the short hallway to the living room. Saw dim outside light framing the glass door to her private balcony. Saw her bike out there. Felt the television set sticking out of the bookcase. She let her breath out in a sigh, feeling exhaustion, relief. Thought, Thank you, Jesus. Not as a prayer but a leftover little-girl response. And sucked her breath in again, hard, and said out loud, “Jesus!” Still not as a prayer. Said, “What do you want!” with her throat constricted. Seeing part of an outline against the glass door. Only part of the figure in the chair, but knowing it was a man sitting there waiting for her.
She turned to run out. Got to the hallway.
And a light came on behind her.
A lamp turned on in her own living room. The goddamn deceiving light that made her stop and turn, feeling in that moment everything would be all right because, look, the light was on and the unknown figure in darkness would turn out to be someone she knew who would say gee, hey, I’m sorry and offer an incredible explanation . . .
She knew him all right. Even in the two shades of blue uniform. The blond hair . . . Coming toward her, bigger in this room than he had looked last night, not hurrying. Still, it was too late to run.
Nobles said, “Bet you’re wore out. I swear they must work you like a nigger mule at that place, the hours you put in. See, I figured you wouldn’t want me sitting out in the car, so I come on in. I been waiting, haven’t had no supper . . .” He stretched, yawning. “I was about to go in there, get in the bed. How’d that a been? You come home, here I’m under the covers sleeping like a baby.”
That thin coat of syrup in his tone.
Jill concentrated. All the words, the dirty words, the sounds in her mind, screaming obscenities, she kept hold of them as he spoke, as he grinned at her; she knew words would be wasted. She concentrated instead, making an effort to breathe slowly, to allow the constriction in her body to drain, and said nothing. She would wait. As she had waited nearly a half hour for the police while a psychopath dumped over file cabinets, tore up her office . . . She knew how to wait.
Nobles said, “Yeah, you’re wore out, aren’t you? Come on sit down over here”—taking her to the sofa, easing her down—“I’ll get you a cold drink. I notice you have a bottle of something there in the icebox. Look like piss in a green bottle, but if it’s your pleasure . . .” Standing over her now, towering. “How’s that sound?”
She stared at his hips, at dark blue, double-knit material worn to a shine, a belt of bullets, a holstered revolver. She said nothing.
Nobles said, “Cat got your tongue? . . . Hey, you mad at me? Listen, I’m the one should be angry here, way I got treated last night. I’d had a few, but I wasn’t acting nasty or nothing, was I? Just fooling around, giving you a flash of my I.D. I was about to show it to you and this boy I never seen before whomps me a good’n, blindsides me while I ain’t looking. All I see’s this flash of light, wham bam. I still don’t know what it was he hit me with. Must a been like a two-b’-four.”
Nobles waited. There was a silence. He hooked his thumbs in his gunbelt, looked about the room idly, taking his time, and came back to Jill.
“Who was that boy, anyway? Friend of yours?”
She said nothing.
“I know he said he was with one of the newspapers. I was wondering which one he worked for.”
She said nothing.
“Hey, I’m asking you a question.”
Jill eased back against the cushion. She looked up at Nobles. Saw his expression, the lines along both sides of his nose drawn tight. His face seemed to shine.
Sociopathic, if not over the edge.
She said, “You know more about him than I do.”
“What’s his name?”
Low impulse control.
“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.”
“Well, what was he doing there?”
Anger threshold you could poke with an elbow.
“I really don’t know. I think
She turned to run out. Got to the hallway.
And a light came on behind her.
A lamp turned on in her own living room. The goddamn deceiving light that made her stop and turn, feeling in that moment everything would be all right because, look, the light was on and the unknown figure in darkness would turn out to be someone she knew who would say gee, hey, I’m sorry and offer an incredible explanation . . .
She knew him all right. Even in the two shades of blue uniform. The blond hair . . . Coming toward her, bigger in this room than he had looked last night, not hurrying. Still, it was too late to run.
Nobles said, “Bet you’re wore out. I swear they must work you like a nigger mule at that place, the hours you put in. See, I figured you wouldn’t want me sitting out in the car, so I come on in. I been waiting, haven’t had no supper . . .” He stretched, yawning. “I was about to go in there, get in the bed. How’d that a been? You come home, here I’m under the covers sleeping like a baby.”
That thin coat of syrup in his tone.
Jill concentrated. All the words, the dirty words, the sounds in her mind, screaming obscenities, she kept hold of them as he spoke, as he grinned at her; she knew words would be wasted. She concentrated instead, making an effort to breathe slowly, to allow the constriction in her body to drain, and said nothing. She would wait. As she had waited nearly a half hour for the police while a psychopath dumped over file cabinets, tore up her office . . . She knew how to wait.
Nobles said, “Yeah, you’re wore out, aren’t you? Come on sit down over here”—taking her to the sofa, easing her down—“I’ll get you a cold drink. I notice you have a bottle of something there in the icebox. Look like piss in a green bottle, but if it’s your pleasure . . .” Standing over her now, towering. “How’s that sound?”
She stared at his hips, at dark blue, double-knit material worn to a shine, a belt of bullets, a holstered revolver. She said nothing.
Nobles said, “Cat got your tongue? . . . Hey, you mad at me? Listen, I’m the one should be angry here, way I got treated last night. I’d had a few, but I wasn’t acting nasty or nothing, was I? Just fooling around, giving you a flash of my I.D. I was about to show it to you and this boy I never seen before whomps me a good’n, blindsides me while I ain’t looking. All I see’s this flash of light, wham bam. I still don’t know what it was he hit me with. Must a been like a two-b’-four.”
Nobles waited. There was a silence. He hooked his thumbs in his gunbelt, looked about the room idly, taking his time, and came back to Jill.
“Who was that boy, anyway? Friend of yours?”
She said nothing.
“I know he said he was with one of the newspapers. I was wondering which one he worked for.”
She said nothing.
“Hey, I’m asking you a question.”
Jill eased back against the cushion. She looked up at Nobles. Saw his expression, the lines along both sides of his nose drawn tight. His face seemed to shine.
Sociopathic, if not over the edge.
She said, “You know more about him than I do.”
“What’s his name?”
Low impulse control.
“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.”
“Well, what was he doing there?”
Anger threshold you could poke with an elbow.
“I really don’t know. I think
Similar Books
