door. He stood in the entry until Emily walked toward the kitchen, and then he followed her. She stood at the counter and started making coffee, and he sat down at the table.
Emily looked only at the coffeemaker as she spoke. “April said you knew, and that you were going to tell me. Is she right?”
“Not exactly. If I found out for sure, I would have told you.”
VVj1 J ? 77
“Because you asked me to find out who killed Phil and why. I’ve noticed that an extramarital relationship sometimes bears on those questions.” He paused. “I wasn’t ready to say anything because I could have been wrong.”
“But you weren’t wrong. When did you start to suspect it?”
There was nothing subtle about her questions. She wasn’t imagining he had forgotten she’d asked him a couple of years ago. He chose to answer a narrower question than the one she had asked. “A few months ago, I noticed she would stay late with Phil after everyone else had left. There wasn’t that much paperwork.”
“Go on.”
“Jesus, Emily. You really don’t want to hear about that. April said she had confessed to you already. Take her word for it.”
Emily shrugged. “I guess you’re right. I probably know all of his moves already. I suppose I’m just reacting out of shock.” She gave a single, unhappy laugh. “I don’t know where the shock comes from. You remember we had a conversation about this a couple of years ago, before April came along.”
“I remember,” he said.
She folded her arms across her chest. He recognized that she was unconsciously protecting herself from what was coming. “Tell me, Ray. Were you lying then?”
“I don’t know. I thought he might be seeing somebody. I wasn’t sure, and I couldn’t tell you he was cheating if I wasn’t sure. I didn’t think what I was saying was a lie.”
“After I talked to you, did you try to find out?”
“No.”
“Not an honorable thing to do to your friend?”
“No. Come on, Emily. I think it’s time to go.”
“Go where? What are you talking about?”
“I’m going to take you out to dinner.”
“No. I’m not in the mood to get dressed up.”
“You already are dressed up. You got dressed up to go to work.”
“I can’t go out. My husband just died, and I want to be alone.”
“My friend just died, and I don’t want to be alone.” He took her hand and gently pulled her, picked up her purse, and conducted her to the door. “Nobody wants to be worthless on a bad day, Em. Not even me.”
“I’m not going, Ray. I can’t.”
He studied her face, and realized that she meant it. He put the purse on the chair near the door. “I wish you would. If you change your mind, or just want to talk, call me.”
“All right.” She looked at the doorknob.
He saw where she was looking, opened the door, and stepped outside. He watched her shut the door, heard the lock, and then the faint sound of her going deeper into the house. He felt a twinge, an impulse to protect her. It was as though he were missing a chance, letting something happen that he shouldn’t. He walked to his car. As he drove away up Emily’s street he looked in his rearview mirror several times, but he couldn’t find an excuse to stop or go back.
11
Jerry Hobart looked in the telephone book, then drove the blue Hyundai to the Disabled American Veterans storefront a few miles north of Los Angeles in Sun Valley. There he arranged to donate the car in exchange for a tax deduction. The pink slip carried the name David Finlay, so the tax deduction wasn’t much use to Jerry Hobart, who had not paid taxes since before his incarceration nearly twenty years ago. There was no immediate need to get rid of the car, but he liked to get rid of anything that might be connected to a shooting. He accepted a ride in the Hyundai from the man in charge of the office, a volunteer named Don who hit the pedals with his left foot because his right leg was made of glossy plastic. The part that Hobart
Emily looked only at the coffeemaker as she spoke. “April said you knew, and that you were going to tell me. Is she right?”
“Not exactly. If I found out for sure, I would have told you.”
VVj1 J ? 77
“Because you asked me to find out who killed Phil and why. I’ve noticed that an extramarital relationship sometimes bears on those questions.” He paused. “I wasn’t ready to say anything because I could have been wrong.”
“But you weren’t wrong. When did you start to suspect it?”
There was nothing subtle about her questions. She wasn’t imagining he had forgotten she’d asked him a couple of years ago. He chose to answer a narrower question than the one she had asked. “A few months ago, I noticed she would stay late with Phil after everyone else had left. There wasn’t that much paperwork.”
“Go on.”
“Jesus, Emily. You really don’t want to hear about that. April said she had confessed to you already. Take her word for it.”
Emily shrugged. “I guess you’re right. I probably know all of his moves already. I suppose I’m just reacting out of shock.” She gave a single, unhappy laugh. “I don’t know where the shock comes from. You remember we had a conversation about this a couple of years ago, before April came along.”
“I remember,” he said.
She folded her arms across her chest. He recognized that she was unconsciously protecting herself from what was coming. “Tell me, Ray. Were you lying then?”
“I don’t know. I thought he might be seeing somebody. I wasn’t sure, and I couldn’t tell you he was cheating if I wasn’t sure. I didn’t think what I was saying was a lie.”
“After I talked to you, did you try to find out?”
“No.”
“Not an honorable thing to do to your friend?”
“No. Come on, Emily. I think it’s time to go.”
“Go where? What are you talking about?”
“I’m going to take you out to dinner.”
“No. I’m not in the mood to get dressed up.”
“You already are dressed up. You got dressed up to go to work.”
“I can’t go out. My husband just died, and I want to be alone.”
“My friend just died, and I don’t want to be alone.” He took her hand and gently pulled her, picked up her purse, and conducted her to the door. “Nobody wants to be worthless on a bad day, Em. Not even me.”
“I’m not going, Ray. I can’t.”
He studied her face, and realized that she meant it. He put the purse on the chair near the door. “I wish you would. If you change your mind, or just want to talk, call me.”
“All right.” She looked at the doorknob.
He saw where she was looking, opened the door, and stepped outside. He watched her shut the door, heard the lock, and then the faint sound of her going deeper into the house. He felt a twinge, an impulse to protect her. It was as though he were missing a chance, letting something happen that he shouldn’t. He walked to his car. As he drove away up Emily’s street he looked in his rearview mirror several times, but he couldn’t find an excuse to stop or go back.
11
Jerry Hobart looked in the telephone book, then drove the blue Hyundai to the Disabled American Veterans storefront a few miles north of Los Angeles in Sun Valley. There he arranged to donate the car in exchange for a tax deduction. The pink slip carried the name David Finlay, so the tax deduction wasn’t much use to Jerry Hobart, who had not paid taxes since before his incarceration nearly twenty years ago. There was no immediate need to get rid of the car, but he liked to get rid of anything that might be connected to a shooting. He accepted a ride in the Hyundai from the man in charge of the office, a volunteer named Don who hit the pedals with his left foot because his right leg was made of glossy plastic. The part that Hobart
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