Spencerville

"You, too," he said. In fact, he knew, neither of them looked their best, but Annie had put on some makeup and was wearing a white wool turtleneck and jeans. She had washed and bandaged his knife wound, but neither of them had wanted to stay in the lodge long enough to shower, or for her to pack anything, and he hadn't taken any of the guns. There had been a sort of silent consensus between them to leave everything behind and get out of that house of horrors.

He said to her, "I broke into your house before I came to the lodge, to look for clues. I wanted you to know that."

"That's all right." She smiled again. "You're such a gentleman. Was everything clean?"

"It's a nice house." He added, "You're still a neat freak."

"There's a pig inside trying to get out."

"Good."

They drove on in silence awhile, and when they spoke, it had little or nothing to do with the last three days.

She'd held her hand in his for most of the drive down, and even when he used the floor shift, she kept her hand over his. This reminded him of when they were in high school, on those occasions when he couldn't use the family car, and he had to pick her up in the farm truck, and she'd keep her hand on his as he shifted gears.

Keith said, "It's going to be a beautiful day."

"Yes. I like to see the sun rise." She added, "Especially this one."

"Right." A few minutes later, he said, "Billy Marlon told me you were always nice to him. He appreciated that."

She didn't reply.

Keith said, "He wanted to do what he did. He had a score to settle."

"I know. I know about his wife."

Keith nodded.

Annie said, "I always knew that, one day, all of Cliff's bad deeds would catch up with him." She added, "He did bring it on himself."

"That's usually the case."

She asked him, "Would you have killed him? I mean, if you didn't have to kill him in self-defense?"

"I don't know. I really don't know."

"I don't think you would have. It's all right. You're a good person. You made me a promise." She added, "I didn't make any such promise to anyone."

He didn't respond to that but changed the subject and said, "We'll stop at a roadside place up ahead near the Interstate. I'll buy you breakfast."

"I look awful. So do you."

"I have to meet someone at the truck stop."

"Oh... the man you called from the lodge?"

"Yes."

"Your friend from Washington?"

"Yes."

She didn't say anything further, and, a few minutes later, Keith pulled into a truck stop off the Ohio Turnpike. She said, "I'll stay here."

"No, I want you to meet Charlie, and I want you to call your sister."

They got out of the pickup truck and went into the coffee shop.

Charlie Adair was sitting in a booth near a window, wearing the first and only British tweed suit in the place, drinking coffee, smoking, and reading a newspaper. He stood as they approached, smiled, and said, "Good morning."

Keith and Charlie shook hands, and Keith said, "Charlie Adair, I'd like you to meet Annie Baxter."

He took her hand and said, "I'm very glad you could come."

"Thank you. I'm very glad I could be here."

They all sat, and Charlie ordered two more coffees. He said, "This is a great place. Everyone here smokes." He asked Annie, "Do you mind if I smoke?"

Annie shook her head.

Charlie lit another cigarette and said to her, "Keith and I had some words before he went up to Michigan, so we wanted to apologize to each other in person."

Annie replied, "And you wanted to get a look at me."

"Absolutely. You're beautiful."

"I am, you know, but not at this moment."

Charlie smiled, then said, "I think you are." He added, "I'm not going to take Keith away, so let's be friends."

"Okay."

Keith said to Annie, "Don't trust a word he says."

She replied, "I already figured that out."

Charlie smiled again.

The coffee came, and they sipped on it. Charlie said to Annie, "Here's something you can trust me on — Keith Landry is the finest, bravest, most truthful man I know."

She smiled. "I know that."

Keith said, "I think that's enough." He said to Charlie, "This woman saved my life."

Charlie nodded and said, "You owe her."

Annie said to Charlie, "Actually, Keith risked his life to save mine."

Keith said again, "Enough."

Charlie asked, "Can Uncle buy you breakfast? No strings attached if it's under ten bucks."

They both shook their heads.

Charlie inquired, "Do you need money?"

Keith replied, "No, we're fine."

Charlie said, "So you've known each other since you were kids. That's great. Who did better in school?"

Annie said, "I did. He has the attention span of a gnat."

Charlie smiled. "Depends on the subject. He can read Russian. Did you know that?"

"It never came up and probably never will."

Charlie laughed.

They drank their coffee, and Charlie said to Annie, "I know you've probably had a very trying experience, and I appreciate your agreeing to stop and make small talk."

"I'm sure when I get up to make my phone call, you'll dispense with the small talk."