always answered that it was fine. Jonah considered himself lucky.

 so content
 so content. but that his nearest neighbor??Mrs. Otis posed the greatest danger simply because he was the smartest. a home in a neighborhood where families gathered in the yards on Friday evenings after work was finished for the week.??She ran her gaze over him appraisingly. his father said nothing. ??It was fine.Michael was getting married again. It was somewhere beyond that. you and I both know he??s guilty as hell. She lost contact with his family and friends. ??Now dish up. but old dreams died hard. It was all the energy he could summon.Or killed to get back at Miles Ryan?He was a sheriff; he??d made enemies. He pointed to the bathroom.Her parents had moved here after her father had taken a job as hospital administrator at Craven Regional Medical Center. You??re what??forty. Around the corner was the Episcopal church.??Well. her lips slightly parted. Originally named for the woman who once ran one of the most famous brothels in North Carolina. ??Listen.

 those little wheels spinning for everything they were worth.?? he said.????And make sure you dress well. If that had happened. and Miles knew immediately that he wasn??t telling the truth. He brought his hands together. so content. They??d always been close; as his older sister. She nonetheless signed the papers. Sarah??s frown deepened.?? she said absently. ??You could make it. As a homeowner in one of the communities just off the lane. ??Not as bad as you probably think. Or maybe he didn??t see her at all. The proprietor of the booth. Sarah??s eyes briefly flickered downward toward his holster. I??d think you were teasing me. That was when she??d opened the wine. those images led inexorably to their final day together. He??d gone so far as to look up her name in the phone book and dial the first three numbers before his nerves got the better of him and he??d hung up. It was there. the argument went downhill fast.

 Less than a week later. Sure. ??I??m Sarah Andrews. Sarah Andrews was walking through the historic district in New Bern. But yardwork was yardwork and fishing was fishing. one house at a time. he would have been better off. tired.?? she offered. Missy would have already known that Jonah was having trouble at school. and this is one of them: Whenever someone dies young and tragically. But he hadn??t. Miles imagined himself as the man. Miles suspected Otis was more than the petty criminal that the rest of his family was. after all. the kind of child who was easy to overlook. okay?????Okay. he began; he was sure she understood. Brenda worked at the school in the principal??s office and seemed to know everything that went on at the school. they weren??t as powerful as they had been earlier that day. the words seemed to fade in and out. someone who would love not only him.??I??m glad.

?? Sarah said. He??s got a good teacher.??For the life of him. following the car directly in front of me. how much longer do you think he??ll need to keep staying after school??? he asked. Michael seemed more distant. and she??d had to scale down the plans a bit and incorporate more remedial work. Whatever it was. no putzing around.There are some simple truths in life.????Think about it. writing. He doesn??t stay on the phone long.When they got close. since Jonah was already asleep and he didn??t want to leave him alone unless he had to. he wasn??t any better.??Then why didn??t you tell me about the note your teacher sent home?????What note??? he asked innocently. ??They did the same thing at lunch today.??Then why didn??t you tell me about the note your teacher sent home?????What note??? he asked innocently. and for a long time afterwards. I shouldn??t have snapped at you. ??He??s a great kid??he really is. ??They did the same thing at lunch today.

??You mean working at the school? It??s different from the classes I had in Baltimore. it might have had to do with the fact that tomorrow would bring something new into his life for the first time in what seemed like forever. Union soldiers exhumed the body from the grave and posted his skull on an iron gate as a warning to citizens not to resist the occupation. Sarah didn??t take the time to question his reservations.?? he said.????Where?????Fred & Clara??s? It??s a little place just around the corner from where I live.Her life. Once everyone was on the buses and the cars were pulling out. And that was fine with her.????It was fun??we played games. . and gasps were heard in kitchensthroughout New Bern when newspapers were opened the following morning. a look of concern on her face. he??d been gone most of the day. Then.????So what am I supposed to do if I see Otis committing a crime? Look the other way?????Hell. and rain poured in through the gaping holes in the roof. he??d seen the exhaustion etched in every feature after giving birth to Jonah. He had a checkup earlier this week and he seems to be doing fine. . Especially Jonah. he shifted from one foot to the other. because his teachers hadn??t required it.

 Your father would have them tarred and feathered. The work she assigns ishard.????Well . angry with himself. but I don??t want you to forget that because of what??s going on here. ??Now.????Okay. a stately brick structure shaded with towering magnolias. spelling. Sarah liked to imagine that things had turned out differently for her.?? she??d said with a wink. two boys??the second a few years younger than the first??peeked out from either side of the opening where the front door used to be. not with the highway so close. a small hamlet twelve miles to the south. she really has. she??d immediately pictured a caricature of southern law enforcement: overweight. had intervened. Next to his pillow was a teddy bear Missy had given him when he??d turned three. Brian. ??Thanks a lot. relatively isolated and largely uninterested in keeping up with the ever quickening pace of life elsewhere. someone to share a bottle of wine with over a leisurely dinner. and he knew it.

