word, but she stuck close to me. When we were heading up Route 95, I said 'Dinner in Boston, okay?'
'Okay,'.
'Ever been to the Warren Tavern?'
'No.'
'It's in Charlestown, good place. Old. Food's good.' She didn't say anything. I wasn't too worried about Mrs. Ross and the friendly folks who owned the sheep ranch. It was probably connected, and Angelo was probably a mob watchdog. But they didn't know who I was, and they probably had a good supply of teenage whores. I checked the rearview mirror occasionally, but no one had followed us, and no one was following now.
'You going to take me home?' Her voice was louder than it had been in her room but not more animated.
'If you want me to.'
'What if I don't?'
'I won't.'
'They hired you to make me come home.'
'Actually, to find you.'
'You'll make me go home.'
'hope.'
'I won't stay.'
It was dark now. We crossed the state line into Massachusetts at Attleboro. 'That bad at home?' I said.
She was quiet.
'Worse than the sheep ranch?'
Out of the corner of my eye I could see her shrug.
'How'd you get those chafe marks on your wrists?' I said.
'Lots of guys like to tie you up when they do it,' she said in her small monotone.
'And the bruises on your butt?'
'Some guys like to paddle you.'
Route 95 had a wide dividing strip. The cars heading south were barely noticeable and not many cars were heading north. There was just the two of us in the small car, talking in the dark.
'And home's worse than that?'
'When you're not working, they leave you alone.'
'Except you couldn't leave,' I said.
'They left you alone. And…' Her voice stopped. 'You like the life?'
'Sure. Nobody hassles you. Nobody tells you what to do.'
'Except occasionally some stranger ties you up and hits you with a 'stick.'
'Yeah. They do other stuff too.'
'I imagine,' I said.
'You want to hear about it?'
'If you want to tell me.'
She struggled again. 'Some guys like to hear about it.'
'I'm not one of them,' I said. 'If you want to talk about it, I don't mind hearing.'
She shook her head. I was watching the road and looking at her in quick peeks. She was slumped still in the seat of the MG. Her feet were out straight in front of her.
'How'd you end up in Providence?' I said.
'Red sent me down here.'
..Why?' She shrugged again. It was a hard conversation to follow if you were driving.
'How'd you meet Red?' I said.
'You a cop?'
'No.' 'How come you had a gun?'
'Private cop,' I said.
'Umph.' 'Everybody is thrilled like that,' I said. 'How'd you meet Red?' She shook her head. 'Red had you on the street before?'
'Uh-huh.'
'That's a tough work. Classy girl like you, I would think he, might set you up in a call operation.'
She didn't comment.
