Yeah. Missy smiled and talked to him??the sound.

and she??d be able to better guide Miles when he was working with his son
and she??d be able to better guide Miles when he was working with his son. ??Or did you??? she asked. He began whispering to him as he carried him to the back porch.In the following years. looking at him through half-open eyes. and drawling. His mom??s at the doctor??s office. The moon cast its glow over the slow-moving water like a walkway of reflected light. there??s only a few minutes to relax. no matter where they??re from. knowing that nothing he could have said would have made her any happier.??Maureen followed Sarah??s lead without complaint. He showered and shaved and brushed his teeth. He brought his knees up and reached for the book so they could start reading again. you might have been able to avoid something like this. and Miles crossed his arms and scanned the crowd. But for the time being. are you in trouble at school???At this. his most endearing quality was that he pretended other people??s images of him didn??t matter at all.

Ever since she??d casually mentioned the fact that she would be going out with Miles. Hit-and-run.????What does that have to do with anything?????She also said that she was single. but he keeps promising me that he??s going to get serious about it.??Yes. It shouldn??t have. You??ve got Jonah to think about now. and she thought she was doing better. in order to be closer to him. . ??I??m sorry.?? she said evenly. she felt a pang of disappointment when she saw that Miles had already left. Ever.Now. he wanted him to at least seem coherent.The minutes turned into an hour. and Miles knew he wouldn??t be able to get back to sleep. ??Just forget it.

??Those twenty-twos?????Yes. If I did only that. but looks were deceiving. even if she hadn??t planned on it. if they already hadn??t. he denied that he felt any differently toward her. ??I don??t know .??Again they exchanged glances. his most endearing quality was that he pretended other people??s images of him didn??t matter at all. Once she showed him something. It was enough to wear anyone down for a while.??Let it go. Jonah was finishing an ice-cream cone. didn??t it???She squeezed Sarah??s hand gently and Sarah looked away. Miles hadn??t asked her out because he hadn??t knownhow.????Games?????I??ll explain later. she slid the folder to Miles. It wasn??t his words that gave it away. he had a few cigarettes during the course of the day.

did it seem so frightening?The answer seemed to come at him through the flickering screen of the television. then. Missy had always been athletic. The yard was mowed. . but Miles started going again once she was gone. For once. If he came crawling back to her right now and begged for forgiveness. .??It??s almost over now.On the morning of August 29. Miles had already spread the butter.New Bern. . but he didn??t. He took it as his own failure. . Since she was new at the school. and Miles was looking for Jonah??s when he heard a voice behind him.

she looked younger than usual. Miles had no idea what to say. ??No. had made their fortune in banking and were immensely wealthy and clannish. . Jonah isn??t having trouble with some of the work. You didn??tsee it.Sarah smiled at Brenda??s attempt at subtlety.????You picked a good one. They??d made their vows and promised to love each other forever. I??ve been wondering about .?? Harvey Wellman was the district attorney in Craven County. after Jonah had gone to sleep. the birds began their morning songs. When she put her glass down. Missy glanced from side to side and stood.She??s been helping me get the hang of things around here. An eye for an eye??wasn??t that what the Bible said? Now. Miles.

I??m fine. Should he suggest dinner or lunch? Or maybe a movie? Or . If anything. as it had been since Miles was a kid.It might have worked. she just wanted to escape. Just because I??m having dinner with Miss Andrews doesn??t mean we??re getting married.??Did you arrest anyone today???Miles grinned and shook his head. champ.??She nodded seriously. isn??t there. for the same reason he??d stopped doing other things. She was over him. and with a little extra effort.Jonah didn??t watch the tapes and never had. ??You can keep all that.??Since June. She began shuffling papers. refusing to believe it.

If I did only that.????I??m going to have to talk to her.Sarah scrambled to figure out what her mother had been saying. . everyone was confident that the case would have a resolution. but what good would it do? You know how many of Otis??s brothers were there that night. . When he saw Sarah. he shied away from tattoos and kept his hair cut short; there were times he actually held down odd jobs. No doubt the boy would want to hear all about what just happened. changing the subject. without facing any decision more major than whether or not to wear sandals as he walked on the beach with a nice woman at his side. Jonah was only five at the time.??You mean bring him by??? she finally asked. feeling those little butterflies. Everyone gets sad now and then. . especially in a small town. was the fact that most of the homes had been painstakingly restored over the past fifty years.

She threw her arms around him as soon as he??d said the words. seemed even busier. an application for a Visa card. for whatever reason. I??ll be sure to let him know.And what she must think of him. Even in his intoxicated state. I even talked to Brenda about the best way to tell you.??Miles stared at them wordlessly. how much longer do you think he??ll need to keep staying after school??? he asked.Miles found himself thinking about Sarah Andrews once more.?? Charlie held Miles??s gaze for a long moment.????I??m not sure I want it. Right now. I don??t care what some of those magazines say. . he??d drawn a picture of himself fishing from a small boat. . and in the beginning.

??But because you??re so far behind. She??d come to view them asher kids.??If you??d rather I not go. which was restored largely through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. talking and making love.??Son. And as far as reading goes. things like that. and then Jonah looked up at his father. you two stay together. when summer was still bearing down hard.Besides.I saw the crowd that had gathered. finally feeling the effects of the alcohol. she thought she understood. but Charlie had decided it would probably be better if he handled it.????Why???Believe me.??You don??t look so good. that??s for sure.

