The familiar thrill started to creep through her and she imagined approaching the unsuspecting fraternity brother. She craved the satisfaction of completing the task and knowing she was that much closer to a normal life. Sometimes Lynn wondered what exactly a normal life was. Did it mean getting married and having children? Did it mean working at Thomas Brothers Supply the rest of her life? She felt like she had developed a real skill and wondered if there was a chance to apply it for the greater good of society.
She decided to let the big, philosophical questions rest for a while and focus on what she had to do. There was no way she’d let Kyle Lee get away. Not tonight.
John Stallings felt very comfortable in the corner of the cavernous community room, sharing a cup of coffee with Grace Jackson. While he got to spend time with this lovely woman, he was also able to observe his father from a distance and feel more confident about the older man’s ability to function, despite his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
He was so relaxed he found himself telling Grace about personal problems he wouldn’t even discuss with Patty Levine. He told her about his marriage and the disappearance of Jeanie and about Maria’s drug use. He was careful never to blame Maria for the family’s problems, because, as had become clear to him recently, he was more at fault than anyone else. He even told Grace about Brother Frank Ellis.
When he was finished, Grace said, “I hear what you’re saying, John. But I don’t understand why you think Frank Ellis is purposely trying to disrupt your family life. Could it be he was just trying to get you to pay attention to a problem that Maria had?”
Stallings thought about it for a few moments, frustrated by someone who was objective and trying to get him to look at a problem from all angles.
Then Grace said, “I wish my ex felt the same way about me that you feel about Maria. It’s really very sweet. It’s too bad she doesn’t realize how rare it is to find a guy like you.” She reached across the table casually and grasped both of his hands in her delicate but strong hands. “I do have to say that my ex-husband is trying to get his head on straight. He’s been seeing the kids more and catching up on child support. But it has more to do with the kids than with me. He had another girlfriend even before we split up.”
Stallings enjoyed her hands on his. “I don’t know how you do it between a career, raising two kids, and all the volunteer work you do.”
“My mom always taught me to be thankful for what I have and give back all I can. I’m trying to set a good example for my kids.” She paused for a moment and glanced around the immediate area. “That’s why I probably wouldn’t say anything to them if you asked me out to dinner one evening.”
“I’m in a crazy place right now, Grace, but I can’t think of anything I would enjoy more than spending a pleasant evening with you.”
Stallings flinched and yanked his hands away from Grace as his father walked up, saying a loud voice, “Two of my favorite people sitting at the same table. This calls for a drink.”
Stallings turned his head and stared at his father in disbelief until the old man started to cackle and said, “For a cop, you’re awful gullible.”
Kyle spent a few minutes looking over the meager catch of the fishing boat. There were two wahoo, a snapper, and an amberjack that looked more like bait than a trophy fish. The customers must’ve agreed because none of them wanted to take the fish home with them. One of them was so shit-faced he wobbled across the dock and into the parking lot. Kyle was relieved to see he was only a passenger in a big pickup truck parked near the entrance.
He stood patiently while the first mate cleaned the snapper, cutting it into two small but equal fillets.
The mate looked up at Kyle and said, “You haven’t been out with us in a while. What’s wrong, school getting too tough?”
Kyle smiled and shook his head. “You know how it is during the holidays. I had to go home and visit my folks and school’s been getting real busy.”
“All Thanksgiving meant to me was an extra trip out to sea in the morning. I couldn’t believe how crowded we were. We did so well the captain even smiled for a few minutes on the way back.”
Kyle said, “Looks like a couple of your customers had a little too much beer out in the boat.”
The mate said, “Not my concern once they hit the cement. I don’t care if they drive off the highway into one of the swamps.” He moved fast to wrap up the fish and clean the table. Then he turned and jumped back onto the fishing boat as the captain revved the engine. The mate scurried around, untying lines as he yelled up to Kyle, “See you later, kid.”
TWENTY-ONE
Lynn had slipped next to the dock without anyone ever noticing her. She had waited in the shadow under a burned-out streetlight while the three customers from the fishing boat shuffled toward their cars. One of them look like he had trouble walking until he opened the passenger door of a Dodge 1500 and was able to pull himself in easily.
She noticed Kyle chatting with the older, weather-beaten first mate while the tall, lean man cleaned some fish. Then the man made a graceful leap onto the boat, waving to Kyle as he landed.
She stepped onto the dock toward Kyle. This seemed right. No one was around and he was not paying the least bit of attention. The knife was in her front pocket. She reached down with her right hand and started digging.
Her heart picked up speed as she realized it was time.
Stallings liked Grace Jackson’s idea of a quiet dinner together. The whole concept thrilled him and at the same time made him feel guilty. She was a very special woman, but he hadn’t given up on Maria, who, in an entirely different way, was a very special woman. Still, he felt something was unresolved with Grace. It was a lighter problem than he usually faced, and it made him feel like a little time by himself, down by the beach, might help him get his head on straight. His father had made him laugh tonight with his joke about getting a drink, but mainly it meant he had at least some more time with the lucid James Stallings. The effect of Grace and his father had lifted his spirits more than he could have imagined.
As he headed east, away from the city, he thought about a park with the marina where he used to take Lauren and Jeanie fishing on the big commercial fishing boats. Charlie was too young and he so loved spending a few hours alone with his bright and beautiful daughters. The sharpest memory was how horrified Jeanie had been when she saw the first mate clean a snapper someone had caught. The fish twitched just as the knife cut in behind its gills, and Jeanie screamed in terror and started to cry, instinctively running to her father’s arms and burying her face in his shoulder. She wouldn’t eat fish for almost six months after the incident.
It was little memories like that that could make Stallings appreciate the life he had experienced so far. It was still early and he thought he might get to see one of the boats dock.
That was exactly what he needed.
Tony Mazzetti wasn’t sorry he’d passed up a dinner invitation from Lisa Kurtz. He’d seen her enough over the weekend. Thank God she’d had to work Saturday and left him a full day in peace. He tried to get started on a couple of writing projects, but his recent rejections had his mind wandering in a way that wasn’t conducive to constructive creative writing. Instead, he read a couple of the magazines he normally submitted to, like Civil War Times and History.
He couldn’t help but compare Lisa with Patty, and it made him wonder if Patty had been scarce during their relationship. Because it seemed to him like Lisa was in his face every minute. Was she too available? Should he say anything? The idea of being lonely again terrified the homicide detective. And Lisa certainly had some excellent qualities. She was very pretty, was great in the sack, didn’t mind springing for dinner once in a while, and thought Tony was the greatest thing ever. On the downside, she’d only shut her mouth once while not eating during their entire relationship. And that was when she was focusing on a New England Journal of Medicine article.