Sea Change

“You really are the chief of police,” she said.

“I am,” Jesse said.

S E A C H A N G E

She came in and sat opposite him. She crossed her legs.

The skirt of the sundress slid further back on her tan thighs.

She placed her small yellow straw purse in her lap and opened it.

“Mind if I smoke?” she said.

“I do,” Jesse said.

“You mind?”

“Yes.”

She had the silver cigarette case halfway out of her purse.

“You do mind?” she said.

“I do,” Jesse said.

“Jesus Christ!” she said.

She put the case back in her purse.

“I knew you were so prissy,” the blonde said, “I wouldn’t have come to help you.”

Jesse was quiet.

The blonde said, “You got any coffee at least?”

“Sure,” Jesse said.

He got her some.

“Cream and sugar?”

She shook her head. He handed her the cup. She took a sip.

“Well,” she said. “It’s strong.”

Jesse nodded. The blonde sipped coffee, and looked around the room.

“Are you carrying your gun, Chief Yokel?”

“Always armed and ready,” Jesse said.

The blonde seemed somehow to wiggle motionlessly.

“Really?” she said.

8 5

R O B E R T B . P A R K E R

Jesse smiled. The blonde smiled back. Her teeth were very white. Dental intervention, Jesse assumed. Bonding or whiten-ing or glazing or whatever the hell.

“My name’s Blondie Martin,” she said.

“Jesse Stone.”

“I know,” Blondie said, “the police chief. You told us on the boat.”

Jesse nodded.

“Have you always been the chief of police?” Blondie said.

“No.”

“So how long have you been Chief Local Yokel?”

“About seven years,” Jesse said.

“What before?”

“I was a cop in Los Angeles,” Jesse said.

“Oh my,” Blondie said, “a not-so-local yokel.”

Jesse didn’t say anything. Blondie crossed her legs the other way. She drank some more coffee, holding the white mug in both hands.

“You married?” she said.

“Sort of,” he said.

“How can you be sort of married?”

“My ex-wife and I are giving it another try,” Jesse said.

“Some people just won’t let go,” she said.

Jesse nodded. She drank the rest of her coffee and stood and poured herself another cup from the Mister Coffee on top of the file cabinet. Standing, she sipped her coffee, and looked sideways at Jesse and smiled.

“Remember I said I’d come to help you?” she said.