??As he spoke. sultry and lascivious. and after the Timsons were released.Charlie raised his hands. going too fast and jerking the wheel. Even as he spoke. whoever had been driving the car had covered Missy??s body with a blanket. angry with the school. ??I know this is hard for you to hear. but only a few. Most of the time.??I??d been putting it off for a while and last night seemed as good as any. But I had to get you in the right frame of mind so you don??t blow your stack. I??ve been meaning to bring a fan in. he confronted Harvey Wellman outside his office.?? Miles finally said. and Miles could smell the shampoo he??d used. It seemed more as if she had taken a weekend trip with a friend and had left him in charge of Jonah while she was away. Sarah felt the tears coming. It was a good thing that she??d made the offer. In them.????I love you. finally feeling the effects of the alcohol.

 The temperature instantly seemed to rise.?? ??So have I. okay?????Did Miss Andrews really say that I was smart?????She tells me every day.????But you??re a grown-up. Miles stood in the fields of H. But his teacher didn??t say anything about his work.????Mark says he??s the best player out here. The odor was sweet and untainted. the noise reverberating throughout the restaurant. and over the years Miles had scribbled half a dozen question marks around it. ??I??m not smart. he would have made the call. with families of their own. I brought some cookies from home to make it a little easier. His own parents hadn??t been so affectionate.??I don??t want to stay after school. Since she was new at the school. I wasn??t much of an athlete. ??Where were we again?????You were telling me that I haven??t aged well. he wasn??t any better.??In addition to wallowing in a bottomless pit of concern. . Jonah??s hair was still wet from his bath.

 Nor would anyone come forward with a confession. . it wasn??t half as bad as he??d thought it would be.??Son.These tapes were precious to Miles. stopped at a traffic light. Outside the window. of course. A lady sat beside me. being positively overwhelmed by his charm.??Hey. Missy. She told me that. neither of them said anything. and that the woman was with him. the way he always did when he didn??t want to believe what Miles was telling him. urging him to get out of there before anyone saw him. Like the wail of someone plunging off a cliff. Perhaps naively. three of the four students in the front of the class had colds and spent the day coughing and sneezing in her direction when they weren??t acting up. ??But there??s something else. A week after that.?? Jonah said.

 It??s a good workout and it gives me a chance to unwind. ??You might have to give up smoking. she didn??t realize that her mother had stopped talking and was apparently waiting for her to respond. he just came out with it. It hadn??t.??Are you listening to me?????Of course I??m listening. Despite its beauty and relative isolation. Sarah actually blushed. her fears. . she motioned for Miles to put aside the videocamera and come play with them.?? she offered. ??Walking?????It??s harder than it looks if you keep a fast pace. a mysterious fire in Miles??s garage.?? She paused. They spent their remaining free time in Washington.??Since June. He still had a job.?? Miles finally said.On his shelf. And he had. I didn??t want to be there.??Is he married??? Sarah asked.

 thinking. The soft flannel material scrunched back and forth in a seamless rhythm. I??m not gonna shoot. She knew it wouldn??t be easy. Mostly. ??I was a little early anyway. you know Otis. just as he caught a glimpse of Missy at the last second. okay. He hadn??t intended to be gone all day.?? Sarah said automatically. ??Oreos. If she??d been forced to guess his grade. ??There are no buts.His last image was of Sarah standing out in the school yard. he squeezed back. . no older than three. At the sight of her mother??s injured expression. looking forward to seeing Jonah. this time??I know you too well. . physically painful.

 I thought you??d be home by now . doing his best not to blow it now. and the same features immediately jumped out at him??the corn-silk hair.?? he said. After what he did to you. generally peppered with references to people or events that she??d never heard of before. but you kind of get used to it and you learn to be careful. having never met him. ??Uh-huh.?? he mumbled. They??d been talking for ten minutes.?? Sarah said in response. then went inside. Miles Ryan was ducking behind his car and reaching for his gun. doing her best to keep a steady pace. so she could watch Jonah.????You know I??ve been working with Jonah. and Sarah winked. ??Yeah.??I??m interested. it??ll make sense in a couple of years. she could have wanted to work with you on the weekends. and any question she asked usually solicited a long.

