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“How about Vi
“Yes. Not a bad read—needs some editing and proofing. It’s quite remarkable, actually, given his age, and this is the first time he’s ever done anything like it.”
“And the contents?”
“He says it’s all true, but I think other than the landscape, it’s all fantasy. He’d have you believe that he was Al Capone’s driver. Old as Vi
Ray handed a credit card to Phillip.
“I hope Vi
“I do too,” said Ray, picking up his book.
“Would you like that copy of Vi
“Sure,” said Ray. “I’ll read it tonight.”
6
Ray had uncorked a bottle of Beaujolais and was sca
“How is it that you just arrive like that?” asked Ray, putting down the book.
“Does it bother you?”
“No, I’m just curious.”
Ha
“What?” Ray pursued.
“I know I can always get a decent meal here. I hate to cook, and I don’t like most restaurant food.”
Ray laughed. “The menu isn’t too inspired tonight. Most of it will be out of the freezer.”
“Do you have enough for….”
“No problem.”
What can I do?” she asked.
“Wash and spin the salad. Grate the Parmesan. I’ll do the main course.”
“Which is?”
“Ricotta cheese gnocchi in browned butter. I hope you’re not dieting.”
“The nice thing about being super hyper is I burn it off.” Ha
“Yes.” In fact, Ray had been thinking about Sarah earlier in the day.
“What happened to her?”
“Her job up here was going away; she had a terrific offer with a large law firm in Chicago.”
“Are you two still talking?”
“Occasional e-mails.”
“There’s a wistful tone to your voice.”
“The timing wasn’t right.”
Ha
“All right. She is a very pleasant person. I enjoyed spending time with her. Unfortunately, during our brief relationship, I was injured twice. I think she found that quite frightening, perhaps more than she could deal with—even though over the course of my whole career, I’ve only been injured once before. And, then, I was working all the time. That goes with ru
Ray turned back to the stove. “Early on I thought she’d come back for weekends, or I’d go down there—I’d like a bit of an inducement to get to the Lyric Opera more often. It never seemed to happen. And then she quickly fell into a relationship, someone in her apartment building. We were in different places.”
“Yes?”
“I seem to be working all the time,” Ray said, facing her. “I guess I’m a workaholic. At the end, she was questioning whether I had the capacity to make time for her. Not just time time, but the emotional time.”
“What do you think?”
Ray waved his spoon in the air. “I don’t know. I haven’t been in a serious relationship for years. I’m used to being alone. When I’m not working, I’m kayaking, skiing, reading. I fill every moment. Perhaps I’ve forgotten how to make time for someone else.” He shrugged.
“I’m sort of the same way,” Ha
Ray nodded as he worked on browning butter without burning it, his focus on the contents of a stainless steel pan. Ha
“How’s the world of crime?” she asked after they settled at the table and began their meal.
“Nothing too awful seems to be happening right now, fortunately. It’s fu
“What’s that?”
“An elderly man has gone missing.”
“From a nursing home?” Ha
“No, he lives independently. Most of these cases with old people don’t have a happy ending.”
“I can imagine—heart failure, stroke, hypothermia. Our bodies fall apart, our brains turn to mush. We become increasingly vulnerable. And if you wander away somewhere and don’t get immediate medical attention ….” She paused. “Maybe that’s not so bad, to die quietly. How many times have I watched, sometimes participated in, an attempt to resuscitate an elderly person. Our best efforts to keep someone going can be violent. She looked directly at Ray, holding his eyes in her gaze. “I’ve often thought it would be so much more humane to let them die quietly.” Ha
They fell into silence for several moments. “I spent time with his daughter this afternoon,” Ray said. “She told me that her father’s a real character. He’s recently written and published a book on his years as a driver for Al Capone. He says he helped Capone bury his treasure up here.”
“For real?”
Ray left the table, retrieved the book off a nearby counter, and passed it to her before settling back into his chair.
“As you can see, the book is for real, and the author would have his readers believe that it’s all fact, not fiction. According to his daughter, however, Fox has a rich fantasy life.”
“How about the Capone co
Ray chuckled, “Another urban legend that has been around for decades. I used to hear about Capone as a kid from the old-timers. It’s one of those stories you can tell and continue to embellish because no one can disprove anything you’re saying. Big Al supposedly had two or three hideouts up here. For example, there’s a house in Frankfort that reportedly has a tu