sighed heavily, and sank into a chair. “I know. The truth is, I didn’t even realize they were closed. I guess I never opened them at all this morning.”
“You’ve got to—”
“Don’t lecture me, Jim. I don’t think I can stand it. Isn’t there any trace of him at all?”
Jim shook his head. “Nothing. They’re doing everything they can, Lucy, believe me. I was with them all day. We searched the woods he got lost in last year, and talked to practically everyone on his route to school. No one saw him; no one knows anything. They’ll keep searching tomorrow, but after that—” He shrugged despondently.
“You mean they’ll stop looking?” Lucy demanded.“But he’s only a little boy, Jim. They can’t stop looking for him, can they?”
Jim moved to the sideboard and helped himself to a drink, and Lucy, even in the midst of her anguish, found herself gauging its strength. Surprisingly, it appeared to her to be fairly weak. “Fix me one?” she asked.
“Sure.” He poured a second highball and crossed to her, handed her the drink, then retreated to a chair a few feet away. “You have to understand, Lucy. It isn’t that they don’t want to look for him. They are looking, and they say they’ll keep on. But they simply can’t keep doing it full-time. Eventually, unless there’re signs of violence, or a ransom note, they’re going to have to assume he ran away.”
“But he didn’t,” Lucy insisted. “I know he didn’t. And please, Jim, don’t ask me how I know. I just do.”
“I wasn’t going to ask you that,” Jim said gently. “I was going to ask you if you’ve had dinner.”
Lucy looked at him sharply. Did he expect her to cook for him now? He seemed to read her mind.
“I’d like to take you out, Lucy.” He saw her body stiffen and her eyes become guarded. “Don’t,” he said. I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering what I’m after. Well, I’ m not after anything, Lucy. If’s just that-well, we’ve lost our son, and for some reason right now I’m finding it very difficult to relate to anyone but you. “And I’m worried about you.”
“About me?” Lucy asked, her skepticism clear in her voice.
“I know. I know, I know, I know! I was a thoughtless inconsiderate selfish bastard, and I deserved to be thrown out In fact, I probably should have been drawn and quartered, then strung up for the vultures to feed on. Perhaps even keelhauled”—her lips were beginning to twitch just slightly—“or marooned on a desert island …”
“I’d draw the line at the keelhauling,” Lucy burst out “You never could hold your breath for more than a few seconds.” She fell silent, examining him carefully, looking for a clue as to what was going on in his mind. Shewanted to believe him, to believe that he wanted nothing more from her than company for dinner and the companionship that, right now, only she could give him.
She made up her mind.
“Do you remember the Speckled Hen?” she asked. It was a little place, a few miles out of Eastbury. When they were first married, it had been their favorite place, but she hadn’t been there for nearly ten years.
“Is it still there?” Jim asked.
“It was last week,” Lucy said. “I had a listing out there, and I almost went in for lundi.”
“Why didn’t you?”
This time there was something in his eyes that made Lucy keep her own counsel. “I just changed my mind,” she said. She finished her drink and stood up. “Let’s go. I don’t promise to be great company, but you’re right. I need to eat, and I need to be with someone this evening.”
“Even me?”
“Even you. Maybe, tonight, only you.”
As they drove to the restaurant, Lucy tried to analyze what it was about Jim that had changed. Several times she caught herself watching him out of the corner of her eye. The profile was still perfect, though his jaw seemed even stronger than it had been twelve years ago.
No, the changes weren’t in his
“You’ve got to—”
“Don’t lecture me, Jim. I don’t think I can stand it. Isn’t there any trace of him at all?”
Jim shook his head. “Nothing. They’re doing everything they can, Lucy, believe me. I was with them all day. We searched the woods he got lost in last year, and talked to practically everyone on his route to school. No one saw him; no one knows anything. They’ll keep searching tomorrow, but after that—” He shrugged despondently.
“You mean they’ll stop looking?” Lucy demanded.“But he’s only a little boy, Jim. They can’t stop looking for him, can they?”
Jim moved to the sideboard and helped himself to a drink, and Lucy, even in the midst of her anguish, found herself gauging its strength. Surprisingly, it appeared to her to be fairly weak. “Fix me one?” she asked.
“Sure.” He poured a second highball and crossed to her, handed her the drink, then retreated to a chair a few feet away. “You have to understand, Lucy. It isn’t that they don’t want to look for him. They are looking, and they say they’ll keep on. But they simply can’t keep doing it full-time. Eventually, unless there’re signs of violence, or a ransom note, they’re going to have to assume he ran away.”
“But he didn’t,” Lucy insisted. “I know he didn’t. And please, Jim, don’t ask me how I know. I just do.”
“I wasn’t going to ask you that,” Jim said gently. “I was going to ask you if you’ve had dinner.”
Lucy looked at him sharply. Did he expect her to cook for him now? He seemed to read her mind.
“I’d like to take you out, Lucy.” He saw her body stiffen and her eyes become guarded. “Don’t,” he said. I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering what I’m after. Well, I’ m not after anything, Lucy. If’s just that-well, we’ve lost our son, and for some reason right now I’m finding it very difficult to relate to anyone but you. “And I’m worried about you.”
“About me?” Lucy asked, her skepticism clear in her voice.
“I know. I know, I know, I know! I was a thoughtless inconsiderate selfish bastard, and I deserved to be thrown out In fact, I probably should have been drawn and quartered, then strung up for the vultures to feed on. Perhaps even keelhauled”—her lips were beginning to twitch just slightly—“or marooned on a desert island …”
“I’d draw the line at the keelhauling,” Lucy burst out “You never could hold your breath for more than a few seconds.” She fell silent, examining him carefully, looking for a clue as to what was going on in his mind. Shewanted to believe him, to believe that he wanted nothing more from her than company for dinner and the companionship that, right now, only she could give him.
She made up her mind.
“Do you remember the Speckled Hen?” she asked. It was a little place, a few miles out of Eastbury. When they were first married, it had been their favorite place, but she hadn’t been there for nearly ten years.
“Is it still there?” Jim asked.
“It was last week,” Lucy said. “I had a listing out there, and I almost went in for lundi.”
“Why didn’t you?”
This time there was something in his eyes that made Lucy keep her own counsel. “I just changed my mind,” she said. She finished her drink and stood up. “Let’s go. I don’t promise to be great company, but you’re right. I need to eat, and I need to be with someone this evening.”
“Even me?”
“Even you. Maybe, tonight, only you.”
As they drove to the restaurant, Lucy tried to analyze what it was about Jim that had changed. Several times she caught herself watching him out of the corner of her eye. The profile was still perfect, though his jaw seemed even stronger than it had been twelve years ago.
No, the changes weren’t in his
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