“I’m glad you remember,” she said. “I’d like to stay if you’ll have me.”
“Yes,” Jesse said.
“Would you like me to make you a drink?” Jenn said. The night air felt clear in his lungs.
“Yes,” he said.
Jenn went to the bar. Jesse watched the harbor boat wind toward shore. Jenn brought back scotch for Jesse and citron vodka for herself. They sat together and sipped their drinks and watched the harbor boat.
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R O B E R T B . P A R K E R
“I couldn’t tell from the news why he did it,” Jenn said.
“He did it for a woman?”
“He thought he did.”
“Is she culpable?” Jenn said.
“I think so,” Jesse said.
“Are you going to get her, too?”
“I’m going to try.”
“But you might not be able to,” Jenn said.
“Maybe not,” Jesse said.
“Can you tell me about it?” Jenn said.
“Sure,” Jesse said.
She listened silently as he told her what Lutz had told him.
“And you can’t use any of what you know?”
“Not as evidence,” Jesse said.
“The poor man,” Jenn said.
“He killed two adults and an unborn baby,” Jesse said.
“For her.”
“He’s the one who did it,” Jesse said.
“And we’re all responsible for what we do,” Jenn said.
“If you don’t believe that, what the hell else is there?”
“It’s not always true,” Jenn said. “We both know that.”
“But we have to act as if it were true,” Jesse said.
“So we have to pretend,” Jenn said.
Jesse sipped his drink.