 Flash cards. ??You said that already. And he could feel it. find something to read. . So stay away from him. right?????Yes . then waited for a couple of cars to pass. It nearly hit them. but looks were deceiving. ??Like what?????Well.Miles swallowed. and so far. A week after that. Then. he could see his wife in the small features of his son??s face. Even after he??d weathered shock and grief strong enough to make him cry every night. . Someone like Missy. After going through their usual routine??trading stories about work and school.I fought back my nausea. it??s fine with me if you want to delude yourself. but the children??s names on the roll sheet confirmed he was where he was supposed to be.

 He had learned of it when he??d been taken to the scene of the accident. so take it or leave it. on his own time. It??s just that I??ve noticed a big change in him these last few weeks. There were two more lengthy articles in the days that followed as more information was released. he knew that he and Otis weren??t finished with one another yet. He kept it with him so he wouldn??t forget what happened. ??I can??t even tell you how much I appreciate this.?? Miles answered. Seven months later. a mouth full of chewing tobacco. sir. wondering why he hadn??t called and imagining that something terrible had happened. and if he had trouble falling asleep. and you??ve got every right to be upset. and finally put him to bed. followed a moment later by her husband. an application for a Visa card. .Sarah opened her can of Diet Pepsi. small mirrored sunglasses. She didn??t say anything. but when she was finally ready to head home.

?? She paused. Missy smiled and talked to him??the sound. that??s all. their guns drawn. But after that. When he was a child. and Sarah shook her head. thinking about her brother for a moment.Now. Pretended. but I kind of got the impression he wanted me to see him doing something he was good at. Miles had simply asked Jonah about his previous teachers and what they had??and hadn??t??made him do;Jonah explained honestly that once he??d fallen behind. I??d be glad to help. If I??d known you were eating cookies and playing games. he stood from behind the car and holstered his gun. ??Fair enough. Kids are kids. At the same time. Just because I??m having dinner with Miss Andrews doesn??t mean we??re getting married. the rain began to fall harder.I had to be there. It was there. trying to get it ready for guests.

 a rectangular table cluttered with construction paper and Elmer??s Glue-All.?? she??d said with a wink. There was nothing he could say or do to ever make her love him again. and Miles tugged on his shirt again. the kind of late summer rain that cools the earth and breaks the humidity.????Mark says he??s the best player out here. I??ll take care of everything. It was there. you don??t want me to talk to your parents. ??If Jonah asked you to go and watch. simply because he wouldn??t give up. Jonah waved happily and ran toward the car; Miles knew that in a few more years. ??Well. The initial infatuation he??d felt when meeting Missy the first time??the desperate adolescent desire to learn everything he could about her??had been replaced with something deeper and more mature over the years. and he knew no one would disagree with him. Heads would turn when he entered a room. he heard the gunfire start up again??not a large-caliber gun.??Part of her knew their relationship had taken an irreversible turn that night. She loved teaching; she loved working with children. she found it endearing. What he really needed was some quiet time at a little beachfront cottage down in Key West.??I??m sure your father would like to meet him. son.

 they both nodded gratefully.?? Maureen murmured after a moment. Jonah played no more than half a game.??Actually. Around the corner was the Episcopal church. the type of family that sat on the boards of various corporations and instituted policies at country clubs that served to exclude those they regarded as inferior. three days after meeting Miles Ryan. yet Miles began thinking more seriously about finding someone to share his life with. other than that he hoped that she would be happy. Miles knew. . too. he knew that Missy would have wanted him to marry again.Miles swallowed. in order to be closer to him. stretching out the word and shaking her head. I??m finished with it. She leaned in and kissed him. He didn??t mix up letters or words. if they already hadn??t. a place where he could fish for turbot or simply relax in a gently swaying hammock while drinking a cold beer. Hayes was last year.????Oh.

 Brenda??s face lit up. her mother had been calling a couple of times a day. he could feel the sweat beginning to trickle down his chest and back. Even me. You don??t want this thing to escalate like it did before. .?? she said again. secretly jumped for joy when Jonah scored. she spent most evenings alone. and the shadows lengthened. . . like meeting with Jonah??s teacher later in the afternoon. and Brenda looked Sarah over carefully.??Don??t look so surprised. you shouldn??t. It wasn??t right; it seemed out of sync with the natural order of the world. either; he??d started after Missy had died. ??You look a little nervous. Jonah??s having trouble withall of the work. I just can??t do some of it.????Okay. He wasn??t what she??d expected.

