these’ve got a little hot by now.”
“Are we going out tonight?” Howie asked. “After your ex?”
Earl shook his head. “I was thinking more along the lines of a nice Sunday drive. We could pull into her place just about the time the sun’s going down so we don’t get lost driving in.”
“Makes sense.”
Earl grinned, eyes on the road. “That’s what I like about you, Howie. You know how to push, but you’re not stupid, so you know when to settle back and let things slide, too.”
Howie didn’t bother replying. He didn’t have to. Earl was talking more to himself, thinking aloud. Howie settled back in the seat, trying to keep the memory of the look on Earl’s face when he pulled the trigger out of Goldman’s head. Howie didn’t ever want to get on Earl’s wrong side, he decided. It just didn’t pay.
11
“Mom?” Ali called as she came down the stairs. “Have you seen my Walkman? I was sure I’d left it on my bed this morning, but…”
Her voice trailed off as she reached the kitchen and found Frankie on the phone, looking serious. Ali sat down at the kitchen table and tried to remember how long ago she’d heard the phone ring. Whoever it was on the other end of the line, they weren’t exactly calling with good news. At least not from the look on her mother’s face.
“Who was that?” she asked when Frankie finally hung up.
“That was Joy. She…oh, Ali! Bob was killed last night.”
“What?”
“He was shot,” Frankie said, still trying to come to grips with the news herself. “The police found his body behind a warehouse last night and got his name from his wallet, but Joy still had to…she still had to identify the body….”
“Oh, Mom. That’s horrible.”
Frankie nodded dully. Had someone asked her, she would not have numbered the Goldmans among her closest friends. She saw them more for old times’ sake, for the support that Bob had given her through the hard times in Toronto. But even though they didn’t have a great deal in common anymore, she still felt very close to Joy in the wake of this terrible news. The poor woman was five months into her first pregnancy and had lost her parents over the winter….
“I told her I’d go stay with her,” Frankie said. “At least until Bob’s parents fly in from Calgary. They’re due on a nine o’clock flight.”
“I don’t have to go, do I?” The last thing Ali wanted was to be a part of this kind of bummer.
“I don’t think you should stay here by yourself.”
“Aw, c’mon, Mom. I’m not a kid anymore.”
Frankie shook her head. “It’d be different if we still lived in town, but out here…”
“I’m probably safer out here than I’d be in town.”
“Well…”
“Besides, I could always go up to Tony’s. Maybe he’d let me watch a movie or something till you get back.”
Frankie looked at the stove clock. Five past two. She’d promised Joy that she’d be in town by three-thirty at the latest and she still had to change.
“Mom?”
“Okay,” Frankie said. “But phone him now while I go change.”
Ali nodded. “I’ll ask him if I can go up later in the afternoon, because I’ve still got some studying and stuff to do.”
“Fine,” Frankie said, already on her way down the hall.
By the time Frankie was back downstairs, Ali was waiting for her by the front door, purse and car keys extended.
“Tony says it’s okay,” she said. “I’m going up around dinnertime.”
“Don’t make a pest of yourself,” Frankie said as she took her purse and keys from Ali.
“Mom!”
Frankie blinked, then looked at her daughter. “I’m sorry, Ali. I keep forgetting how big you’re getting. Look, I’ll be back as quick as I can, all right? But things might drag on, so don’t wait up for me.”
“What time should I come home for?”
“I forgot—you’ll be at Tony’s. What time does he go to bed, do you know?”
Ali shook her head.
“Well, if it’s all right with him, wait
“Are we going out tonight?” Howie asked. “After your ex?”
Earl shook his head. “I was thinking more along the lines of a nice Sunday drive. We could pull into her place just about the time the sun’s going down so we don’t get lost driving in.”
“Makes sense.”
Earl grinned, eyes on the road. “That’s what I like about you, Howie. You know how to push, but you’re not stupid, so you know when to settle back and let things slide, too.”
Howie didn’t bother replying. He didn’t have to. Earl was talking more to himself, thinking aloud. Howie settled back in the seat, trying to keep the memory of the look on Earl’s face when he pulled the trigger out of Goldman’s head. Howie didn’t ever want to get on Earl’s wrong side, he decided. It just didn’t pay.
11
“Mom?” Ali called as she came down the stairs. “Have you seen my Walkman? I was sure I’d left it on my bed this morning, but…”
Her voice trailed off as she reached the kitchen and found Frankie on the phone, looking serious. Ali sat down at the kitchen table and tried to remember how long ago she’d heard the phone ring. Whoever it was on the other end of the line, they weren’t exactly calling with good news. At least not from the look on her mother’s face.
“Who was that?” she asked when Frankie finally hung up.
“That was Joy. She…oh, Ali! Bob was killed last night.”
“What?”
“He was shot,” Frankie said, still trying to come to grips with the news herself. “The police found his body behind a warehouse last night and got his name from his wallet, but Joy still had to…she still had to identify the body….”
“Oh, Mom. That’s horrible.”
Frankie nodded dully. Had someone asked her, she would not have numbered the Goldmans among her closest friends. She saw them more for old times’ sake, for the support that Bob had given her through the hard times in Toronto. But even though they didn’t have a great deal in common anymore, she still felt very close to Joy in the wake of this terrible news. The poor woman was five months into her first pregnancy and had lost her parents over the winter….
“I told her I’d go stay with her,” Frankie said. “At least until Bob’s parents fly in from Calgary. They’re due on a nine o’clock flight.”
“I don’t have to go, do I?” The last thing Ali wanted was to be a part of this kind of bummer.
“I don’t think you should stay here by yourself.”
“Aw, c’mon, Mom. I’m not a kid anymore.”
Frankie shook her head. “It’d be different if we still lived in town, but out here…”
“I’m probably safer out here than I’d be in town.”
“Well…”
“Besides, I could always go up to Tony’s. Maybe he’d let me watch a movie or something till you get back.”
Frankie looked at the stove clock. Five past two. She’d promised Joy that she’d be in town by three-thirty at the latest and she still had to change.
“Mom?”
“Okay,” Frankie said. “But phone him now while I go change.”
Ali nodded. “I’ll ask him if I can go up later in the afternoon, because I’ve still got some studying and stuff to do.”
“Fine,” Frankie said, already on her way down the hall.
By the time Frankie was back downstairs, Ali was waiting for her by the front door, purse and car keys extended.
“Tony says it’s okay,” she said. “I’m going up around dinnertime.”
“Don’t make a pest of yourself,” Frankie said as she took her purse and keys from Ali.
“Mom!”
Frankie blinked, then looked at her daughter. “I’m sorry, Ali. I keep forgetting how big you’re getting. Look, I’ll be back as quick as I can, all right? But things might drag on, so don’t wait up for me.”
“What time should I come home for?”
“I forgot—you’ll be at Tony’s. What time does he go to bed, do you know?”
Ali shook her head.
“Well, if it’s all right with him, wait
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