The Wooden Sea Read Online Free Page A

policeman?"

    "Uh-huh. You can look at my record. I'm sure you will."

    "You're right. I'll look very closely. Are you corrupt?"
    "I don't have to be. I have a lot of money from my first marriage."

    "Did you steal it from her?"

    "No. I gave her an idea for a TV show. She was a producer."

    Her eyes narrowed. "What show?"

    _"Man Overboard."_

    "That's the most ridiculous show on television--"

    _"And _the most successful for a while."

    "Yes. It was your idea? I guess I should be impressed, but I'm not.
    Shall we get to work?"

    * * *

    At our traffic-light meeting that summer morning, we finished with my giving Susan a briefing on what had been going on in town policewise the last week.
    As usual she listened with head down and a small silver tape recorder in hand in case she wanted to note anything. There really was no interesting news.
    Bill Pegg had to remind me to tell her about the disappearance of the Page 14

    Schiavos.

    "What are you doing about it?" She brought the recorder to her mouth, hesitated, and lowered it again.

    "Asking around, making some phone calls, putting locks on their doors.
    It's a free country, Mayor, they can leave if they want."

    "The way they left sounds pretty strange."

    I thought about that. "Yes, but I also know the Schiavos and so do you.
    They're both emotional wackos. I could easily imagine them having a big messy fight and storming off in opposite directions. Both probably thinking Til stay out all night and scare èm.'
    The only problem being neither thought to lock the doors before they left."

    "Ah, love!" Bill said, unwrapping his midmorning sandwich.

    "Did you talk to their parents?"

    Bill spoke around a mouthful. "I did. Neither have heard a word."

    "What's the usual time frame for filing a missing persons report?"

    "Twenty-four hours."

    "Frannie, will you take care of that if it's necessary?"

    I nodded. She looked at Bill and, voice faltering, asked if he would leave us alone for a moment.
    Very surprised, he got up quickly and left. Susan had never done that before. She was as upfront and direct as anyone around. I knew she liked Bill for his wit and candor and he liked her for the same reasons.
    Asking him to leave meant something big and probably personal was about to land in that room. When the door closed I sat up straighter in the chair and looked at her.
    Suddenly she wouldn't meet my stare.

    "What's up, Mayor?" I tried to sound light and friendly-- the milky fuzz on top of a cappuccino you tongue through before getting to the coffee below.

    She pulled in a loud deep breath. One of those breaths you take before saying something that's going to change everything. You know as soon as it's out your world will be different. "Fred and I are going to separate."

    "Is that good or bad?"

    She laughed, barked really, and pushed her hair back. "That's so _you, _Frannie, to say it like that. Everyone I've told so far says either `the shit!' or `poor you' or some such thing. Not McCabe."

    I turned both hands palms up like what else am I supposed to say?

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    "He's going off to grow chili peppers."

    _"What?"_

    "That's what my first wife said when we split up. There's this primitive tribe in Bolivia. When one of its members dies, they say he's gone off to grow chili peppers."

    "Fred hates chili peppers. He hates all spicy foods." It was clear she needed something safe and inane to say to pole-vault her over the painful admission she had just made. That's why I tried to help with the chili pepper remark.

    "How do you feel about it?"

    She worked on a smile but it didn't work. "Like I'm falling from the top of a building and have a few more floors to go before I hit?"

    "It would be unnatural if you didn't. I bought a coatimundi when I broke up and then forgot to feed it. Do you think the separation's final, or are you just taking it out for a test-drive?"

    "It's pretty final."

    "Your doing or his?"

    Her head rose slowly. She stared at me with flames and daggers