Then Jesse said, “‘No spicks on Paradise Neck’?”
“She was driving me crazy,” Molly said.
“I sort of guessed that, too,” Jesse said.
“Are you going to reprimand me?” Molly said.
“Worse, I’m going to punish you.”
“You are?”
“Yes,” Jesse said. “You may not talk dirty to me for the rest of the day.”
“Oh, God,” Molly said, “not that.”
9.
Jesse sat with Suitcase Simpson in the front seat of Simpson’s cruiser parked at Paradise Beach. Simpson was eating a submarine sandwich for lunch, taking pains not to dribble on his uniform shirt. Jesse was drinking coffee.
“Funny,” Simpson said. “Whenever you’re near the ocean, you have to look at it.”
Jesse nodded.
“Always makes me feel religious,” Simpson said.
Jesse nodded.
“I wonder why that is?” Simpson said.
“Got me,” Jesse said.
“Make you feel religious?” Simpson said.
“Yes.”
They looked at the ocean for a time. It was high tide and the water covered most of the beach. A few people in bathing suits occupied the narrow strip of sand above high water.
“Crow knows we’re watching him,” Simpson said.
“No reason he shouldn’t,” Jesse said. “Who’s with him now.”
“Eddie.”
“Crow doing anything interesting?” Jesse said.
“Nope.”
Simpson finished his sandwich and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. He put the napkin and the sandwich wrappings back in the paper bag that the sandwich had come in.
“Mostly,” Simpson said, “he hangs around. He has lunch at Daisy Dyke’s a lot. He has a drink at the Gray Gull in the evening. Goes to Paradise Health & Fitness every day in the morning. Rest of the time he cruises around town.”
“Walking or driving?” Jesse said.
“Both. Drives all over town. Parks sometimes and walks around. Why?”
“Might help us figure out who or what he’s looking for,” Jesse said. “Where’s he walk around?”
“Shopping center, goes in the stores. Comes to the beach sometimes. Browses all the shops on Paradise Row sometimes. Watches tennis down by the high school.”
