along the hall. Seconds later the slam of a door reverberated in the air.
it was a moment before Grace had recovered enough to turn and look at Marino. He was studiously watching something through the window over the stove, his face in profile to her, his expression as innocent as if he hadn’t witnessed anything so agonizingly
1
personal as a quarrel between mother and daughter. He must have felt her gaze, because he turned to meet it. “Grounded her, did you?” he asked. “Think that’s going to work?”
“That’s my problem, and my business,” she said bitingly, walking toward the front hall. In the few minutes she was out of his sight, she retrieved his jacket from the closet.
“Here,” she said, returning to the kitchen and thrusting it at him. She knew she was being ungracious, knew this latest upset was not his fault, knew that nothing that had happened was his fault, but still she was fiirious at him. Because of the way he looked at her-as if he judged her mothering skills and found them wanting. Again.
Because maybe the truth was that they were wanting.
“Thanks,” he said, accepting his jacket.
“So why did you really come?” she asked, striving for a measure of calm. Her gaze challenged him.
100
KAREN ROBARDS
“I told you. For this.” His glance indicated his jacket, which was now draped over his left forearm, “Bullshit. “
He smiled a little, as if amused by her bluntness, and shrugged. “AN right. To check on your daughter, to see if she was doing okay. And to see if you’d changed your mind. About her helping us.”
“The truth comes out.” Grace had known it. “No, Detective Marino, I have not. I will not. It’s too dangerous. I’d appreciate it if you would just leave her alone, please.”
“You’re not going to be able to keep her away from her friends forever, you know.”
“Like I said before, that’s my problem.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he came up with his wallet, which he opened. Extracting a business card from it, he handed it to her.
“What’s this for?” she asked, accepting it and looking at it with suspicion.
“If you change your mind, my pager number’s on this. All you-or she have to do is call.”
“I won’t change my mind.”
For a moment their gazes locked.
“That’s up to you,” he said, heading for the front hall. just before he walked out of the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder at her.
“Good luck with the grounding. For your daughter’s sake, I hope it works.”
His tone told her he doubted it would. Grace was left to grit her teeth and glare after him as he disap—
THF MIDNIGHT’ HOUR
I () 1
peared iiito cht-h iont hall. A moment later, the sound of the door opening and closing told her he had left.
Grace stood where she was for a moment, taking a deep breath, trying to get her emotions under control. For a moment she thought about heading upstairs to confront Jessica. But then sanity reasserted The necessary discussion was far better postponed until she was calmer. Until they were both calmer.
She went to lock the front door. Then she returned to the kitchen, stuck Marino’s card in her purse, and headed toward the coffeemaker.
What she needed before she did anything else was a strong cup of coffee. Her body cried out for a jolt of caffeine.
Cbapter
13
EARING NOTHING but a pale-blue nylon nightgown, one bare foot tucked beneath
her as she sat on the porch swing, Jessica took a deep drag on her cigarette and Immediately felt better. God, she’d needed that. She’d had a real nicotine Jones going. She’d just started smoking at the beginning of the summer and already she loved nicotine, craved it, lived for it really. With her mom on her case so much these days, plain old cigarette smoking was getting to be as hard to manage as scoring dope. Once she was out of school for the day (smoking at school was easy, in the restrooms or out behind the gym, where
it was a moment before Grace had recovered enough to turn and look at Marino. He was studiously watching something through the window over the stove, his face in profile to her, his expression as innocent as if he hadn’t witnessed anything so agonizingly
1
personal as a quarrel between mother and daughter. He must have felt her gaze, because he turned to meet it. “Grounded her, did you?” he asked. “Think that’s going to work?”
“That’s my problem, and my business,” she said bitingly, walking toward the front hall. In the few minutes she was out of his sight, she retrieved his jacket from the closet.
“Here,” she said, returning to the kitchen and thrusting it at him. She knew she was being ungracious, knew this latest upset was not his fault, knew that nothing that had happened was his fault, but still she was fiirious at him. Because of the way he looked at her-as if he judged her mothering skills and found them wanting. Again.
Because maybe the truth was that they were wanting.
“Thanks,” he said, accepting his jacket.
“So why did you really come?” she asked, striving for a measure of calm. Her gaze challenged him.
100
KAREN ROBARDS
“I told you. For this.” His glance indicated his jacket, which was now draped over his left forearm, “Bullshit. “
He smiled a little, as if amused by her bluntness, and shrugged. “AN right. To check on your daughter, to see if she was doing okay. And to see if you’d changed your mind. About her helping us.”
“The truth comes out.” Grace had known it. “No, Detective Marino, I have not. I will not. It’s too dangerous. I’d appreciate it if you would just leave her alone, please.”
“You’re not going to be able to keep her away from her friends forever, you know.”
“Like I said before, that’s my problem.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he came up with his wallet, which he opened. Extracting a business card from it, he handed it to her.
“What’s this for?” she asked, accepting it and looking at it with suspicion.
“If you change your mind, my pager number’s on this. All you-or she have to do is call.”
“I won’t change my mind.”
For a moment their gazes locked.
“That’s up to you,” he said, heading for the front hall. just before he walked out of the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder at her.
“Good luck with the grounding. For your daughter’s sake, I hope it works.”
His tone told her he doubted it would. Grace was left to grit her teeth and glare after him as he disap—
THF MIDNIGHT’ HOUR
I () 1
peared iiito cht-h iont hall. A moment later, the sound of the door opening and closing told her he had left.
Grace stood where she was for a moment, taking a deep breath, trying to get her emotions under control. For a moment she thought about heading upstairs to confront Jessica. But then sanity reasserted The necessary discussion was far better postponed until she was calmer. Until they were both calmer.
She went to lock the front door. Then she returned to the kitchen, stuck Marino’s card in her purse, and headed toward the coffeemaker.
What she needed before she did anything else was a strong cup of coffee. Her body cried out for a jolt of caffeine.
Cbapter
13
EARING NOTHING but a pale-blue nylon nightgown, one bare foot tucked beneath
her as she sat on the porch swing, Jessica took a deep drag on her cigarette and Immediately felt better. God, she’d needed that. She’d had a real nicotine Jones going. She’d just started smoking at the beginning of the summer and already she loved nicotine, craved it, lived for it really. With her mom on her case so much these days, plain old cigarette smoking was getting to be as hard to manage as scoring dope. Once she was out of school for the day (smoking at school was easy, in the restrooms or out behind the gym, where
Similar Books
