humiliated and wanted to cover the shame.
‘It was only a kiss, Joe,’ she said. ‘Don’t read anything into it. It was just to say thanks.’
I lifted a hand. ‘There’s no need.’
‘Yes, you’ve already made that clear.’ The playfulness fell off her like a discarded cloak. She sat down on the protesting bed, flung down her purse, and looked at me with fire in her eyes. ‘It would do you good to lighten up and have a little fun, Joe. Instead of being so goddamn uptight all the time.’
Her comment took me back. Uptight?
‘I’m trying to keep us alive, Kate.’
‘Who’d want to live if they were as wound up as you are?’ she snapped.
Dumbfounded, I turned slowly away. ‘I’d best go and move the Dodge. Keep the door locked until I come back, OK?’
‘Yes, sir,’ she said, flicking me a salute. Then she stood quickly and walked to the bathroom. The door slammed. I could hear her muttering to herself right through the door.
What the hell is eating her? I wondered. I’d tried saying the honourable thing and for some reason it had backfired on me. It was so much like my married life that it actually brought a nostalgic smile to my face. Then I recalled what day it was and the smile slipped away.
I stepped out into a biting wind.
The motel was anonymous enough, but, as Kate had earlier pointed out, the Dodge Ram with its customised paint job would bring the bad guys down on us in no time. I fired it up then drove a mile through town to another motel. I parked the Dodge under some trees so that it was blocked from the highway – making it look like we’d attempted to conceal the vehicle – but not so well hidden that it wouldn’t be discovered. It was better for us if the bad guys wasted time staking out that motel than searching for us at ours. Then I headed back to the first motel on foot. On the way, I stopped off at a convenience store and purchased some snacks and juice. At the last second I added a large bar of chocolate to my groceries – a peace offering for Kate.
Out of the shop I found myself an empty doorway. Pulling out my cell phone, I rang my friend Rink.
‘What the hell have you said to Kate to piss her off so much?’ he asked me.
‘She’s already called you, then?’
‘Yup,’ Rink said in his anomalous Arkansas drawl. ‘Passed me details of a vehicle you want me to look at. Then she started in on me about you. What’s got her all bowed up?’
‘Beats me. I was just being my normal self.’
‘Right. Nuff said.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Cool as ice is OK, but not all the time, Hunter.’
‘I’m not always like that.’
‘No, sometimes you’re in a foul mood.’ He chuckled. ‘She’s a fine-looking woman, don’t you think?’
‘For a cop?’
‘Ah, she told you, then? Didn’t think it would matter, buddy. Not seeing as who she is.’
‘Can’t believe she’s Jake Piers’ little sister.’
‘Me neither. He was one ugly son of a bitch,’ Rink said. ‘I guess he got all the ugly genes and there was none left by the time Kate came along.’
‘She’s beautiful,’ I agreed.
My silence afterwards was perhaps a beat too long.
‘You got a thing for her, Hunter?’
‘No.’
He laughed at my blatant lie. ‘She likes you, buddy. There’d be nothin’ wrong if you felt the same. You don’t have to stay a monk the rest of your life.’
‘I can’t let things distract me, Rink. You know that. I start paying attention to her pretty face, I miss the gun pointing at her head.’
‘Things getting out of hand up there?’
I told him what had happened at Imogen’s house and on the drive back to town. Four men dead already and we still had no idea who we were fighting or what had become of Imogen.
‘You want me to come up?’
‘Not yet. You need to be in Tampa. If you fail to show up at court, the judge might throw the case out.’
Rink was tied up with the trial of Rupert Heavey. He had spent a month gathering evidence that
‘It was only a kiss, Joe,’ she said. ‘Don’t read anything into it. It was just to say thanks.’
I lifted a hand. ‘There’s no need.’
‘Yes, you’ve already made that clear.’ The playfulness fell off her like a discarded cloak. She sat down on the protesting bed, flung down her purse, and looked at me with fire in her eyes. ‘It would do you good to lighten up and have a little fun, Joe. Instead of being so goddamn uptight all the time.’
Her comment took me back. Uptight?
‘I’m trying to keep us alive, Kate.’
‘Who’d want to live if they were as wound up as you are?’ she snapped.
Dumbfounded, I turned slowly away. ‘I’d best go and move the Dodge. Keep the door locked until I come back, OK?’
‘Yes, sir,’ she said, flicking me a salute. Then she stood quickly and walked to the bathroom. The door slammed. I could hear her muttering to herself right through the door.
What the hell is eating her? I wondered. I’d tried saying the honourable thing and for some reason it had backfired on me. It was so much like my married life that it actually brought a nostalgic smile to my face. Then I recalled what day it was and the smile slipped away.
I stepped out into a biting wind.
The motel was anonymous enough, but, as Kate had earlier pointed out, the Dodge Ram with its customised paint job would bring the bad guys down on us in no time. I fired it up then drove a mile through town to another motel. I parked the Dodge under some trees so that it was blocked from the highway – making it look like we’d attempted to conceal the vehicle – but not so well hidden that it wouldn’t be discovered. It was better for us if the bad guys wasted time staking out that motel than searching for us at ours. Then I headed back to the first motel on foot. On the way, I stopped off at a convenience store and purchased some snacks and juice. At the last second I added a large bar of chocolate to my groceries – a peace offering for Kate.
Out of the shop I found myself an empty doorway. Pulling out my cell phone, I rang my friend Rink.
‘What the hell have you said to Kate to piss her off so much?’ he asked me.
‘She’s already called you, then?’
‘Yup,’ Rink said in his anomalous Arkansas drawl. ‘Passed me details of a vehicle you want me to look at. Then she started in on me about you. What’s got her all bowed up?’
‘Beats me. I was just being my normal self.’
‘Right. Nuff said.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Cool as ice is OK, but not all the time, Hunter.’
‘I’m not always like that.’
‘No, sometimes you’re in a foul mood.’ He chuckled. ‘She’s a fine-looking woman, don’t you think?’
‘For a cop?’
‘Ah, she told you, then? Didn’t think it would matter, buddy. Not seeing as who she is.’
‘Can’t believe she’s Jake Piers’ little sister.’
‘Me neither. He was one ugly son of a bitch,’ Rink said. ‘I guess he got all the ugly genes and there was none left by the time Kate came along.’
‘She’s beautiful,’ I agreed.
My silence afterwards was perhaps a beat too long.
‘You got a thing for her, Hunter?’
‘No.’
He laughed at my blatant lie. ‘She likes you, buddy. There’d be nothin’ wrong if you felt the same. You don’t have to stay a monk the rest of your life.’
‘I can’t let things distract me, Rink. You know that. I start paying attention to her pretty face, I miss the gun pointing at her head.’
‘Things getting out of hand up there?’
I told him what had happened at Imogen’s house and on the drive back to town. Four men dead already and we still had no idea who we were fighting or what had become of Imogen.
‘You want me to come up?’
‘Not yet. You need to be in Tampa. If you fail to show up at court, the judge might throw the case out.’
Rink was tied up with the trial of Rupert Heavey. He had spent a month gathering evidence that
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