Jesse didn’t answer.
“She is. I seen her lots of times,” Missy said.
Jesse waited. Missy looked around the office some more.
“I gotta tell you something,” Missy said.
“Okay.”
“You can’t tell anybody,” Missy said.
“Okay.”
“You can’t tell anybody I even talked to you,” Missy said.
“Okay.”
“You gotta promise,” Missy said.
“Sure,” Jesse said. “I promise.”
“Even if I told you something like a murder or something, would you still not tell?”
Jesse shook his head.
“I’d tell,” he said.
“Well, it’s not a murder.”
“Good,” Jesse said.
“And I trust you,” Missy said.
“Thank you,” Jesse said.
They were quiet. Missy seemed to be gathering herself.
“I . . .” She stopped and took a breath and started again.
“You know what swinging is?” she said.
“As in the swinging lifestyle?” Jesse said.
“Yes . . . you know, wife-swapping.”
“I know what that is.”
Missy was silent. Jesse waited.
“My mom and dad do it,” she said.
“Swing?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?” Jesse said.
“They have a swinger party about once a month at our house.”
“And you’ve seen them,” Jesse said.
“Me and my little brother are supposed to stay upstairs.”
“But you peek,” Jesse said.
“Yes.”
“How old’s your brother?”
“Eight,” Missy said.
“Your parents know you know?”
Missy shook her head. Jesse took in a deep breath.
“How do you feel about it?” Jesse said.
“How would you feel?” she said. She looked as if she might cry.
“Awful,” Jesse said.
Missy nodded.
“And my little brother,” she said. “I mean, he’s doesn’t even exactly know what having sex is.”
“It scare him?” Jesse said.
“Yes,” Missy said. “How did you know that.”
“Remember what I said about being chief of police,” Jesse said.
Missy smiled faintly.
“You know everything?” Missy said.
“Exactly.”
“That’s how you knew we peeked,” Missy said.
“Actually,” Jesse said, “I knew that because that’s what I woulda done.”
