the’confusion that, at his age, he hoped would have been long since
eliminated from his life.
An hour-and-a-half plane ride due south was probably the surest answer
to what, ailed him. Kate whitney may or may not come back. The only
thing he felt sure about was that he could not go after her. That this
time it would be her responsibility to return to his life. And it was
not bitterness that made Jack feel such was imperative. Kate had to make
up her own mind. About her life and how she wanted to spend it. The
emotional trauma she had experienced with her father had been surpassed
by the overwhelming guilt and grief she had endured at his death. The
woman had a lot to think through. And she had made it very clear that
she needed to undertake that exercise alone. And she was probably right.
He took bff his shirt, slid into the water and did three quick laps. His
arms cut powerfully through the water and then he pulled himself back up
on the tiled apron. He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his
shoulders. The night air was cool and each droplet of water felt like a
miniature air conditioner against his skin. He againlooked at the sky.
Not a mural in sight. But neither was Kate.
He was deciding whether to head back to his apartment for some sleep
when he heard the door squeak open again. Frank must have forgotten
something. He looked over. For a few seconds he couldn’t move. He just
sat there with the towel around his shoulders afraid to make a sound.
That what was happening might not be real. Another dream that would
flicker out with the sun’s first rays. Finally he slowly got up, water
dripping off him, and moved toward the door.
DOWN ON THE STREET, SETH FRANK STOOD NEXT TO HIS CAR for a few moments
admiring the simple beauty of the evening, sniffed the air that was more
reminiscent of a wet spring than a humid summer. It wouldn’t be that
late when he got home. Maybe Mrs. Frank would like to hit the
neighborhood Dairy Queen. Just the two of them. He’d heard some good
reports about the butterscotch-dipped cone. That would finish off the
day just fine. He climbed in his car.
As a father of three, Seth Frank knew what a wonderful and precious
commodity life was. As a homicide detective he had learned how that
precious commodity could be brutally ripped away. He looked up at the
roof of the apartment building and smiled as he put the car in gear. But
that was the great thing about being alive, he thought. Today might not
be so good. But tomorrow, you got another chance to get it right.