”I didn’t think kids went on dates anymore.“
Paul laughs. ”They don’t really, but Marko and this girl spend a lot of time together.“
”She’s his girlfriend?“
”Well, she’s quite taken with him. Obsessed, I would venture to say. But I don’t think Marko confines himself to one girl. When he was a child, he learned not to get attached to anyone, because he might lose them at any moment.“
”Is Marko usually late getting in?“
”Sometimes he doesn’t get in at all, to be honest. Sometimes he stays at Alicia’s house.“
”Alicia Reynolds?“ I ask, thinking of a troubled girl in the senior class.
”That’s right.“
I turn onto the bypass and drive in the direction of Paul’s subdivision. ”Paul, do you mind if I ask you a few questions about Marko?“
”Not at all. I know you’ve spoken up for him at least once on the school board, and I appreciate it. But before you ask me anything, let me say this. I know a lot of people think I just bury my head in the sand when it comes to that boy. But that’s not the case at all. Nobody around here has any idea what Marko went through in Bosnia. He was in Sarajevo during the worst of it, Penn. He was ten years old, and he saw unspeakable things there. Nobody who experiences those kinds of things comes out whole on the other side-especially a child. Marko doesn’t talk about it, but I know some.“
”Would you feel comfortable sharing any of it with me? It might be relevant to the current situation.“
”Well…Marko reminds me of that kid in
”Have you ever seen Marko get violent?“
”Never.“
”The kids at school think he carries a gun.“
Silence. ”I’ve certainly never seen him with a gun. I’m not saying it’s impossible, considering his level of paranoia. But I’ve never seen one. I’d be very disappointed if I did.“
”Not one. I’m a firm advocate of gun control.“
”Hm.“
”Penn, I heard a rumor that the board is thinking of expelling Marko. Maybe even trying to get him deported.“
”I see. Penn…I know it’s late, but I think perhaps you and I should have a face-to-face conversation about Marko. If he’s in serious trouble, I need to know the extent of it. And I know some things about his experiences in Sarajevo that you should probably be aware of.“
I look at my watch. 11:25 p.m. Mia is probably getting antsy by now. But on the other hand, Marko is the biggest question mark in this whole bloody mess. And after having Sonny Cross’s gun stuck into his mouth this afternoon, there’s no telling what he might decide to do tonight.
”I think that’s a good idea, Paul. I’ll be there in ten minutes.“
”I’ll pour you a glass of wine.“
I dial home, and Mia answers, her voice alert.
”How you doing, girl?“
”I’m good. Annie’s sound asleep.“
”Why aren’t you?“
”I finished Bowles’s book, and I started
”In longhand, no less. Don’t you ever just have fun?“
”This is my idea of fun, believe it or not.“
As I ask Mia if she can stay another hour, a crackle of static fills my ear. Then the felt wall of silence that heralds a failing connection greets me. I accelerate up the hill in front of me until my phone shows three bars, then pull over to the curb and dial Mia again.
”Can you hear me now?“ she asks.
”Yeah, I had to pull over. Can you stay another hour?“
”Sure.“
”What will your mom say?“
”I already called her and told her I might have to stay over.“
This takes me aback. ”Meredith was okay with that?“
”Yeah. She knows you’re working on Drew’s case.“
”How does she feel about Drew after all she’s heard?“
”She’s reserving judgment. Mom doesn’t put much stock in gossip. She’s always respected Drew, and she told me she has a really hard time believing he could have killed Kate.“
”But she believes he slept with her?“
”Oh, yeah. I mean…he’s a guy, right?“
I laugh softly. ”Well, I don’t think you’ll have to stay over. I’m going by Paul Wilson’s house, but it shouldn’t take long.“
A sudden tension enters her voice. ”Are you going to talk to Marko?“
”I’d like to, but he’s not there. He’s out with his girlfriend.“
Mia makes a derogatory noise.
”What is it?“
”Marko doesn’t have a girlfriend.“
”Then what was Paul talking about? What about Alicia Reynolds?“
”
”But not his girlfriend.“
”Marko’s not into boundaries. He takes whatever he can get.“
”Does that make him different from most of the guys you know?“
”Well…I guess when it comes down to it, no.“
”Okay, thanks. I’d better get going.“
”Hey, wait,“ Mia says. ”I heard a cop got killed tonight. Is that true?“
The cellular jungle drums are beating overtime tonight. ”Yes.“
”Do you know who did it?“
”Sort of.“
”Was the killer local?“
”Why do you ask that?“
”I didn’t figure you’d tell me who it actually was. So I asked for what you could tell me.“
”You seem to realize the drug business extends outside of Natchez.“
”Well, sure. They don’t grow the stuff here. Except for some shitty pot out in Jefferson County.“
”Mia, I think you should consider a career in law enforcement.“
”I might. But I don’t think they teach that at Brown.“
I laugh again. ”I’ll see you in less than an hour.“
”If I fall asleep, wake me up.“
”I will,“ I tell her, realizing as I do that we sound like nothing so much as a married couple.
The Wilsons live on Espero Drive, part of a large subdivision built in the 1970s, one that I once thought of as
