had come from. Rex Baxter stood behind him.
“You’re kidding me,” Tree said.
“I would never kid you, Tree. At least not this early in the morning.”
Tree pulled Clinton to a stop and waited for Rex to amble over.
“Here’s where I haven’t been doing my homework,” Rex said. “I didn’t know you had a leash, let alone a dog on the end of it.”
“You’re not supposed to know I’ve got a leash,” Tree said.
“What about the dog?”
“Or a dog.”
“There is simply no end to the secrets I have to keep,” Rex said.
“What are you doing out here at this time of the morning, anyway?”
“I got that number you were asking about.”
He reached into his pocket and passed Tree a folded slip of paper. “You can reach this Devereaux in Montreal.”
“Thanks, Rex. But you could have just called me.”
“I know, but it was also a good excuse to take a walk on the beach, thinking about life, trying to get things straight in my head.”
“If that’s the case, we might as well walk together,” Tree said.
“We might at that,” Rex said. He fell into step as Tree allowed Clinton to pull him forward. “What’s the dog’s name?”
“His name is Clinton. He’s a French hound.”
They came out onto the beach. A tiny band of strollers, mostly male, their faces hidden behind floppy hats and baseball caps, disturbed the egrets fluttering away in alarm. Rex eyed Clinton crossing the sand, straining at his leash.
“Clinton,” Rex said. “That’s a funny name for a French hound. Shouldn’t his name be Pierre?”
“Maybe so. But it’s Clinton.”
“After the president?”
“Could be,” Tree said. “But don’t ask me what I’m doing with him.”
“No? Why not?”
“Put it this way, the less you know about any of this, the better.”
“Funny how I end up asking you the same question over and over again.”
“What question is that?”
“Are you sure you know what the hell you are doing?”
“I suppose I could ask you the same question,” Tree said.
“Actually, I came here to apologize to you.”
“Why would you have to apologize to me?”
Clinton had paused to mark his spot at the remains of a pinkish seashell.
“I should have told you about Kelly. I shouldn’t have sprung it on you like that. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Rex, it doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know about that. I saw the look on your face when you walked into the Lighthouse last night.”
“What look was that?”
“A look that said it matters .”
“Let me ask you this, Rex. Are you happy with Kelly?”
“Never been happier,” Rex said.
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“I loved her a long time ago, you know,” Rex said, as though this was information of which Tree should have been aware.
“You told me not to marry her,” Tree said.
“That’s because I wanted her. I was jealous of you. I didn’t think the two of you were right for each other.”
“Well, you were right about that.”
“I’ve thought about her a lot over the years, never really stopped thinking, if you want to know the truth. So there I was back in Chicago, and you know how they have the local Emmy Awards, and I still get invited to some of the parties. I was in the Hilton at this party and Kelly arrived. She still looked great and of course had that charm going full blast. We started talking, and then we just never stopped talking.” He paused, then added, “I don’t want to be alone, Tree. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of being lonely all the time.”
“I know, Rex.”
“So here we are.”
“Walking on the beach.”
“With a dog I’m not supposed to know anything about.”
“He belongs to a dead gangster.”
“I thought the less I know the better.”
“That’s true, but I have to tell someone, so I’m telling you.”
“I thought you were retired.”
“I am.”
“Then what are you doing with a dead gangster’s dog?”
“I’m not sure,” Tree
“You’re kidding me,” Tree said.
“I would never kid you, Tree. At least not this early in the morning.”
Tree pulled Clinton to a stop and waited for Rex to amble over.
“Here’s where I haven’t been doing my homework,” Rex said. “I didn’t know you had a leash, let alone a dog on the end of it.”
“You’re not supposed to know I’ve got a leash,” Tree said.
“What about the dog?”
“Or a dog.”
“There is simply no end to the secrets I have to keep,” Rex said.
“What are you doing out here at this time of the morning, anyway?”
“I got that number you were asking about.”
He reached into his pocket and passed Tree a folded slip of paper. “You can reach this Devereaux in Montreal.”
“Thanks, Rex. But you could have just called me.”
“I know, but it was also a good excuse to take a walk on the beach, thinking about life, trying to get things straight in my head.”
“If that’s the case, we might as well walk together,” Tree said.
“We might at that,” Rex said. He fell into step as Tree allowed Clinton to pull him forward. “What’s the dog’s name?”
“His name is Clinton. He’s a French hound.”
They came out onto the beach. A tiny band of strollers, mostly male, their faces hidden behind floppy hats and baseball caps, disturbed the egrets fluttering away in alarm. Rex eyed Clinton crossing the sand, straining at his leash.
“Clinton,” Rex said. “That’s a funny name for a French hound. Shouldn’t his name be Pierre?”
“Maybe so. But it’s Clinton.”
“After the president?”
“Could be,” Tree said. “But don’t ask me what I’m doing with him.”
“No? Why not?”
“Put it this way, the less you know about any of this, the better.”
“Funny how I end up asking you the same question over and over again.”
“What question is that?”
“Are you sure you know what the hell you are doing?”
“I suppose I could ask you the same question,” Tree said.
“Actually, I came here to apologize to you.”
“Why would you have to apologize to me?”
Clinton had paused to mark his spot at the remains of a pinkish seashell.
“I should have told you about Kelly. I shouldn’t have sprung it on you like that. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Rex, it doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know about that. I saw the look on your face when you walked into the Lighthouse last night.”
“What look was that?”
“A look that said it matters .”
“Let me ask you this, Rex. Are you happy with Kelly?”
“Never been happier,” Rex said.
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“I loved her a long time ago, you know,” Rex said, as though this was information of which Tree should have been aware.
“You told me not to marry her,” Tree said.
“That’s because I wanted her. I was jealous of you. I didn’t think the two of you were right for each other.”
“Well, you were right about that.”
“I’ve thought about her a lot over the years, never really stopped thinking, if you want to know the truth. So there I was back in Chicago, and you know how they have the local Emmy Awards, and I still get invited to some of the parties. I was in the Hilton at this party and Kelly arrived. She still looked great and of course had that charm going full blast. We started talking, and then we just never stopped talking.” He paused, then added, “I don’t want to be alone, Tree. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of being lonely all the time.”
“I know, Rex.”
“So here we are.”
“Walking on the beach.”
“With a dog I’m not supposed to know anything about.”
“He belongs to a dead gangster.”
“I thought the less I know the better.”
“That’s true, but I have to tell someone, so I’m telling you.”
“I thought you were retired.”
“I am.”
“Then what are you doing with a dead gangster’s dog?”
“I’m not sure,” Tree
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