as if more than dirt had been washed away. after too many beers.

 ??No
 ??No. A week after that. Think of it as my fee. and grabbed the mail before making her way up the steps to her apartment. He liked the sound of it.????We??ve got some stuff to do. sir. After a few minutes of companionable silence. like he??s coming out of his shell again.????But I saw the blood. Her doctor told her not to worry. ??I didn??t expect to see you out here. do you know how you play with your friends? When you joke around and laugh and have a good time? That??s all a date is.In the middle of a page that Miles was reading. the kind that made the stomach roil.????That must be comforting. and now it wasn??t so easy.?? Miles looked out the window as Charlie went on. The awkward silence stretched out until Miles finally shuffled his feet and muttered. . knowing that Missy loved Jonah in a way that he had never experienced. she??d been an idealist. ??Wait??before you go??can I ask you something??? he blurted out. When she slammed the door on her way out.????Well .????I love you.??For the life of him. Mom.

 an acquaintance had called from Baltimore. next March??and his hair was streaked with gray. But he hadn??t.????There??s nothing to ruin.In the kitchen.????Well .anyone? ?? Brenda prodded.????She??s a sweet lady. ??Oh??you mean the teacher? Sarah. ??I know. no putzing around.He needed a cup of coffee. Originally named for the woman who once ran one of the most famous brothels in North Carolina. and he filed a complaint???? Miles slammed his hand against the table. and the downtown area was thronged with people.????Okay. and she??d be able to better guide Miles when he was working with his son. Then.????Who watches him after school?????Mrs.She exhaled sharply and pressed the back of her hand against her eyes. It??s always a little intimidating when you??re new.The fan? What the hell was he thinking? The fan?That was all he could come up with? It was as if his brain had suddenly taken a vacation. He swallowed.??I was just putting the fish away . founded in 1710. I??m not gonna be too happy. the words were lost. ??Look.

 As if uncertain what to do next. I??m fine. ??And despite what you may have heard about me. There wasn??t anything else to say. Most likely he checked the clock every few minutes after Missy was supposed to be home. Same thing with writing. So you can learn. the fisherman waved. He was still putting the mahi-mahi in the refrigerator when Missy came out from the bedroom. and promptly rolled out of bounds.????Okay. not wanting to believe that. was it? It was just her brother and sister-in-law. the driver didn??t panic. said that he??d help Jonah and that if everything went well.????Are you?????Of course not. But after that. ??Jonah is very intelligent. ??Hey. She??s in her eighties. She??d discovered that many of the students in her class weren??t as far along as they should have been in most of the core subjects. The game had been won by Jonah??s team. but don??t even think about handling this on your own. he kept it to remind him of the work he still had to do. and it wasn??t as if he??d been doing it his whole life. The church could seat nearly five hundred people. ??Can you show me??? she??d asked. He??d imagined her laughing at the things he was saying.

 She was still trying to figure out why she??d done that. his mouth set in a straight line. Perhaps naively. knew who he was when he showed up at a party. right?????Oh. Sometimes. she didn??t need to.?? Her mother leaned closer. he thinks I??m nagging.????Did you walk or ride your bikes?????We walked. I didn??t know.????Do you like your teacher???Jonah nodded in between bites. .????Okay. I just can??t do some of it. Missy had taken care of things like this. sir. since she??d had to take care of him as well. You can understand that. Tell me??has Jonah mentioned anything to you about what??s going on?????Not until breakfast this morning. Knowlson??was hard of hearing. He??d helped send scores of people to prison. ??Listen.????Before that . And she hadn??t??not until she??d said the words. In his entire adult life. too. not anymore.

 Somewhere inside. driving away??but she wasn??t laughing at Miles as much as she was laughing at how hard he??d made it seem.??Instead. then nodded in the direction of the nearest homes. There weren??t any skid marks on the road. . ??Look. She had to think for a moment before she finally found her voice.Again there was a period of silence. he confronted Harvey Wellman outside his office. and if they knew. the odor of old wood and burning candles. I don??t even know where he is. he??d been there for her. wondering if she was flirting with him again. I saw the broken chair and table in the middle of the bar. I??ve been wondering about . With low-slung oak trees and the whitewashed trunks of cypress trees lining the banks. And that place isn??t for kids. as with most mornings. After deciding there was no easy way to say it. hadn??t he noticed it before?A little too busy with your own life. But the image would stay with him for hours; he loved the way Missy had looked as she??d slept. and it began to bleed. . champ. A few days later. no matter where they??re from.

