Mercy

announces his choice at

the big rally in a couple of weeks. By the way, Coach, my name's Jerome Kelly, but everyone calls me Kevin on account of

that's my middle name.' He reached across the counter to shake Theo's hand. 'It sure is nice to meet you.'

Theo clenched his jaw. 'I'm just trying to find Bowen. Are you going to tell me where it is or not?'

Kevin put his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. 'Okay. You don't need to get mad at me. But it is a secret, right?'

Theo decided to agree just to get the boy off the subject. 'Yeah, right. It's a secret. Now, where's Bowen?'

Kevin was grinning from ear to ear. 'You see that?' he asked, pointing to the street in front of the station.

'What?'

'That street.'

'Sure I see it.'

Kevin nodded again. 'That's Elm Street, but there aren't any elms on it. I'm a kicker.'

'You're a what?'

'A kicker. Mr. Freeland says that ought to be my position on the team. I can kick a football forty yards without breaking a sweat.'

'Is that right?'

'I could be your punt returner too. I'm that fast.'

'Listen, Kevin, I'm not the new football coach.'

'Yeah, I know, and I won't tell anybody until it's officially announced. You can count on me, Coach.'

'Where's Bowen?' His voice now had a real bite in it.

'I was just getting to that,' he said. 'Now, if you drive on this side of Elm Street, the east side,' he qualified as he pointed out the window again, 'then you're in St. Claire. If you don't know which way is east and which way is west-I sometimes have trouble with that-you'll know you're in St. Claire if you see sidewalks. Bowen doesn't have any sidewalks.'

Theo gritted his teeth. 'And where exactly is Bowen?'

'I'm telling you,' he promised. 'Now, if you cross Elm Street, like if you were walking…?'

Theo really hated this kid. 'Yeah?'

'There you are.'

'Where?'

'In Bowen. Get it? One side of Elm Street is St. Claire, and the other side is Bowen. It's as simple as that. I sure hope

you'll give me a shot at kicker. I'd be a real asset to the team.'

Theo counted out the bills for the gas and asked, 'Have you ever heard of a bar called The Swan?'

'Sure,' he said. 'Everyone knows The Swan. It's a big old place tucked in the swamp, clear on the other side of Bowen. It's

got a big swan on top. You can't miss it once you find it.' 'So tell me how to find it.' Kevin came through this time with directions. When he was finished describing the convoluted route, he said, 'You know the people in St. Claire like to think of Bowen as their suburb, but that really pisses off the people of Bowen. Oh… sorry. I probably shouldn't say 'pisses off in front of faculty.'

Theo pocketed his change, thanked Kevin for his help, and headed back to the car. Kevin chased after him. 'Sir, what's your name?'

Theo Buchanan.'

'Don't forget,' he called out.

'Forget what?'

'That I should be your kicker.'

Theo grinned. 'I won't forget.'

Kevin waited until the car had pulled out onto Elm, then raced back inside to call his friends. He wanted to be the first to tell the secret news about Coach Buchanan.

Ten minutes later Theo was driving down yet another seemingly endless unmarked gravel road. On either side were lush foliage and cypress trees with grayish green moss dripping from each branch. It was hot outside and terribly humid, but it was so

beautiful and peaceful Theo rolled down the window to take in the sweet, earthy scents.

He could see murky water beyond the trees as he continued on the road at a snail's pace. He wanted to stop the car and

simply sit there and take it all in. What a great place to do some exploring on foot, he thought. That thought led to another.

Didn't alligators live in the swamp? Hell, yes, they did. Forget hiking anywhere.

What was he doing here? Why had he come all this way just to go fishing? Because she was here, he admitted, and he was suddenly feeling foolish. He considered turning the car around and going back to New Orleans. Yeah, that's what he should do.

If he hurried, he could catch a late flight and be back in Boston by midnight. Wasn't that where he belonged? If he wanted to

fish, he could take his boat out on the ocean and do some serious 'catch a whale' kind of fishing.

He was nuts, that's what he was. He was just plain nuts. He knew what he should do, and yet he kept driving.

The road curved again, and suddenly there it was, The Swan, straight ahead at the end of the lane. The second he saw the building, he burst into laughter. Honest to God, he'd never seen anything like it. The building had gray corrugated sides and a pitched metal roof. It looked more like a big old barn, and a bit off-kilter at that, but the charm was definitely in the huge swan perched on top of the roof. Only, it wasn't a swan at all. It was a hot pink flamingo, and one wing was hanging precariously by

a thin metal wire.

There was an old battered Ford pickup parked in the gravel lot. Theo parked his car next to it, got out, and removed his suit jacket. He was rolling up the sleeves of his blue dress shirt and walking to the entrance before he remembered he'd worn the suit jacket to conceal the gun and holster clipped to his belt. It was too hot and muggy to put his jacket back on. He decided not to worry about the gun being noticeable. Michelle already knew he carried a weapon. Besides, he was too busy trying to figure out what

he was going to say to Jake when he asked him why he was there. He wondered if the old man would appreciate hearing the truth. I've become obsessed with your daughter. Oh, yeah, the truth would set him free, all right, and no doubt get him punched

in the nose.

The door was half open. Theo pushed it wider and walked inside. He spotted Jake Renard behind the bar, a dishcloth in his hand, wiping down the varnished wooden counter. Theo removed his sunglasses, tucked them into his shirt pocket next to his reading glasses, and nodded to the man. He hoped Jake would remember him and was trying to figure out what to say to him if he didn't. What was the other reason he'd driven to Bowen? Fishing. Yeah, that was it. He wanted to go fishing.

Jake did remember him. The second he spotted Theo, he let out a hoot like a country singer about to break into song. Then he grinned from ear to ear, dropped the dishcloth, wiped his hands on his overalls, and came rushing around the counter.

'Well, I'll be,' he said. 'Well, I'll be.'

'How are you doing, Jake?'

'Just fine, Theo. I'm doing just fine. You come to fish?'

'Yes, sir, I did.'

Jake shook Theo's hand, pumping it enthusiastically. 'I sure am happy to see you. I was telling Ellie just the other night that we'd be running into one another again, and here you are, plain as day.'

Theo knew who Ellie was. Jake had mentioned his wife when he had visited with him in the hospital.