Daddy," as she hugged his legs. Quite a touching scene, except from the look of Mom's eyes. I gathered that little voice was about the only cheerful sound my mustached friend was going to hear for the next few days. They went out into the snow and in a few more minutes Diane came out.
Her lips were pressed together and the short scar on her chin was shiny white, and these warning signs made me sit right up and not feel tired anymore. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, but her voice was steady as she said, "Can we go outside?"
"Sure," I said, tossing the half-empty cup of coffee into a wastebasket. I followed her through the sliding glass doors and out into the parking lot, and I drew my coat closer against me. The snow had grown heavier, and the cars and trucks in the hospital's parking lot were now odd-shaped mounds. I went to the Rover and climbed in, and Diane joined me on the passenger's seat as I started up the engine and switched on the heater.
Diane sighed and rested her head in her hands. I left the lights out and didn't bother to clean off the windshield, letting the snow cocoon us in. I reached over and gingerly rubbed at the back of her neck and she said, "Well, I let my cop instincts overtake everything else, and the Newburyport Police Department is now here."
"I know. I saw the detective roll in a few minutes ago."
"Yeah, you sure did. One Inspector Ron Dunbar, and already I don't like him."
I kept rubbing. 'Why's that?"
She sighed and said, "I don't know. Nothing blatant or awful, like him asking her stupid questions about her sex life or sex partners or what she was wearing in bed, did she entice the guy, crap like that. No, he did an okay job, and maybe that's the problem."
"Because that's no standard case in there," I said. "That's Kara."
"You're so right." She turned to me and her face was a gaunt shadow. "He did everything right and asked the right questions, and he and a squad are going over to her apartment right now, but I can tell. He's just doing it. He's just going through the motions. Call it cop sense, but I don't think he's going to bust his butt on this one, and I can't allow that, not for a moment."
I chose my words carefully. "Do you think he knows about you and Kara?"
I think she tried to smile. "You mean about our alternate lifestyle? No, I don't think so. I think he's just a guy cop a bit overwhelmed with his job and Kara's story so far.... Well, she did everything wrong. She shouldn't have destroyed the evidence the way she did. She panicked, and I think this guy is going to hold it against her. I don't think he will make this case a priority, that's what."
Another sigh, and she put her head in her hands and said, "Shit, shit," over and over again, and then said, "We've been through some times, you and me, right?"
"Absolutely true," I said, remembering with a quick tinge of comfort the first time we had met, and how she had helped set me on the road to living again, after the worst months of my life. Although she was aware of what she did, those years back, I'm sure Diane doesn't know the extent of how much she had saved me.
"Then I can ask you for a favor, the biggest favor I've ever asked you."
I shifted some in my seat, the heat in the front just reaching the comfort zone. "You can ask and it's yours."
"You probably won't like it."
U-oh. "You're probably right, and I think it probably doesn't make a difference. What do you need?"
She sighed again. "I want your help, Lewis."
"You've got it. Just name it, Diane."
It seemed to take a few minutes as she raised herself up and sat back in the seat, and she reached across and grabbed my hand.
She said, "I want you to help me find him."
No need to ask who he was. "It'll be hard, and might take a lot of time, and the cops here might not like me sniffing around."
"I can handle that," she said. "Will you do it?"
I ran my fingers across the steering wheel. "So we can give him to the cops?"
A pause that seemed to stretch for
Her lips were pressed together and the short scar on her chin was shiny white, and these warning signs made me sit right up and not feel tired anymore. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, but her voice was steady as she said, "Can we go outside?"
"Sure," I said, tossing the half-empty cup of coffee into a wastebasket. I followed her through the sliding glass doors and out into the parking lot, and I drew my coat closer against me. The snow had grown heavier, and the cars and trucks in the hospital's parking lot were now odd-shaped mounds. I went to the Rover and climbed in, and Diane joined me on the passenger's seat as I started up the engine and switched on the heater.
Diane sighed and rested her head in her hands. I left the lights out and didn't bother to clean off the windshield, letting the snow cocoon us in. I reached over and gingerly rubbed at the back of her neck and she said, "Well, I let my cop instincts overtake everything else, and the Newburyport Police Department is now here."
"I know. I saw the detective roll in a few minutes ago."
"Yeah, you sure did. One Inspector Ron Dunbar, and already I don't like him."
I kept rubbing. 'Why's that?"
She sighed and said, "I don't know. Nothing blatant or awful, like him asking her stupid questions about her sex life or sex partners or what she was wearing in bed, did she entice the guy, crap like that. No, he did an okay job, and maybe that's the problem."
"Because that's no standard case in there," I said. "That's Kara."
"You're so right." She turned to me and her face was a gaunt shadow. "He did everything right and asked the right questions, and he and a squad are going over to her apartment right now, but I can tell. He's just doing it. He's just going through the motions. Call it cop sense, but I don't think he's going to bust his butt on this one, and I can't allow that, not for a moment."
I chose my words carefully. "Do you think he knows about you and Kara?"
I think she tried to smile. "You mean about our alternate lifestyle? No, I don't think so. I think he's just a guy cop a bit overwhelmed with his job and Kara's story so far.... Well, she did everything wrong. She shouldn't have destroyed the evidence the way she did. She panicked, and I think this guy is going to hold it against her. I don't think he will make this case a priority, that's what."
Another sigh, and she put her head in her hands and said, "Shit, shit," over and over again, and then said, "We've been through some times, you and me, right?"
"Absolutely true," I said, remembering with a quick tinge of comfort the first time we had met, and how she had helped set me on the road to living again, after the worst months of my life. Although she was aware of what she did, those years back, I'm sure Diane doesn't know the extent of how much she had saved me.
"Then I can ask you for a favor, the biggest favor I've ever asked you."
I shifted some in my seat, the heat in the front just reaching the comfort zone. "You can ask and it's yours."
"You probably won't like it."
U-oh. "You're probably right, and I think it probably doesn't make a difference. What do you need?"
She sighed again. "I want your help, Lewis."
"You've got it. Just name it, Diane."
It seemed to take a few minutes as she raised herself up and sat back in the seat, and she reached across and grabbed my hand.
She said, "I want you to help me find him."
No need to ask who he was. "It'll be hard, and might take a lot of time, and the cops here might not like me sniffing around."
"I can handle that," she said. "Will you do it?"
I ran my fingers across the steering wheel. "So we can give him to the cops?"
A pause that seemed to stretch for
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