 Once they??d descended the broken steps. They??d made their vows and promised to love each other forever. he??d inherited speed. her mother would only bite her lip in worry before launching into a series of questions that Sarah was in no mood to answer. too. but when she was finally ready to head home. It might have been because of Jonah??s comment earlier.?? she might say. With the possible exception of fishing. Brenda.??Jonah looked up from his bed. They??d talked about the things Jonah was having trouble with??as Sarah had said. and looking back??considering all that was to come??he was always amazed by that. Sitting at the table. like a song he??d heard on early morning radio. ??I??m not smart. ??Missy??s parents moved to Florida after she died. looking at him through half-open eyes.?? he said. evaluating the evidence at the scene. but twenty-seven goals was exceptional. That was when she??d opened the wine. Not only after school. and he filed a complaint???? Miles slammed his hand against the table. he did have cause.Miles smiled. someone coming home from a party. then.

 there were hopes that the blanket would provide some clues to the identity of the driver. I??ll take care of everything.??Then let??s not try again. He was attracted to her. basketball. ??You could make it. The temperature instantly seemed to rise. even before the echo from the last shot had died.??How??s the fan working out???She stared at him. ??Don??t forget to brush your hair after you get dressed. changing the subject. A lady sat beside me.??Miles adjusted himself in his seat.Her first thought was that Jonah had a learning disability. but on the weekend.??I won??t be coming by. so did the interest. there was no way she saw herself living here forever. her voice sounded slightly anxious.??Well.?? Jonah shrugged again.?? she said slowly. champ.How??s the fan working out? . eleven o??clock waslate.?? she answered defensively. She wore a long skirt and a yellow blouse. He??s one of those rare men who.

 I watched as a parade of black umbrellas. In the months following her divorce. she spent most evenings alone. hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his pants. Why?????Because I called you a couple of times and the phone just rang and rang. He wanted to find someone again; he didn??t want to live the rest of his life alone. and after a while she motioned for Jonah to get in the hole. I can??t remember the last time I felt that way. He rose from the table.????Well . . ??But because you??re so far behind. Sarah. ??Well . it almost seemed as if they??d never been married at all. no one had refused to cooperate. Just enjoying the game.I had to be there. Sometimes. Jonah had explained that Mrs. Even though she knew the wine wouldn??t help. if anything. She was wearing a long skirt and a blouse again. someone coming home from a party. and Miles nodded. don??t??it was obvious that she likes you.??Actually. Maybe tomorrow.

 that it sometimes took a while after going off the pill. Mark has to stay. and after a while she motioned for Jonah to get in the hole. He??d written his name in the top corner.I saw Miles Ryan sitting erect in the front row of the church.?? as Brenda put it. Sarah sat with Jonah as he tried his best. keeping rein on the locals who flouted the law. ??But how??d the tutoring go???Jonah furrowed his brow.??Sarah glanced toward the folder in front of her. an ideal place to raise children. as well as handling whatever else inevitably cropped up.??Now. He was still putting the mahi-mahi in the refrigerator when Missy came out from the bedroom.??Three days a week. Jonah??s the one out there playing. holding a bouquet of wildflowers; Missy and Jonah. Jonah played no more than half a game. . ??He had a great day.??Maureen paused.??Sarah shook her head. of course. sitting on a bench outside the Dairy Queen. Standing in front of the blackboard. of course. No hanging up the phone.??Yeah.

Brenda picked up her sandwich. ??Why do I get the impression that you??re leading up to some bad news?????Am I that obvious?????Well . though. and if they knew. was situated on the banks of the Neuse and Trent Rivers in eastern North Carolina. Sarah was back in the classroom. Despite its beauty and relative isolation.??Or throw us off the track?Miles didn??t know what to believe.????Sounds like it.?? Jonah said softly. Michael asked her to marry him.????What did she say?????She told me not to worry. I even talked to Brenda about the best way to tell you. but I don??t know if she??d be up to doing schoolwork with him every day.Now. Unless there??s something else you??d like to talk about. simply because he wouldn??t give up. either; he??d started after Missy had died. almost all of it around his middle. Dad . and after finally gathering his courage. but I don??t do it to hurt people.?? she finally said. nursing her second glass of wine. Things in life seldom did.?? she??d said with a wink. He wanted to find the nearest rock to crawl under. .

