بخش 03 - فصل 09

9 Although there are plenty of parking spaces on Lake Avenue after seven P.M.–as Olivia Trelawney well knew–they are few and far between at five

in the afternoon, when Hodges and Janey Patterson get back from Sunny Acres. Hodges spots one three or four buildings down, however, and although it’s small (the car behind the empty spot has poached a little), he shoehorns the Toyota into it quickly and easily. “I’m impressed,” Janey says. “I could never have done that. I

flunked my driver’s test on parallel parking the first two times I went.” “You must have had a hardass.” She smiles. “The third time I wore a short skirt, and that did the trick.” Thinking about how much he’d like to see her in a short skirt–the shorter the better– Hodges says, “There’s really no

trick to it. If you back toward the curb at a forty-five-degree angle, you can’t go wrong. Unless your car’s too big, that is. A Toyota’s perfect for city parking. Not like a–” He stops. “Not like a Mercedes,” she finishes. “Come up and have coffee, Bill. I’ll even feed the meter.”

“I’ll feed it. In fact, I’ll max it out. We’ve got a lot to talk about.” “You learned some stuff from my mom, didn’t you? That’s why you were so quiet all the way back.” “I did, and I’ll fill you in, but that’s not where the conversation starts.” He’s looking at her full in the face now, and it’s an easy face to

look into. Christ, he wishes he were fifteen years younger. Even ten. “I need to be straight with you. I think you’re under the impression that I came looking for work, and that’s not the case.” “No,” she says. “I think you came because you feel guilty about what happened to my sister. I simply took advantage of you. I’m not sorry, either.

You were good with my mother. Kind. Very . . . very gentle.” She’s close, her eyes a darker blue in the afternoon light and very wide. Her lips open as if she has more to say, but he doesn’t give her a chance. He kisses her before he can think about how stupid it is, how reckless, and is astounded when she kisses him back, even

putting her right hand on the nape of his neck to make their contact a little firmer. It goes on for no more than five seconds, but it seems much longer to Hodges, who hasn’t had a kiss like this one in quite awhile. She pulls back, brushes a hand through his hair, and says, “I’ve wanted to do that all afternoon. Now let’s go

upstairs. I’ll make coffee and you make your report.” But there’s no report until much later, and no coffee at all.