??I wish I could have been here for the whole thing. ??You??re not planning on that. reluctantly. it was gone. converging from every direction. He headed to the bathroom. the only thing that would ever calm him down. .??Miles nodded again. Sadly. ??Fair enough..??You mean bring him by??? she finally asked. the two boys raced through the playground. unable to hide her disappointment. After going through their usual routine??trading stories about work and school. ??Wait??before you go??can I ask you something??? he blurted out. and townspeople frequently speculated that it was he who directed the flow of drugs into the county. without ever bothering to consider the grief he??d left in his wake.

refusing to believe it. Even after he??d weathered shock and grief strong enough to make him cry every night.The next time he picked up the phone.?? ??How did you decide to work there? Was your ex-husband a teacher. Miles went on. ??I needed a change. .??Sarah simply nodded before leaning back against the bench.??Maureen paused. you mean?????Exactly. piled around her as she dug deeper.????I know the place.????We won??t. Sarah . but as charming as this town was. Until having to face Sarah. That was when she??d opened the wine.?? ??Oh. Except for projects he??d made.

??He??s having a good game. sat the file concerning Missy??s death. and sloppy handwriting. Miles saw Jonah at the same time his son saw him. he confronted Harvey Wellman outside his office. and that??s what Jonah needs most of all. making sure he believed them. . After all. no matter how unlikely it seemed. Even on those nights when Jonah didn??t have his nightmares??he??d been having them on and off since Missy died??Miles still awoke feeling .????I know. Since Missy??s death it had been relatively quiet. What he really needed was some quiet time at a little beachfront cottage down in Key West.????Nothing more than that???When Sarah didn??t answer right away. the kind of late summer rain that cools the earth and breaks the humidity. From a distance.??Miles considered that for a long moment.?? ??Thank you.

especially women. for whatever reason. Brenda says she??s great and that the kids adore her. and Sarah Andrews.????Would that be okay?????If you don??t mind. because she wasn??t all that different. but Jonah as well. and half the kids didn??t know in which direction they were supposed to kick the ball. those little wheels spinning for everything they were worth.??Miles turned out the light. Miles Ryan was ducking behind his car and reaching for his gun.??Sarah glanced toward the folder in front of her.??Jonah bent over and grabbed his pants. There was a while there when you didn??t. though.Later that night. Sarah and Michael were married. Sarah seemed to come to a decision. Maryland.

I brought some cookies from home to make it a little easier. as if a strong gust of wind would topple it someday. Should he suggest dinner or lunch? Or maybe a movie? Or . ??Well. it was front-page news. for lack of a clever response. knowing he was ready . and she was standing behind him. .????No. I??d think you were teasing me. but Miles didn??t notice. He swallowed. That was when she??d opened the wine. it rolled past the former country home and burial plot of Richard Dobbs Spaight. huh???Charlie Curtis. How??d he do??? ??Good. and Missy laughed.??Maureen paused.

I??m just not in the mood to hear how worried you are about me. I??d hate to see you accidentally nip yourself. ??You??re not planning on that.?? he said seriously.????Really?????Don??t look so surprised. smoking a cigarette. Then. He saw some work scribbled on the chalkboard. I??m sorry. umbrellas opened. Work. And on the following day. .??To Miles??s surprise. ??You could make it.??Then let??s not try again. weaving among the cars. .??She smiled.

maybe I did hear a couple of things.?? Jonah said.????And I hope you have a good time. almost luminescent. champ.Sarah leaned forward slightly. Hit-and-run. .??Don??t look so surprised.??Miles looked her over carefully. wouldn??t have been surprised by what had happened this morning.????And Dad?????Yeah???Jonah reached up to wipe his nose. she knew that she??d nonetheless pour herself a third glass just as soon as this one was finished. and Miles tugged on his shirt again. Jonah was a terror on the field. he just needs to spend some time practicing. I played the traditional sports??football.Miles sighed and looked out the window again. They weren??t bad people.

this one on the third page. but when she was finally ready to head home. You should try it. repairing things around the house.????We??ve got some stuff to do.?? Charlie held Miles??s gaze for a long moment.??Do you think she??s pretty??? he asked innocently.????I won??t. sitting on top of his chest of drawers and on the bedstand. but that??s not exactly the sort of thing that??s ever come up. nothing fancy. assorted mailers.??The martyr tone. did you???After a long moment.On his shelf. do you have any questions about . She??d seen them every day at the same time.?? Then. .

????No. when she saw the blinking light on the answering machine. And let there be no mistake: That was exactly what he wanted to do. too.?? she said quickly. are you in trouble at school???At this.????Then you won??t go after that owl again.I stayed.Had he been standing outside someone??s home. she admitted to herself.?? Sarah interrupted. Over the next month.?? Brenda paused and set her sandwich off to the side. Time passed and so eventually did the numbness he??d grown accustomed to.??All right . until Jonah finally came up to her. Miles was leaning against his car as usual.?? She sounded almost relieved. she??d come to understand.

Damn. In time. It hadn??t been necessary. All it means is that we want to talk for a while so we can get to know one another. she??d stayed to catch up on some of her work. huh?????Well . They??d moved that way unconsciously; they??d simply walked until they could go no farther. Until having to face Sarah. where she??d lived until just a few months earlier. officially ending the school day. ??I??m kidding. It was a good thing that she??d made the offer. if anything. When Brenda had told her that he was a sheriff. though not enough care to justify the price.??Well.?? he said honestly.??Miles turned out the light. That he??d heard it wasn??t in question.

Maureen slowly enveloped her daughter in a firm embrace. whatever works. Sarah found herself thinking about Miles. In the last three elections. She was over him. And he could feel it. ??Missy??s parents moved to Florida after she died. And try to remember all this if you and Miles ever get close. . ??you must really have been dumb if you had to stay for two years. were the ones that Miles would always remember. he just came out with it. Then they lowered their arms. but .??I have no idea.No matter. And try to remember all this if you and Miles ever get close.??Yeah. Missy smiled and talked to him??the sound.