crunch their feet made in the sand.
“Be a better chance of all of this working if I could actually put Amber out there with Crow.”
“Which you can’t.”
“No,” Jesse said. “Nor Molly dressed up as Amber.”
“I could…” Jenn started.
“No,” Jesse said.
Jenn smiled faintly.
“Thank God,” she said. “I didn’t really want to.”
“I wouldn’t let you,” Jesse said. “Even if you did.”
“But,” Jenn said, “I have a thought.”
They stopped and stood in the rain. Their clothes were wet through. Neither of them minded.
“During my breathtaking film career,” Jenn said, “I encountered an occasional stunt dummy.”
“And went out with him?” Jesse said.
“Not that kind of dummy,” Jenn said. “It’s a floppy replica, like a rag doll with a realistic look. You know, the guy falls off the building and you see him land on the roof of a car?…What’s landing is the stunt dummy.”
“Can you get one?”
“Sure, there’s a couple theatrical supply houses in town that have them,” Jenn said. “We dress it like Amber, put on a black wig with a maroon stripe, maybe, and voila.”
“Better than an inflate-a-mate,” Jesse said.
“Most things are,” Jenn said. “I’ll get it this afternoon and bring it out.”
“Thank you,” Jesse said.
They walked on. It had gotten darker. The sky was lower. The rain was coming a little harder.
“I don’t know,” Jenn said. “It may be all wrong, what you’re doing.”
“I know.”
“But it’s for all the right motives,” Jenn said.
“Story of my life,” Jesse said.
Jenn stopped and turned to him and put her arms around him and pressed her face against his chest.
“Jesse,” she said. “Jesse, Jesse, Jesse.”
He patted her back slowly.
69.
“Suit,” Jesse said. “You and Molly bring Amber here tomorrow morning. No later than nine.”
“If she objects?” Suit said.
“Bring her,” Jesse said. “Handcuff her if you have to. Arthur, you man the desk.
