“Kim, I think we should forget about this whole thing,” Tracy said. “I don’t think you should try to get a job in Higgins and Hancock.”
“I don’t have any choice at this point,” Kim said. “I’m not going to give up my father’s watch without a fight.”
“This is no time for jokes,” Tracy said. “I’m being serious. It’s too dangerous.”
“What would you have us do?” Kim asked. “Move away to some foreign country?”
“That’s a thought,” Tracy said.
Kim laughed mirthlessly. “Wait a sec,” he said, “I was just kidding. Where would you want to move?”
“Someplace in Europe,” Tracy said. “I had another conversation with Kathleen after the three of us talked. She told me there were some countries, like Sweden, where the food is not contaminated.”
“Seriously?” Kim questioned.
“That’s what she said,” Tracy offered. “They may pay a little more for the extra scrutiny, but they’ve decided it’s worth it.”
“And you’d seriously think of going to live in another country?” Kim asked.
“I hadn’t thought about it until you mentioned it,” Tracy said. “But yes, I’d consider it. Given what happened to Becky, I’d like to be public about it-use the move to make a statement about the food situation in this country. And it certainly would be a lot less risky.”
“I suppose,” Kim said. He thought about the idea for a moment, but then shook his head. “I think running away is too much of a cop-out. For Becky’s sake, I’m going to see this to the bitter end.”
“Are you sure you’re not doing this just to avoid coming to grips with Becky’s death?” Tracy asked. She took a nervous breath. She knew she was touching a sensitive area. The old Kim would have reacted with rage.
Kim didn’t answer immediately. When he did, his voice didn’t sound angry. “I’ve admitted as much already, but I think I’m doing this for Becky’s memory as well. In that sense, part of her legacy would be preventing other kids from sharing her fate.”
Tracy was touched. She went up to Kim and put her arms around him. He truly seemed to be a different man.
“Come on,” Kim urged. “Get out of that coat and back into your clothes. We’ll get the stuff we bought and get the hell out of here.”
“Where will we go?” Tracy asked.
“First to the hospital,” Kim said. “I have to get this laceration sutured up, or I’ll be looking at it the rest of my life. Once that’s done, we can go on to your house if you wouldn’t mind. I think we’ll feel a lot safer there than we will here.”
“Now, who the hell is that?” Bobby Bo Mason asked. He and his wife, along with their two children, were having a small Sunday night dinner of sirloin steaks, double-baked potatoes, peas, and corn muffins. Their chewing concentration had been broken by the front-door chimes.
Bobby Bo lifted the tip of his napkin to blot the corners of his lips. The other end of the napkin was tucked into his shirt just below his sizable Adam’s apple. He looked up at the clock. It was just a few minutes shy of seven.
“Want me to get it, dear?” Darlene asked. Darlene was Bobby Bo’s third wife and mother of his youngest children. He also had two kids at the state agricultural school.
“I’ll get it,” Bobby Bo grumbled. He pushed back from the table, stuck out his lantern jaw, and headed for the front door. He wondered who had the nerve to ring his bell during dinner, but he guessed it had to be important because whoever it was had gotten through security down at the gate.
Bobby Bo pulled open the door. It was Shanahan O’Brian. The man was literally holding his hat in his hand.
“You don’t look happy,” Bobby Bo said.
“I’m not,” Shanahan admitted. “It’s not good news.”
Bobby Bo glanced over his shoulder to make sure Darlene hadn’t followed him to the door.
“Come on into the library,” Bobby Bo said. He stepped aside to let Shanahan enter. Then he preceded his security head into the library. He closed the door after them.