clothes?”
“No.”
Portugal nodded as if that were meaningful.
“If you keep a diary for a long time,”
Jesse said, “you fill up the pages. Did she keep the old ones?”
“Yeah. I think so. She bought a new one whe we got married and that’s the only one I know. She probably left the other ones home, at her mother’s house, when she got
“You think her mother took it?”
Portugal shrugged.
“She could have. They were in there cleaning out the‘ place. It’s going on the market Monday. I don’t get any.
They get it all. Her old lady didn’t ex;en want me in there to get my things. She never got over me knocking up her baby girl. But the old man’s not a bad guy. He called me, told me to come get my stuff. The old lady woulda chucked it in the Dumpster.“
Jesse tapped gently on the desktop with his fingers.
Finally h said, “I have your phone number. I know anything, I’ll‘ let you know.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Ygu can count on it,” Jesse said.
“And I’d appreciate it if the diary was something you didn’t talk about with anybody else.”
“Sure,” Portugal said. “No
sweat.”
“Thanks,” Jesse said.
“I already told my girlfriend how Tammy used to keep a diary,” Portugal said.
“Well, ask her not to discuss it as well,”
Jesse said.
“Well, since her husband don’t know about me,” Portugal said, “I guess she can keep a secret.”
“You better hope so,” Jesse said.
And they were both laughing as Portugal left.
the passenger door and got in beside him.
“Patrol supervising?” Jesse said.
“Yeah.”
“Mind if I ride along?” Jesse said.
“I spend too much time in the office.”
“Come ahead,” Burke said.
Burke backed the car out of the parking lot and turned up Main Street. Between them was a shotgun, locked barrel up on the transmission hump.
“See if there’s any gum wrappers in the barrel,” Burke said. “Peter Perkins had the car before me.”
Jesse looked into the sho, tgun barrel. He blew some dust out.
“No gum wrappers,” he said.
“Boys don’t seem to have the proper
respect for a weapon,” Burke said, “do
they?”
“Never make it in the Corps,” Jesse said.
“You in the Marines?”
“Semper Fi,” Jesse said.
“You?”
“Navy.”
“What was your job?”
Burke smiled.
“Lot of stuff. I was a lifer.”
“Twenty years?”
“Yeah. This is my retirement.”
