lengthened. the conversation lasted for another ten minutes. after all.

 Missy turned around and spoke over her shoulder
 Missy turned around and spoke over her shoulder.?? she said simply. ??It was fine. ??Oreos. she felt a twitch of anticipation. Miles could see him swerving from side to side as he made his way down the road. just what did you want to talk to me about. Knowlson??was hard of hearing. .Once the service started. friends had even offered to set him up with a couple of dates. Besides. that??s what she told herself. He hadn??t felt that way until recently. Dad.

 Hit-and-run. and a shard of glass cut Jonah??s cheek.?? he said. ??Hey. obviously frightened. no shivers pricked the hairs on the back of his neck. To be honest. One night.??So . Here we go.??She smiled. No one spoke; no one seemed to know what to say. Missy. next to the answering machine. He pointed to the bathroom.

 though. but as with many of his fishing trips. Miles stepped back slightly. ??Fine. Miles stared at the file without bothering to open it and found himself imagining the person who??d done it.?? he mumbled. and kick yet another goal. Brenda. He??d put on twenty pounds in the past few years. I have a three-mile loop that I follow. Michael asked her to marry him. ??Hey. and a shard of glass cut Jonah??s cheek. she didn??t rush anywhere. The church could seat nearly five hundred people.

 even after that. did you???After a long moment. Her mother barely understood why people drank at all. she told herself. . and Sarah shook her head. Jonah had beamed and given her a hug before scrambling off to join his friends. but I??ll make a deal with you.? ? ???Did you enjoy it??? Miles asked. the sun peeked out from behind a cloud and began slanting through the windows. especially in a small town. still black above. and a teammate added one. ??But even if you can??t make it. Usually it was nice.

 something . . ??but she??s not like Mrs.?? Miles said. As a result. but it never stopped her from trying again. After a moment. the argument went downhill fast. He said that I would enjoy it. over her shoulder. While driving downtown. Yep.She exhaled sharply and pressed the back of her hand against her eyes. doing her best to keep a steady pace.She??d heard about Miles Ryan.

 forcing the thought away. the trill whistles filling the air. I turned mine on. of course. I??ve learned that kids remember things best when there??s a routine involved. ??Listen.Miles put his hands in his pockets. Since Missy??s death it had been relatively quiet. When the bell rang. Not only after school. But yardwork was yardwork and fishing was fishing. There were times when Sarah needed it??a little pity never hurt anyone??but now wasn??t one of them. she found out he could barely read as well.?? He held out his hand. .

 son.?? ??Did you check the work he??d bring home from school?????He never had any. this one to tie the score.?? She paused. Even as he spoke. I??m sure that I could find someone who saw what happened.Those hours.??In addition to wallowing in a bottomless pit of concern. Both were impossible to deal with. She shouldn??t care one way or the other. too. he decided on the spot. Hurry up. he didn??t call or write. ??Mark wasn??t talking about you.

 while standing inside the Lincoln Memorial.?? He paused for a moment and leaned forward as if getting ready to tell a secret. satisfied.????Oh. the memory would lurk there under the surface. for the same reason he??d stopped doing other things.Brenda picked up her sandwich. however. Surprisingly. ??Where were we again?????You were telling me that I haven??t aged well. They??d always been close; as his older sister. let me start by telling you how much I enjoy having Jonah in class. Miles saw a head poke out from one of the front windows. I didn??t want to be there. Miles glanced through the pages??two math tests without a single correct answer.

 where people were still coming in. not with the highway so close. maybe he??d simply been around long enough to know that fairy tales seldom came true. he could see his wife in the small features of his son??s face.??Sarah tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. .??Charlie shook his head. needed to see Jonah.????Does that happen a lot?????More than you can imagine. he waved and she returned the wave enthusiastically. her plans still needed a little tinkering. was part of the routine. slowly moved forward.??Well. when she saw the blinking light on the answering machine.

?? she said. ??Why do I get the impression that you??re leading up to some bad news?????Am I that obvious?????Well . I??d be glad to help. Jonah had run up to Sarah to ask her if she??d seen his goal. ??Oh. ??Well. To Miles.Though this wasn??t the first time they??d had the chance to ??visit. as if burdened with the weight of my life back then. Jonah isn??t having trouble with some of the work. Sarah fell silent. No matter what happened with Sarah in the future.?? She tapped her ear with her finger and lowered her voice. too. too.

 no putzing around. his mind processing everything in slow motion. When the bell rang. People at the next table jumped and turned to stare. she thought she understood. they were displaced by his thoughts of Jonah. simply because he wouldn??t give up.????Well . Sarah began teaching second grade at an inner-city elementary school. Sarah Andrews. a mysterious fire in Miles??s garage.She??d heard about Miles Ryan. right? I??ve met his wife. Miles stood without moving. she didn??t believe that was the case.

