Stranger in Paradise

“Might be none of your business,” Molly said.

Amber shrugged.

“So did ya?” she said.

Molly thought for a moment about the way Crow seemed to look through her clothes. She felt her face flush slightly.

“You did, didn’t you?” Amber said.

“No,” Molly said. “I have never cheated on my husband.”

“Why not?” Amber said. “Doesn’t it get boring doing it with the same guy every day?”

Molly smiled.

“When you’ve been married fourteen years, and you both work, and you got four kids, it’s not every day,” Molly said.

“Man, you’re as drab as Jesse,” Amber said. “You have any fun before you got married?”

“I got married pretty early,” Molly said.

“Jesus,” Amber said. “Tell me you weren’t a freaking virgin.”

“No,” Molly said. “I wasn’t a virgin.”

“Christ, I hope not,” Amber said. “You think you might fool around sometime?”

“I have no long-range plan,” Molly said. “I’m pretty sure I won’t fool around today.”

Amber looked at the big picture of Ozzie Smith behind the bar.

“Who’s the black guy?” Amber said.

“That’s Ozzie Smith,” Molly said. “He’s in the Baseball Hall of Fame.”

“So why’s his picture here?”

“I guess Jesse admires him,” Molly said.

“How come?”

“Jesse used to be a ballplayer,” Molly said. “He was a shortstop, like Ozzie.”

“Jesse played baseball?”

“In the minor leagues,” Molly said. “He hurt his shoulder and had to stop.”

“Bummer,” Amber said. “And he ends up a cop.”

“I think he likes being a cop,” Molly said.

“How come?”

“He’s good at it,” Molly said.

“That’s all?”

“That’s enough,” Molly said.

“Is that why you like it?”

“Yeah,” Molly said. “Yeah, it is.”

They were quiet for a time. The gossip program gurgled on.

“Must be why I like screwing,” Amber said.

“Because you’re good at it?” Molly said.

“The best,” Amber said.

“My husband always says the worst sex he ever had was great,” Molly said.

“What’s that mean?”

“Maybe everybody’s good at it,” Molly said.

Amber was silent for a time. Then she shrugged.

“What’s the difference,” she said.

54.

Crow came into Jesse’s office and sat down.

“Things happening in town,” he said.

“All of them since you arrived,” Jesse said.

“Think of me as a catalyst for change,” Crow said.

“Or the Grim Reaper,” Jesse said.

Crow smiled.

“You’re not living in your house,” Jesse said.

“Apache warriors can live off the land,” Crow said.

“What do you do for food?” Jesse said.

“Room service,” Crow said.

“Hardscrabble,” Jesse said.

Crow nodded.

“Some people in here from Miami,” Crow said.

“Fewer than there were,” Jesse said.

“They’re from Francisco,” Crow said. “They supposed to kill me and take the girl home. But I think they handed me off to the Horn Street Boys, so they can concentrate on the girl.”

“That’s right,” Jesse said.

“You know something,” Crow said.

“We arrested Bobby Chacon,” Jesse said, “and he talked to us.”

“So that leaves Romero,” Crow said.

“You know him?”

“Yes,” Crow said.

“Think he’ll try for the girl himself?” Jesse said.

“He’s good enough,” Crow said.

“But?”

“But he knows I’m around,” Crow said. “And he has to assume once you got Chacon that he’d blab sooner or later.”

“So you think he won’t,” Jesse said.

“He’s got the balls for it,” Crow said. “But I think he’s a smart guy. Like you and me. He knows what he’s doing. And right now, he’s trying to do a job, and I think he’ll wait until the odds are better.”

“We checked the Miami flights,” Jesse said. “He was on one two hours after Marshport busted Bobby Chacon.”

Crow nodded.

“You think he’ll be back?” Jesse said.

Crow nodded.

“And I think Louis Francisco will come back with him and I think he’ll bring a lot of troops,” Crow said.

“Francisco gets what he wants,” Jesse said.

“He does,” Crow said. “And right now he wants his daughter.”

“How about you?”

“After the daughter.”

“We’ll keep an eye on the inbound flights from Miami,” Jesse said.

“He won’t come commercial. He’s got his own plane.”

“What kind?”

“Big one,” Crow said.

“Like a commercial jet?”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll check where he might land,” Jesse said.

“Francisco has a lot of resources,” Crow said. “He’s the real deal. If you had a team of bad guys, Francisco would hit fourth.”

Jesse nodded.

“He’s got all the money he needs. He’s got no fear, and no feelings,” Crow said. “I think the daughter thing is mostly about ego.”

“You don’t think he loves her?” Jesse said.

“I don’t think he can,” Crow said.

“Well,” Jesse said after a moment of silence, “you’re right about the Horn Street Boys. Chacon says they picked up your contract.”

Crow grinned.

“How much?” he said.

“Chacon says ten grand.”

“Ten?” Crow said.

Jesse nodded.

“That what they got for bagging the kid’s mother?” Crow said.

“I believe so.”

“Lot of money to those kids,” Crow said.

“And they’re mad at you for shooting Puerco,” Jesse said.

“It was nothing personal,” Crow said.

Jesse nodded slowly.

“It never is,” he said. “Is it?”

Crow shrugged.

“Just thought I’d give you a heads-up,” he said.

“Public-spirited citizens,” Jesse said, “are our best defense against crime.”

“Exactly right,” Crow said.

55.