“This is very embarrassing,” he
said.
“Whatever it is,” Jesse said,
“it won’t be as embarrassing as other stuff I’ve been told.”
Cotter nodded.
“Yes, I’m sure..Indeed I often
reassure my own parish-loners in the same way when they come for help.”
Jesse nodded and smiled politely. Cotter took in a big breath of air and let it out. Then he handed the envelope to Jesse.
It was postmarked the previous day from Paradise.
It was addressed to Reverend Cotter, probably with a ballpoint pen, in block printing, no return address. Inside was a Polaroid picture. Jesse took it out, handling it by the edges, and looked at it. It was a picture of Cissy Hathaway, naked and lrovocative on a bed. There was nothing else in the envelope except a piece of shirt cardboard used to protect the picture. There was nothing in the picture to identify the room.
“Just this?” Jesse said.
“Yes,” Cotter said.
“Any idea why this would be sent to
you?”
“No.”
“It came this morning?”
“Yes.”
Jesse sat quietly looking at the picture. He could see no real expression in Cissy’s face, though the harsh light of the Polaroid flashbulb would wash out subtlety.
“Mind if I keep this?” Jesse
said.
,Please,“ Cotter said. ”I
certainly don’t want it.“
“Anything else arrives let me
know,” Jesse said. “Or i occurs to you.”
“Of course,” Cotter said.
Jesse put the picture back in the envelope, and slid th in the side pocket of his jacket.
“What are you going to do?”
“We’ll check it for
fingerprints,” Jesse said.‘t’Are you
going to speak to Cissy?“
“Yes,” Jesse said.
“I… I am her
minister,” Cotter said. “If I ca
help…”
“Sure,” Jesse said.
I’ll let you -know if we need you.‘
out at the backyard now fiowerYess, the grass yellow in the weak.sunlight. He handed her the Polaroid.
“This came today in the mail addressed to Reverend Cotter,” Jesse said.
Cissy took th picture and stared at it. As she looked at the picture she began to blush. Jesse was still. Cissy kept her eyes fixed on the picture, her face expressionless except for the bright flush that made her look feverish. She didn’t say anything, and Jesse didn’t say anything, and the silence grew stifling the longer it went on.
Finally Jesse said, “As far as I can see, there’s no crime here. You can tell me to buzz off, if you want to. But I thought you should know.”
Cissy put the picture facedown on the kitchen table and stared at the blank back of it. Jesse waited. Cissy got up from the table suddenly and walked to the counter. She got a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and stood with her back to him looking out the window over the sink at her driveway and neighbor’s yard beyond it. She took a deep inhale and the smoke dribble out. Jesse was silent.
“Jo Jo,” she said with
her‘ back still to him. “Jo Jo took that picture.
He has others.”
“Did he coerce you?” Jesse said.
“No.”