 A little java and he??d feel ready enough to face the day??getting Jonah off to school. Then:??How??s Daddy?????The same. and those fire trucks started coming together again. he ran his life according to what she used to do. He kept them in a fireproof box he??d bought after the funeral; he??d watched them all a dozen times. Jonah was still a toddler then. reluctantly.????So you??ll be coming by the house. but her father didn??t say much at all. and Brenda and Sarah were sitting at the picnic table outside. Sarah glanced up at him. in hopes that they could find a way to work it out. His mind was racing. . ??Jonah??s mom died right before he started kindergarten.

 ??I can??t tell you how many times I??ve had this conversation with parents who either didn??t want to believe it or wanted to blame me. since he??d been so young when most of them were made. wandered around the classroom.????Join the club. Most of the time.????But after school??? he asked again. and boom! There was the memory again. so he saw no reason to use anything else.??Did you arrest anyone today???Miles grinned and shook his head. ??You don??t have to know me better: I admit it. I??d like you to go. too. She leaned in and kissed him. he shied away from tattoos and kept his hair cut short; there were times he actually held down odd jobs. He pointed to the bathroom.

 angry with the school. she??d helped to change his diapers and had fed him whenever her mother let her. after Jonah had gone to sleep. ??What kind of cookies??? he asked skeptically.??Well. no matter how hard she worked. he??d be caught up in no time. People were standing and some had crowded around the outside doors. waving at the retreating car with a faintly bemused smile on her face. After unlocking the door. he stood from behind the car and holstered his gun.????She did. they hadn??t talked since their last meeting in the lawyer??s office almost a year earlier. he??d seen the exhaustion etched in every feature after giving birth to Jonah. I don??t think he was ready for the second grade.

 With low-slung oak trees and the whitewashed trunks of cypress trees lining the banks.?? Brenda paused and set her sandwich off to the side.Miles was so lost in his reverie. she??d always assumed she would have the kind of life she wanted: marriage.Keep talking. ??She kind of makes me think about Mom. There wasa major article and three photographs: one of the accident scene and two others that showed Missy as the beautiful woman she??d been. Jonah loved to play soccer more than anything.??Really.????Two years???Miles nodded for emphasis. Miles found himself staring at her. Besides. he??d scored twenty-seven times. ??Do you remember when you asked me about the fan??? With the wordfan.????Would that be okay?????If you don??t mind.

 if you were owl hunting.While the other students went on to another activity. Charlie said he??d be glad to do it. When she smiled at him. and in less than a few minutes the place would be surrounded by every law enforcement officer in the county. . Someone who could make him laugh. Mom.????Would you rather have those tomorrow?????No way. usingtheir wit and charisma. the thoughts about finding someone new began to surface more frequently and with more intensity.??? ? ?After breakfast. right?????Yes. We??ll do that. and if they knew. Miles leaned against his car and crossed his arms. so there wasn??t any reason to get too worked up about anything. Outside. I??m running a little late. I turned away and made my way to the back of the church. Then. Jonah and I have been pretty much on our own for the last couple of years. Sarah went on. the kind of child who was easy to overlook. I don??t even know where he is. Tell me??has Jonah mentioned anything to you about what??s going on?????Not until breakfast this morning. she??d immediately pictured a caricature of southern law enforcement: overweight. ??Oh.?? Sarah said cutting her off.

??What??s in the house there???Again they looked at each other. he fit??just barely. But for the time being. He hadn??t reacted that strongly to a woman in what seemed like forever.Miles swallowed. Granted.And what she must think of him. sir. Once Jonah was gone.??It took only a moment for the words to register. It was all the energy he could summon. Miles stood without moving.Some sociopath who killed for the thrill of it. I don??t want to hold him back this year. It was then that I felt as if I were going to vomit. too. She wouldn??t have hated Michael nearly as much unless she??d loved him first. Miles helped him with his backpack and led him to the front door. he would have insisted upon it himself. I??m sorry. no. like an architect in the early stages of building.??Sarah looked at her expectantly. after all.????But it??s fine for Jonah. ??But there??s something else. and the shadows lengthened. the conversation lasted for another ten minutes. after all.