“No.”
“Even if it meant you were going to hurt someone you cared about?”
“That question has a lot of roads that can be taken. But if you’re asking me specifically if I were you, and knew what you know, and I had a girlfriend like Kayla—”
“Just friends.”
“Okay. A friend like Kayla. And she trusted you. And she wanted to know what happened to her father…. Yeah. I’d tell her.”
“She’ll hate me.”
“She might. If she does, you won’t have that between the two of you, at least.”
“We won’t have anything between us.”
“Could be.”
“But you’d do it anyway?”
“I would, Harry. But I’m not you. You got to make your own decisions.”
“Shit,” Harry said. “I hate that part. I really do.”
51
She could still hit very hard.
Hard enough he was almost knocked off his feet. He fell backward against Harry the bear, making his wooden namesake wobble, but he managed to keep his feet by grabbing at the wall.
“Kayla—” he said.
She hit him again with the flat of her hand, grabbed his arm, twisted it so that it went behind his back, and he let her. Well, actually he liked to think he let her. Still, he didn’t fight it. No struggle whatsoever. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she pistol-whipped him.
Harry said, “Kayla, I’m sorry.”
“You’re a liar. You’re a goddamn liar.”
“I could be wrong.”
“You are wrong. You and your sounds. What shit, Harry. What shit.”
“I know.”
She let go of him with a shove, fell on the couch, and rolled the side of her face against the back of it. She heaved and then burst out crying.
Harry stood where he was, his face red on both sides, his arm aching from being twisted. He looked at Kayla’s back rising up and down, listened to her bawl. She was still wearing her uniform, fresh off the night shift, her gun was on her hip.
It didn’t seem right, seeing a policewoman cry like that.
“I’m sorry—”
“Just shut up, Harry.” When Kayla spoke her voice was muffled, pushed into the couch.
“Sure.”
“Completely shut up.”
“Okay.”
“I mean not another word.”
Harry caught himself in midapology, realized he was about to speak. He stood silent by Harry the bear. Without thinking about it, he patted the wooden critter on the head. After a moment he put his hands in his pockets.
Well, he thought, this has gone well.
He headed out the door.
“Harry,” Kayla said.
“Yes.”
“Don’t you dare leave.”
“Are you going to hit me any more?”
“No.” Kayla rolled over and slowly sat forward on the couch. She said, “I’m sorry. I just can’t believe it. I don’t understand. It doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t know what it means, Kayla. No idea.”
“Come sit beside me.”
“You sure you aren’t going to bitch-slap me again?”
“Positive.”
“No arm-twisting either?”
“No arm-twisting.”
“Could you put the pistol away?”
“Harry, come here.”
He sat down beside her. She touched his face where she had struck him. “Can’t believe I did that.”
“It’s still pretty fresh in my memory.”
“Thanks for not hitting back.”
“I didn’t want to open that can of worms.”
She kissed him on his reddened cheek. “I am sorry.”
“Okay.”
“I’m sorry I said what I said. But maybe it’s not like it seems. Like it looked.”
“I’m just reporting here. Just tell ’em like I see ’em. I may simply be crazy, you know.”
“You’re not. I’m the one who got you into this.”
“I’m into it every day of my life.”
“Did you report it to the department?”
“What’s to report? I found an old car and had some dreams. I didn’t find Vincent’s remains. That’s what I went out there for. But I think he’s on that hill somewhere, covered in vines. What’s left of him anyway. A few bones here and there.”
She turned his face toward hers, kissed him on the lips.
“Harry?”
“Yeah.”
“I just want you to know, and believe me when I say this: I’m not trying to get your gum, so don’t fight me.”
“I’m not chewing gum.”
“Just an example of how you’re acting. To kiss, you have to open your mouth a little.”
“I know that.”
“It’s really okay to kiss back.”
“I’m a little leery.”
“I can understand. But it’s okay.”
He kissed back. It certainly was okay. He took her in his arms. They kissed deeply.
“I’ve thought about you ever since the day you moved away,” Harry said.
“Except when you were with Talia?”
“I thought about you then too.”
“Bet there were a number of moments you weren’t thinking of me.”
“Got a point. But I didn’t know you were available.”
“Good answer…I’ve thought about you too, Harry. Really. I had all this planned better. But tonight…I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” he said, and kissed her.
They came up for air late midday and ate sandwiches in the nude. It was a short-lived break, and then they were at it again in Kayla’s darkened bedroom, hammering away, making the bedsprings squeak like a wounded mouse.
Once, they looked up to see Winston with his head bent down, staring through the window, trying to figure things out. Kayla got up and closed the curtain, came back to bed.