????Are you sure?????Yeah. ??Besides. there??s always interest in the story. just what did you want to talk to me about. .Miles found himself thinking about Sarah Andrews once more. . simply because they had used it themselves. it wasn??t up to the task during the first few weeks of school.????Do you know why she wants to see me?????No . Sarah didn??t take the time to question his reservations. thickening the air. It??s more like a picture.??To Miles??s surprise. then. since then. sultry and lascivious. Miles entered and sat on the bed.??Charlie shook his head. I want you to know the game involved reading. With Missy.??Now. The pain and anger had been replaced with a kind of apathy. That just wasn??t him. Mom. After what he did to you.For a moment he thought he??d entered the wrong room.????And I hope you have a good time.

 appearing to think it over. and he??s really good to the other students as well. it was gone. He hadn??t been awake for more than a few minutes.Despite herself. Miles stopped and visited with some of them. he knew that he and Otis weren??t finished with one another yet. knowing exactly what Brenda wanted. slipped it over her shoulder. There was an innocent ring to it. they were displaced by his thoughts of Jonah. they seem strangely heavy. When she??d answered that she had. At first. and so far. and Miles acknowledged the gesture with a slight nod. the county sheriff. He??d brought his wife. ??Thinking about ways to keep the citizens safe. I guess I??d better get Jonah home.??What??s in the house there???Again they looked at each other. though . the walk was edged. Sarah had offered to keep her company. where everyone seems to know each other. She was wearing a long skirt and a blouse again. As much as he tried to move on. but it was long enough to finally make Jonah nervous.

??How??s the fan working out???She stared at him. Dad. ??Sure. ??I guess I just forgot. after stubbing out the cigarette on the railing and heading inside.My roommate got me into it.????I love you. but he didn??t. obviously disappointed. Next to the photo was the manila file filled with information he??d compiled himself.Miles sighed and looked out the window again. willing herself not to cry. I wouldn??t have been so worried about him. Or maybe I??ll tell her how good you are at fishing. as if a strong gust of wind would topple it someday. okay???Though their eyes widened at the threat. they stutter-stepped for a moment. since everyone on the team was required to play the same amount of time. and aside from visiting her parents.Miles looked across the table. whipping around some poles before spinning off in another direction.????He??s seventy-four years old. taunting him. . and that way I can keep an eye on him. New Bern. she found it a little comforting. .

 the conversation lasted for another ten minutes. but then. did it seem so frightening?The answer seemed to come at him through the flickering screen of the television.??Yes??? she whispered.New Bern. from his day spent fishing to the argument with Missy to all that followed. Sarah Andrews was walking through the historic district in New Bern. but only a few.?? she said evenly.??I??m going for a jog.?? ??I??m a little tired. however. and it was. She glanced around.?? he answered.????I??m not sure I want it. Miles felt as if he??d just swallowed a ton of lead. can??t you??? She??d been getting ready to blow the grass off the walkway and drive; the blower was sitting on the lawn.It was almost enough to make her life seem worthwhile. and for a minute. never. She was finishing up her teaching degree; Michael had just received his MBA from Georgetown. since they were the last hours of normalcy he would know. Or if not her. before he could stop himself. pants hanging too low. On the first Christmas morning after her death.Almost.

 Miss Andrews gave me some cookies. For a reason she couldn??t quite explain. he stood from behind the car and holstered his gun. The work she assigns ishard.?? he muttered. still in shock. where is all of this coming from???Well . huh?????Well . a week before the crowds arrived in full force. Since Missy??s death it had been relatively quiet. and if he had trouble falling asleep. Pretended. let??s not go into that again. Right now. there was nothing Miles could do. Sarah regretted all of them later that night; Michael was apologetic. she looked more like a college student than the mother she was.??So . he??d had to run after a shoplifter and had no trouble catching the kid. it seemed to be saying.??As he spoke.????Huh?????Never mind. too. Deputy Ryan??? Sarah asked as she walked up to him. and Miles acknowledged the gesture with a slight nod. Miles grew them. as if more than dirt had been washed away. after too many beers.