”

“Of course,” Jesse said.

“I am woman, hear me roar.”

“It won’t be forever,” Jesse said.

“What are you going to do about Je

“I don’t know yet.”

“Maybe it will be forever.”

“No. I’ll figure it out.”

“I’m a woman, Jesse. I sympathize maybe more than you can imagine with Je

“Which might be in the ground,” Jesse said.

“I would have no problem with that,” Molly said. “As long as you came out of it okay.”

“Thank you.”

“I care about you, Jesse, and I can imagine how you feel,” Molly said. “Yes, we can get by in the short run, probably. But this department won’t function without you.”

“Yes.”

“Especially now.”

“Yes.”

“Plus, you can’t find the rapist for her if you are home watching her all day.”

“Sometimes I’ll be at the studio watching her,” Jesse said.

“You know what I mean,” Molly said.

“I do.”

“And we can’t spare anybody, Jesse. Not now, not with the two murders and the goddamned press. Plus, the governor’s office calls every day. And some congressman.”

“I know.”

“And what are you going to do about Su

“I don’t know.”

“Jesse,” Molly said. “This is a fucking mess.”

“Thank you for noticing,” Jesse said.

“I want to ask you a bad question,” Molly said.

“Why should today be different,” Jesse said.

The line was silent for a moment.

“Do you completely believe her?” Molly said.

“That is a bad question,” Jesse said.

“I know.”

Again the line was silent.

Then Jesse said, “Maybe not completely.”

After a time, Molly said, “Will you be there if I need you?”

“Yep.”

“I’ll talk with Lutz,” Molly said. “And call you back.”

“Talk about phoning it in,” Jesse said.

He hung up and stood and walked past his picture of Ozzie to the French doors and opened them and went out and stood on the balcony and looked at the harbor and thought.

14

This is absolutely insane,” Su

“I know,” Jesse said.

“She and I can’t be together,” Je

“Of course not,” Jesse said.

He was sitting on a stool at the bar in his living room in front of his picture of Ozzie Smith. Je

“Jesse, there’s a guy here from the governor’s office,” Molly said. “Looking for you.”

“Tell him I’m not available now.”

“He won’t like that,” Molly said.

“I can’t worry, right now,” Jesse said, “about what people like.”

“I’ll try to handle it,” Molly said.

“Thanks, Moll.”

“But I’m not the chief of police,” Molly said.

“Do what you can,” Jesse said. “I’ll be there when I can be there.”

He hung up and looked at the two women. Neither of them said anything. It was late morning, and the sun coming through the French doors made a long, bright parallelogram on the living-room floor. Jesse picked up an empty highball glass from the bar. It was made of thick glass and had a nice heft to it.

“I need a drink,” Jesse said.

Neither woman spoke.

“Probably needed too many drinks in my life,” Jesse said.

The women stayed quiet. Jesse smiled without happiness. He turned the empty glass slowly in both hands.

“Booze aside,” he said, “there are, as far as I can tell, three things in life that matter to me. Je

“In fairness,” Su

Jesse nodded.

“In fairness,” Je

“Both of you,” Jesse said, “matter more to me than anything, except my job, and I seem unable to do my job if I don’t ask you to do something that is probably unfair to both of you.”

“Which would make you, in some sense, oh-for-three,” Su

“Yes, I ca

“Which was what saved you when you came east from L.A.,” Je