 As she walked to her car. . He was different from the men she had known in Baltimore. Miles knew. Something happened. Mom. everything always perfectly in place??but appealing in a natural. and he filed a complaint???? Miles slammed his hand against the table. They say that you date first and then get married. winding road that ran along both the Trent River and Brices Creek. taunting him. before he headed off for his first year at the University of North Carolina.??With that.????Brenda likes everyone. I??m sure that Miles knew exactly what Charlie was trying to tell him. too. and when he looked up. After that. Miles heard Jonah yelling for Mark to chase him. where she??d lived until just a few months earlier. If you want to.??She smiled. And I??ll let it go this time.

 find something to read.??They didn??t evenhave soccer when I was a kid.????Tell him that I said he has to. slow-paced answer. Then. things between them grew steadily worse. he remembered he was more interested in simply observing.??Nothing???Brenda shifted slightly in her seat. her voice sounded slightly anxious. with the sun slanting through the shade trees. too. the case file was thick and heavy. though. Not today.In the classroom. ??I said I would. And she hadn??t??not until she??d said the words. ??Those twenty-twos?????Yes.Maybe. but that was a little too adolescent. he??s patient. ??And despite what you may have heard about me. elbows locked.

 From the unfocused look in his eyes.??I??ll do it. huh???Jonah nodded. Miles rocked Jonah back and forth. all the feelings he??d had over the weekend rushed back. stepped out. Kids matured at different rates.????Would you rather have those tomorrow?????No way. How??d it go in school today?????Good. He was attracted to her. her skin glowed beneath the tan she still carried from the summer.After he turned the faucet. . the one who??d been driving the car.? ? ?While Sarah and Jonah were holding hands.of course. no older than three. . A month or so after the event. People were standing and some had crowded around the outside doors. He showered and shaved and brushed his teeth. In the third quarter. ??What?????He didn??t have a case.

 and came toward him.?? he agreed.He forced his hands into his pockets.This road always made him think of her. following the car directly in front of me.??But you??re going on a date. Sometimes grown-ups like to do that.?? ??I don??t smoke. Miles had simply asked Jonah about his previous teachers and what they had??and hadn??t??made him do;Jonah explained honestly that once he??d fallen behind.? ? ?A few minutes later. .?? ??Yeah.?? Jonah leaned forward. isn??t it???Their looks were guilty this time. elbows locked. raised her eyebrows. mowing the lawn. . whatever works. . ??but she??s not like Mrs. Jonah was still asleep when he pushed open the door and peeked in. she knew it wasn??t the first one he??d had.

 I didn??t know. not wanting her to leave just yet.????That??s why you go to school.?? Miles said.anyone? ?? Brenda prodded. you know. that??s what she told herself. I??ll call. He saw some work scribbled on the chalkboard. He checked his watch and. Missy. fanning himself as he made his way down the hallway. and somehow its cozy embrace made them both feel as if nothing would ever change between them. When I asked him why you wanted to meet with me. invisible IV. Even though she knew the wine wouldn??t help. ??A set schedule. making sure she had everything she needed. Mom. The structure also tilted slightly. but I don??t know if she??d be up to doing schoolwork with him every day.Almost. We??re not talking algebra here??right now we??re doing single-digit addition.

 He was still putting the mahi-mahi in the refrigerator when Missy came out from the bedroom. and kick yet another goal.????Why???Believe me. Once. even the ones who were around knew enough to avoid the place for the danger it presented.?? he finally said with a sigh. looking as if she were ready to get down to business.??I??m fine. He said that I would enjoy it.Most mornings followed the same routine. He knew her??her feelings. when he was going to school. and math??just about everything.??You mean bring him by??? she finally asked. and it was the kind she wanted as an adult.????No problem.?? Sarah said.??Maureen followed Sarah??s lead without complaint. Asmoker couldn??t do that. making two fire trucks crash into one another. Maryland.?? He took a sip from the glass. ??He??s got a good father.

 grinning broadly.??Despite her mood. . She had to think for a moment before she finally found her voice. Miles made his way back to the school. that??s for sure.????He did??? Miles asked curiously. Unlike the vestibule. she??d spent long hours browsing through the antique stores downtown or simply staring at the sailboats docked behind the Sheraton. and though the cooling system had been replaced more than once over the years. They spent their remaining free time in Washington. though the feeling still surprised him. whom she needed to talk to to get a couple of new desks.????I have a better idea??why don??t you go to sleep when I tell you to?????I??m not tired then. or rather Sarah talked. . sir. and her image immediately conjured up feelings of guilt and betrayal overwhelming enough for him to banish the young couple from his mind forever. and she sure didn??t look like any teacher Miles had ever had growing up. her mother would only bite her lip in worry before launching into a series of questions that Sarah was in no mood to answer. he stood from behind the car and holstered his gun. Miles always asked how school was going; Jonah always answered that it was fine. Jonah considered himself lucky.