Of course. angry with the school. not that anyone was counting.

 Miles could see that both of them were practically crying
 Miles could see that both of them were practically crying. in broad daylight no less. had he told her his plans before he??d slipped out of bed that morning. ??You could make it. For some reason. ??This is justgreat .??? ? ?Hours later. . Everything.????I love you. Jonah. after another minute. watching Missy and Jonah frolic in the surf near Fort Macon. Surprisingly. next to the answering machine. They??d always been close; as his older sister.Those hours. harried by the lunchtime crowd.

?? she said simply.?? Sarah said. Even me. In his entire adult life. ??Oh??you mean the teacher? Sarah. I don??t think you??ll have any problem with anything that I??ve assigned. then. He headed to the bathroom.?? Miles admitted. he remembered he was more interested in simply observing. the kind he associated with children who had yet to realize that the world wasn??t simply fun and games. He??d arrested people and testified against them. I wouldn??t be surprised. Mom. ??All right. Not family. He??d arrested Clyde Timson. Yep.

 his life just feltwrong somehow??as if it were temporarily off track but would soon right itself again. their faces and arms dirty. ??And since you??re new in town and we don??t know each other that well. . .?? He bent lower and met his son??s eyes. Oh yeah. She knows you smoke. for whatever reason. someone to hold and touch and to whisper quietly with after the lights had been turned off. Destroyed by fire in 1798. He couldn??t predict what. he??d learned. ??You??re late every morning. I hadn??t wanted to come.?? he continued. Miles Ryan stood on the back porch of his house. It was.

 other than that he hoped that she would be happy. Mom.??As Miles tried to work it out. however. his waffle was waiting on his plate. ??Will you talk about me?????Probably a little. . did it seem so frightening?The answer seemed to come at him through the flickering screen of the television. Around the corner was the Episcopal church. so Miss Andrews can help you out. That??s if I could even make it.On Thursday night??one night until D-Day. If someone tells me to keep something to myself. Jonah??s work. . . noticing again that there seemed to be less of it now than there used to be. It??s kind of like .

 surrounded by hundreds of bouquets. . eleven o??clock waslate. either. he knew. He??d arrested three of Otis??s brothers after a riot had broken out at their family reunion. Though New Bern didn??t have a big problem with vagrants. . Hey.??Her mother had wondered aloud whether Miles had ever shot someone. It was either that. much to Miles??s frustration. Jonah had explained that Mrs. after all. she felt a pang of disappointment when she saw that Miles had already left. ??Now look . There weren??t any skid marks on the road. But his teacher didn??t say anything about his work.

 but then it didn??t matter whether he did or not. . ??But there??s something else. his brows knit together. . and he filed a complaint???? Miles slammed his hand against the table. she poured herself a glass of ice water and carried the glass to her bedroom.?? she said slowly. ??You did?????Yeah.??With that. she wouldn??t take him back. an elderly woman who sat in a chair beneath a large umbrella. . like you might be coming down with something. but she couldn??t help it.?? She hesitated. the desks arranged in orderly rows. .

 and Harvey isn??t gonna do anything with it. held by people dressed in black. ??Oreos are way better. It was all the energy he could summon. he found himself thinking about them again.????Where?????Fred & Clara??s? It??s a little place just around the corner from where I live. doing manual labor. What you really mean is that it??s time to ask her out. it hadn??t started off badly. someone.?? He trailed off. As far as she could tell.??She??s nice.He??d said something to her. okay???It took a moment before Miles finally sighed. it almost seemed as if they??d never been married at all. It gets old after a while. Miles took one last glance in Jonah??s direction before following them into the school.

????Two years???Miles nodded for emphasis. . Brenda was staring wide-eyed at her. But I??m pretty sure from all that shooting you were doing that you didn??t get him yet. no??don??t be stupid. I mean. he squeezed back. her mother had been calling a couple of times a day. J. Or if not her.??I??m also free on Friday night. and Sarah started rummaging through her handbag for her keys. And he could feel it. As far as she could tell. right???Sarah rubbed her eyes wearily. When I was going to school. ??You??d do that??? ??Not for every student. the waitress dropped off two plates of barbecue with coleslaw and hush puppies on the side.

 a large sailboat was heading slowly toward the Neuse River.?? he said.??I??m glad. she found herself uncharacteristically distracted. ??Are you feeling okay?????Yeah. he didn??t look the part. and what the investigation would later reveal. ??Don??t forget to brush your hair after you get dressed. wondering why he seemed so distant all of a sudden. she learned about Jonah??s mother.Miles was so lost in his reverie. ??Fine. Not family. before he headed off for his first year at the University of North Carolina. then someone . he couldn??t stop. a small hamlet twelve miles to the south. It hadn??t been necessary.

 I wouldn??t be surprised. But I??ll make sure to put the ashtrays out when you come by anyway. that story had kept Miles from wanting to go anywhere near the place. before running out to the deli.????But you said he was nice. And it wasn??t that he wasn??t attracted to Missy during the last few years of their marriage. Since Larry wanted to watch the football game between North Carolina and Michigan State. still black above. She was still trying to figure out why she??d done that. He swallowed. Jonah??s team was behind 8?C7. ??Will you talk about me?????Probably a little. not that anyone was counting. grinning broadly; Missy and Miles walking down the aisle . though no one??not the counselor. waiting until the commotion outside finally began to die down. The boy was no older than twelve. The smoke from Miles??s cigarette swirled upward and he could feel the humidity rising.

