Part 14 (1/2)
”I'm what they call 'almost good-looking.' ”
”What the h.e.l.l does that mean?”
”It means I'm not quite one of 'them,' but almost.”
”Not quite one of who?”
”Never mind. You don't get it.”
I got it. I just never met anyone who would actually acknowledge it. Never mind talk about it.
”You're one, Sarah. h.e.l.l, you define the category.”
”That's sweet, Ian, but you're wrong. I'm almost one.”
If Sarah Gold was in the ”almost” category, I shuddered to think where I fell.
”Jake's one,” she said. ”You're a guy, but you can still see it. Looks, brains, probably played sports. I'm sure Mr. Havens has no trouble with women.”
”Let's talk about something else.”
Sarah opened her eyes and crinkled her nose. ”Did I say something wrong?”
”No.”
”I'm sorry.”
”Don't be. You just told the truth.”
”Sometimes that gets me in trouble.”
”It's fine.”
”You're a good-looking guy, Ian.”
”Can we change the subject?”
”You are.” She might have been smiling when she said it, but I was looking straight into the sun and couldn't tell.
”I'm thirsty,” I said. ”You want a drink or something?”
”Sure.”
We went across the street and got a couple of lemonades at Foodstuffs. Then we sat at a table in the shade.
”What do you know about Jake?” she said.
”Jake again.”
”I told you. I don't have a thing for him.”
”It's okay if you do.”
”I know it's okay, but I don't. I'm serious, Ian. What do you know about his family?” Sarah took a sip of her lemonade. I could feel her gaze p.r.i.c.kle my skin.
”I'm not following you.”
”Why do you think he's so into the Wingate case?”
”Because of the letter he got?”
”There's more to it than that.” She pulled her chair closer until our foreheads were almost touching. Her words came out in a rush. ”Jake had a younger brother who drowned back east. Cape Cod, I think. Have you heard this?”
I shook my head.
”Jake was ten or twelve, and his brother was, like, eight. They were diving off some rocks, and his brother got caught up in the ropes from some lobster pots. Jake's dad had told them not to swim there, but they did anyway. Jake dove down a bunch of times to try and save him. Instead, he watched his brother drown.”
”Jake told you all this?”
”We went out for a few beers after we walked you home the other night.”
”And why are you telling me?”
”I don't know. I guess Jake just seems really intense about Wingate.”
”And you think that's because of his brother's death?”
”What do you think?”
”I think you should have asked him why he was the one who got the letter about Wingate. If maybe the person who sent it knew about his brother. Knew Jake would be vulnerable to that sort of thing.”
”Is that what you believe?”
”Maybe.” I looked out across Central. The sun was hard and bright in the middle of the street. A woman in jeans and a white top was yelling at her kid, who had wandered too close to the curb. We finished our drinks and walked some more. The conversation about Havens lay heavy between us. After a while we turned back down Central. By the time we got to Sarah's car, a breeze had sprung up. The air felt good on my skin.
”You headed home?” I said.
Sarah nodded. ”Come on. I'll drop you off.”
I sat in the front seat, with the flat of my foot up against the dashboard. Sarah didn't mind or I wouldn't have. A cut from Exile on Main Street came on the radio. ”s.h.i.+ne a Light.” She sang along with the lyrics.
”You like the Stones?” I said.
”I saw the movie. Scorsese.”
”Get the alb.u.m. Exile on Main Street. Listen to the whole thing.”