dinner?”
“You have a dog?”
Karen shook her head.
“You can feed them dinner five times over, and they’ll still be looking for number six. You mind if we take her for a quick walk?”
Mags was less interested in the walk than we were. After all, there was pizza in the house. We ate in the living room. The pie was great, thin and light with hunks of fresh mozzarella and a touch of basil.
“I thought Chicago only did deep dish,” Karen said, reaching for another piece.
“Good?”
“Awesome.” She folded up her slice and took a bite. “As you can tell, I was starving.”
“Dig in. Otherwise, it goes to the beast.”
Mags licked her chops once and moved a little closer to us and the pie.
“She’s so cute.”
“You should get one.”
“I’d love to. Maybe once I settle down somewhere.”
“So you don’t think it’ll be Chicago?”
“I don’t have anything lined up. And there are cheaper places to live.”
“A lot of not-for-profits in town.”
“Yeah but…” Karen wiped her mouth with a napkin and took a sip from her beer.
“But what?”
“The community’s a small one. And Marie Perry’s name still carries a lot of weight.”
“You think she’s blackballing you?”
“I didn’t say that. In fact, she doesn’t have to. The publicity about Ray and me did that for her.”
“Did you ever confront any of the media about the articles?”
“Confront how?”
“I don’t know. Sue.”
“To be honest, Ray caught most of the heat. And it all went away once the indictments came down.”
“But you think it ruined your career in Chicago?”
“Maybe not. Maybe I just want to move on. It’s not like I’m from here or anything.”
“Where are you from?”
Karen picked a melted piece of cheese off her plate. “Okay?” I nodded. She gave it to Mags, who licked Karen’s fingers clean. “I grew up all over.”
“You said back east?”
“All over back east. My parents were killed in a car crash when I was seven.”
“I’m sorry, Karen.”
She held up a hand. “Thanks, but it was a long time ago. Anyway, at that age you’re a tough sell in the adoption market. Couples came by to kick the tires, but no-go. I bounced around in foster homes until I was old enough to get out on my own.”
“You put yourself through school?”
“Community college for two years. Then I wrangled a scholarship. So, you see? No roots. No ties. No need to stay in Chicago. How about you?”
“I was born here.”
“How about the rest?”
“The rest of what?”
She looked around the apartment. “This? You? Your life? Gotta be more than late nights and guns.”
“After Mags, it’s all downhill.”
“Come on.”
“What?”
“Why isn’t there someone in your life?”
“How do you know there isn’t?”
“Is there?”
I carried the plates back into the kitchen. Karen followed.
“Not fair, Kelly.”
I opened the refrigerator. “You want another beer?”
She shook her head. I popped one open and leaned against the counter. Karen parked herself on a stool and waited.
“You know the bar we were in tonight?” I said.
“Sterch’s?”
“Yeah, Sterch’s.”
“What about it?”
“The truth is for the last couple of months I’ve been in there a couple of times a week. I sit in the window and wait for a certain bus to arrive from downtown. My ex is on it. She doesn’t want to talk to me. I don’t want to see her. But there I am. Twice a week, give or take. Getting my fix.”
“Now, I’m the one that’s sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s just a thing. A rut I’m in, I guess.” I stared at the clock on my kitchen wall and wondered what time it was in hell.
“Can I ask you something else?” she said.
“More humiliation? By all means.”
“Do you believe me? What I told you about me and Ray?”
“That there was nothing going on?”
She nodded.
“I believe you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Instinct.”
“You use that a lot in your
“You have a dog?”
Karen shook her head.
“You can feed them dinner five times over, and they’ll still be looking for number six. You mind if we take her for a quick walk?”
Mags was less interested in the walk than we were. After all, there was pizza in the house. We ate in the living room. The pie was great, thin and light with hunks of fresh mozzarella and a touch of basil.
“I thought Chicago only did deep dish,” Karen said, reaching for another piece.
“Good?”
“Awesome.” She folded up her slice and took a bite. “As you can tell, I was starving.”
“Dig in. Otherwise, it goes to the beast.”
Mags licked her chops once and moved a little closer to us and the pie.
“She’s so cute.”
“You should get one.”
“I’d love to. Maybe once I settle down somewhere.”
“So you don’t think it’ll be Chicago?”
“I don’t have anything lined up. And there are cheaper places to live.”
“A lot of not-for-profits in town.”
“Yeah but…” Karen wiped her mouth with a napkin and took a sip from her beer.
“But what?”
“The community’s a small one. And Marie Perry’s name still carries a lot of weight.”
“You think she’s blackballing you?”
“I didn’t say that. In fact, she doesn’t have to. The publicity about Ray and me did that for her.”
“Did you ever confront any of the media about the articles?”
“Confront how?”
“I don’t know. Sue.”
“To be honest, Ray caught most of the heat. And it all went away once the indictments came down.”
“But you think it ruined your career in Chicago?”
“Maybe not. Maybe I just want to move on. It’s not like I’m from here or anything.”
“Where are you from?”
Karen picked a melted piece of cheese off her plate. “Okay?” I nodded. She gave it to Mags, who licked Karen’s fingers clean. “I grew up all over.”
“You said back east?”
“All over back east. My parents were killed in a car crash when I was seven.”
“I’m sorry, Karen.”
She held up a hand. “Thanks, but it was a long time ago. Anyway, at that age you’re a tough sell in the adoption market. Couples came by to kick the tires, but no-go. I bounced around in foster homes until I was old enough to get out on my own.”
“You put yourself through school?”
“Community college for two years. Then I wrangled a scholarship. So, you see? No roots. No ties. No need to stay in Chicago. How about you?”
“I was born here.”
“How about the rest?”
“The rest of what?”
She looked around the apartment. “This? You? Your life? Gotta be more than late nights and guns.”
“After Mags, it’s all downhill.”
“Come on.”
“What?”
“Why isn’t there someone in your life?”
“How do you know there isn’t?”
“Is there?”
I carried the plates back into the kitchen. Karen followed.
“Not fair, Kelly.”
I opened the refrigerator. “You want another beer?”
She shook her head. I popped one open and leaned against the counter. Karen parked herself on a stool and waited.
“You know the bar we were in tonight?” I said.
“Sterch’s?”
“Yeah, Sterch’s.”
“What about it?”
“The truth is for the last couple of months I’ve been in there a couple of times a week. I sit in the window and wait for a certain bus to arrive from downtown. My ex is on it. She doesn’t want to talk to me. I don’t want to see her. But there I am. Twice a week, give or take. Getting my fix.”
“Now, I’m the one that’s sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s just a thing. A rut I’m in, I guess.” I stared at the clock on my kitchen wall and wondered what time it was in hell.
“Can I ask you something else?” she said.
“More humiliation? By all means.”
“Do you believe me? What I told you about me and Ray?”
“That there was nothing going on?”
She nodded.
“I believe you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Instinct.”
“You use that a lot in your
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