rambling here, Kate. Which way?”
“I’M sorry. Around the Capitol, over to Maryland and left on 3rd
Street.”
“You like that area?”
“On my salary, I like it just fine- Let me guess. You’re ABSOWTE POWEP,
* 83 Probably in Georgetown, right, one of those big federal Pr
‘th maid’s quarters townhouses with same placers He shrugged. haven’t
moved. I’m in the th all of your She stared at him. ,jack, what do you
do wi money I just don’t want that much,” He stared
“I buy what I want; , airy Queen butterscotch-dipped ack. ctHey, how
about a D
b ice cream cone”‘
this town, I’ve tried.” -There’s none to he had in the honkers, and
roared off He did a U-turn, grinned at didn’t try hard enough.”
“Apparently, counselor, you THIRTY MINUTES LATER HE PULLM INTO HER
PARKING LOT. HE ran around to help her out. The ankle had stiffened a
little more. The butterscotch cone was almost gone. -I’ll help you up.”
,you don’t have to.”
“I busted your ankle. Help me relieve some of my guilt.”
“I’ve got’it, Jack.” That tone was very familiar to him, even after four
years. He smiled wearily and stepped back.
lowly. He was get She was halfway up the stairs, moving sting back in
his car when she turned around.
“Jack?” He looked up. “Thanks for the ice cream.” She went into the
building.
Driving off, Jack did not see the man standing near the lit tie cluster
of trees at the entrance to the parking lot Luther emerged from the
shadows of the trees and looked up at the apartment building.
His appearance from two days ago had drastically His hair had been
changed. It was lucky his beard grew fast.
cut very short, and a hat covered what was left. Sunglasses obscured his
intense eyes and a bulky overcoat concealed the lean body one more time
before he left. He He had hoped to see her had been shocked to see Jack,
but that was all right. He liked Jack.
He huddled in his coat. The wind was picking up, and the chill was more
than Washington usually carried at this time of year. He stared up at
his daughter’s apartment window.
Apartment number fourteen. He knew it well; had even been inside it on a
number of occasions, unbeknownst to his daughter, of course. The
standard front-door lock was child’s play for him. It would’ve taken
longer for someone with a key to open it. He would sit in the chair in
her living roonj and look around at a hundred different things, all of
them carrying years of memories, some good times, but mostly
disappointments.
Sometimes he would just close his eyes and examine all the different
scents in the air. He knew what perfume she wore-very little and very
nondescript. Her furniture was big, solid and well-worn. Her
refrigerator was routinely empty. He cringed when he viewed the meager
and unhealthy contents of her cabinets. She kept things neat, but not
perfect; the place looked lived in as it should have.
And she got a lot of calls. He would listen to some of them leaving
messages. They made him wish she had picked a different line of work.
Being a criminal himself, he was well aware of the number of real crazy
bastards out there. But it was too late for him to recommend a career
change to his only child.
He knew that it was a strange relationship to have with one’s offspring,
but Luther figured that was about all he deserved. A vision of his wife
entered his mind; a woman who had loved him and stood by him all those
years and for what? For pain and misery. And then an early death after
she had arrived at her senses and divorced him. He wondered again, for
the hundredth time, why he had continued his criminal activities. It
certainly wasn’t the money. He had always lived simply; much of the
proceeds of his burglaries had been simply given away. His choice in
life had driven his wife mad with worry and forced his daughter from his
life. And for the hundredth time he came away with no compelling answer