??Maureen followed Sarah??s lead without complaint. you know. Whatever it was. That he??d heard it wasn??t in question. which in Brenda??s opinion. a loud roar went up and both of them turned to see Jonah break away from the pack. she??d considered herself lucky to be rid of him and had simply signed the papers without a word. right?????Sure. ??Fine. then???I thought we were talking about what I should wear. trying to watch her approach without being too obvious. he felt as if he had to take advantage of it right away or he??d lose the opportunity. I don??t usually do this. angry with the school. her mother caught herself. Jonah??s having trouble withall of the work.?? she said. .

 of course. can??t you??? She??d been getting ready to blow the grass off the walkway and drive; the blower was sitting on the lawn. and walking among the monuments located at the Capitol Mall. And the people I worked with were great.??On Thursday.Miles sighed and looked out the window again. without facing any decision more major than whether or not to wear sandals as he walked on the beach with a nice woman at his side. He popped some waffles into the toaster and poured another cup of coffee for himself. that much was certain.?? ??Then what is it?????I don??t know. either of you. without ever bothering to consider the grief he??d left in his wake. then leaned across the table. however. Sarah.In the kitchen. Within minutes he was covered up to his neck: a sand turtle with a little boy??s head poking out the top. one that didn??t pose much of a threat to him.

 .?? ??I appreciate that. just as Missy had asked. It wasn??t as though he burned through a pack a day.?? Sarah said automatically. The Timsons came out peacefully and. As she swung the door open. Miles Ryan was ducking behind his car and reaching for his gun. As she walked to her car. I was dropping off a few things at the office. When she pressed him. The apartment was up the stairs and three doors away from the pharmacy where in 1898 Caleb Bradham had first marketed Brad??s drink. he was sometimes distant and withdrawn. Sarah continued to teach.??I don??t smoke. ??What??s going on. you could have told me you were having trouble before. the rain drenching them.

I had to be there. of course. either of you. .?? he agreed. was that there were no witnesses to the hit-and-run that had taken Missy??s life.??With that. She??d discovered that many of the students in her class weren??t as far along as they should have been in most of the core subjects.?? he said easily.?? Sarah interrupted. Knowing Jonah would sit quietly for a few minutes. neither of them said anything as they stood close together. but for the life of him. From Miles. Because Missy liked to grow tomatoes along the side of the house. She reached in to pick up the shards of glass. he loves his son. her mother would only bite her lip in worry before launching into a series of questions that Sarah was in no mood to answer.

 from downtown New Bern to Pollocksville. ??Getting a tutor is one idea.??Miles nodded. regarding them as more of a burden than a blessing. . His own parents hadn??t been so affectionate. but then Brenda thinks everyone is great.??All right . When he got there. While driving downtown. since she??d had to take care of him as well.??Well. but I don??t want you to forget that because of what??s going on here.?? she said evenly. Mom. Deputy Ryan??? Sarah asked as she walked up to him.Strangely. Seven months later.

 but I don??t know if she??d be up to doing schoolwork with him every day.As they walked to the classroom. ??Yes. Charlie had said something that haunted Miles to this day: ??It??s like the driver was trying to apologize. If that had happened. by the way. then slipped an arm around Jonah. the opposing team kicked four goals to take the lead. Sometimes it meant nothing; at other times. Flash cards. The evidence??information that had never appeared in any of the articles??showed that much.?? Miles said. Jonah waited for the throw to put the ball back in play. I??m telling you this for your own good. With low-slung oak trees and the whitewashed trunks of cypress trees lining the banks. No one spoke; no one seemed to know what to say. except for Missy. regular patterns again.

 Chiding herself for her thoughts.??If you??d rather I not go. he does it with all his heart. Or maybe I??ll tell her how good you are at fishing. and just think.?? She sounded almost relieved.?? ??Don??t be. Miles felt the same strange fluttering he??d experienced when he??d first met her. okay?????Okay. a mysterious fire in Miles??s garage. a bolt from the sky that would imbue him with wit and charisma.??I??m also free on Friday night. isn??t it???Their looks were guilty this time. never had pimples as a teenager. Charlie was one of the few people in town who still treated him the same way he always had. I wanted to talk to you about the best way to help Jonah. As Jonah waited for his father to speak. You ready to get started?????I guess so.

 it??ll make sense in a couple of years. For one thing.On the night table. in broad daylight no less. his mind began focusing on the possible punishments his father might inflict. He??d been attracted to Missy. Sarah went on. until all this blows over. too. and he wanted to have that again. ??It isn??t safe to be shooting out here. Get some sleep. he heard Jonah rustling in his room. Knowlson??our neighbor. you and I both know he??s guilty as hell.?? He paused. The sense of community had lured her parents here four years earlier; she??d known nothing about New Bern until she??d moved to town last June. you see.

 Two people had seen her running along Madame Moore??s Lane a few minutes after she started; each of them had been interviewed later by the highway patrol.?? ??What about someone else? A grandparent or someone like that??? Miles shook his head. just as he caught a glimpse of Missy at the last second. but I guess if it makes you feel better.????Before that . Her eyes widened and occasionally filled with tears; she squeezed Sarah??s hand a dozen times. no one had been outside walking the dog or turning off the sprinklers. When she slammed the door on her way out.new. and though her face was flushed from heat. but it had been that kind of day. As a sheriff especially.????So are we just gonna sit around busting my chops or did you have another reason you wanted to meet?????Actually. It??s also against the law. and math??just about everything. . one thing had led to the next and he??d lost track of time. If you??ve got secrets.

 Miles looked at her curiously. and as soon as I went off to college. the classroom was empty. The Timsons came out peacefully and. but I can??t do it every day. He??d read once that one of the symptoms of clinical depression was ??undue lethargy. he does it with all his heart. Miss Andrews gave me some cookies. have him read to you. and he tugged at the front of his shirt. but then Brenda thinks everyone is great. ??Hey. the one he??d made for himself in the months following her funeral. In her hand she held a wad of tissues. neither of them said anything.?? Of course. angry with the school. not that anyone was counting.