"Twice?"

"As any good cop would."

"Good cops shoot unarmed citizens?"

He looked at me a long hard time. He was in his crisp dark uniform as usual and his hair was white and his face was old-man fleshy. But the blue eyes were young and smart. And now they were just a little bit mean. He was pure cop.

"You trying to p.i.s.s me off on this thing, Spence?"

"No, sir."

"Good. Because I like you and I want to keep on liking you."

I stared out the window. Thanksgiving was three days away and the sky was June blue.

"I just wanted to tell you what I was thinking, Chief," I said.

"I appreciate that, Spence."

"I really did yell over to him. You know, that Myles didn't have his gun anymore."

"I believe you, Spence. I also believe that Garrett didn't hear you."

"I guess that kind of wraps things up, doesn't it?"

"Far as I'm concerned, it does." Then: "Spence?"

"Yes?"

"This is a small town. Rumors get started pretty fast."

"I won't say anything to anybody."

"I'd appreciate that."

He stood up from his desk and put a beefy hand out, one that mine disappeared inside of.

After we shook, he walked me to the door and clapped me on the back.

"You miss the Army?"

"Not really."

He smiled. "I was the same way. Couldn't wait to get out of it. That was forty years ago, back when they still had a draft."

He opened the door for me.

"Spence?"

"Yes."

"I know you're not satisfied with our little talk this morning but I'm not trying to hide anything at all. Far as I'm concerned, Garrett was discharging his duties by the book. I would've done the same thing myself in those circ.u.mstances. And so would you."

"Maybe I would have."

"And anywaya"" He hesitated a moment, as if not sure he wanted to say what he wanted to say. "Save a lot of heartache. In the community, I mean. Putting all of Nancy Tumbler's people through a triala"h.e.l.l, it wouldn't have been very easy for Myles' folks, either."

"No, it wouldn't have been."

"And we know he did it."

"Yes, we do."

"There were witnesses."

"Yes, there were."

"So in the scheme of thingsa""

I guess I couldn't disagree with that part of it. Myles really had killed a woman in cold blood. And a trial would just make the whole town suffer even more.

But there was one thing Chief Stewart wouldn't acknowledgea"that his officer had heard me tell him that Myles was unarmed, but had proceeded to execute him anyway.

"You have yourself a good day, Spence."

"You, too, Chief."

This was Monday morning right after breakfast.

When I finished at the police station, I walked over to the department store and went to work.

By noon, just about everybody who worked in the store had come up to me and asked me if I'd been scared after Myles carjacked me. I didn't blame them. They worked hard at drab, empty jobs for very little money and no security. They needed some kind of excitement and management wouldn't let them watch TV during the day so I was the next best thing.

On my lunch hour, I finally worked up the nerve to call Mrs. Brasher.

"Well, Cindy's in school," she said, sounding surprised that I'd choose now to call.

"It was you I wanted to talk to, Mrs. Brasher."

"Me?" She sounded even more surprised.

"I want to bring Cindy a presenta"something that'll help take her mind off thingsa"and I was just wondering if you could mayhe give me an idea of what she'd like."

Long pause. "I don't think Cindy wants to see you anymore, Spence. So I'm going to ask you not to try and contact her in any way."

The queasiness was back in my stomach. "Why wouldn't she want to see me anymore?"

Another pause. Then a sigh. "She thinks that she helped drive David toa"you know, Sat.u.r.day nighta"that if she hadn't started seeing you, maybe he wouldn't have gone insane."

Right, I thought. He would have just kept on beating her.

But then I thought of Myles' face in my car a few minutes before he dieda"the grief, the terror.

"She's going to start seeing Dr. Granger again. She'sa"not doing very well at the moment." Granger was the town's one and only shrink. "She went to school but I wouldn't be surprised if she came home early."

"I want to help her, Mrs. Brasher."

"Then stay away from her, Spence. I don't mean to be harsha"but that would be best for everybody. And now I have to go."

The rest of the day I kept tearing up and breaking into fits of trembling. I wanted to vomit but when I went back to the john, all I did was peer down into the toilet bowl.

a"I'm going to ask you not to try and contact her in any way.

a"Stay away from her, Spence. I really did want to puke.

At first, I didn't recognize him.

This was right near closing time. It had been a slow business day. I'd spent most of my time in the back room rearranging some old stock and marking it down for an upcoming sale. Some of the shoes make you wonder what consumer the manufacturer had in mind. One pair had platform heels, ankle straps and a flowery bow that went across the instep. Apparently, Carmen Miranda was coming back in vogue.

"Are you Spence?"

As I said, I didn't recognize him at first.

He was a small, quiet-looking man with a receding hairline, sad brown eyes, and a forlorn little mouth.

"Yes, I am," I said.

He put out a small hand. "I'm Don Myles, David's father."

"Oh."

I shook his hand. I had no idea what to say. He obviously didn't either. I felt kind of sorry for both of us.

Then the irony of it struck me. It happened this way sometimes, little gray guy like this siring a strapping handsome superstar like David. Recessive genes, maybe.

"I'd like to ask you a favor but I don't want you to feel obligated about it in any way."

"All right," I said.

"The missus was wondering if you might possibly stop over at our place after the funeral."

"Your place?"

He nodded. "She'd like to talk to you about how David was."

I see.

"The last hour or so."

"Right."

"If he said anything particular."

a"Tell my Mom and Dad how much I love them, Spence. Tell them that I sure wish I would have listened to them.

That's what Mr. Myles hoped that David had said.

The poor shambling b.a.s.t.a.r.d, standing there so sad, utterly destroyed, the rest of his life never to be the same again.

"I'd be happy to, Mr. Myles."

"Really. You wouldn't mind?"

"No; no problem."

I was going to make something up. I'd have to think about it. If I made it too corny, they'd know I was making it up. I'd have to think of something that they'd keep with them the rest of their lives.

"How about if I call you?"

He stared at me and then averted his eyes a moment. "I know what he did to you. Ramming your car that night."

"Don't think about that, Mr. Myles. I wasn't hurt bad."

"It was her. He changed after he met her. I'm not saying that he wasn't wild before buta"but after he started hanging around with that Cindy Brashera"" He shook his head.

"The missus really would appreciate you stopping by, Spence."

"My pleasure, Mr. Myles."

He nodded, and went quietly away.

CHAPTER TWO.

I smelled snow on the wind as I came out of the store that night. Winter always comes abruptly in these parts. Even though the day had been sunny and warm, tomorrow could be white and bitter cold.

Dusk was coming earlier, too. By 5:45, darkness covered everything. The parking lot lights looked dim and ineffective against the vast gloom.

I got in my car and had my first winter encounter with the engine. d.a.m.ned thing didn't want to start.

I watched as all the other cars pulled out of the lot, owners waving goodbye. A few were nice enough to shout that they had jumper cables but I waved them on. I figured I could do this myself.