Murder at five finger light (32 page)
“You really had me spooked with that move you made in front of that pistol,” he told her. “Wish you wouldn’t do that kind of thing, Jess.”
“Sorry,” she said. “I felt I had to do something. It was the only thing I could think of—and it worked.”
“Just barely—and because I was ready for it, and quick.”
Jessie was quiet for a short time, looking up at the stars that were faintly beginning to appear in the darkening sky over their heads.
“You know,” she said, “I’m sorry for Aaron. He’s really a nice kid and I don’t understand how he allowed himself to get sucked into the whole thing.”
Alex shook his head and shrugged. “I believe he was less
sucked
into it than
suckered
. Whitney knew he was Coast Guard—saw that he was interested in her. She played him and took advantage of an opportunity for good cover. She and that Karen are two of a kind—takers.”
sucked
into it than
suckered
. Whitney knew he was Coast Guard—saw that he was interested in her. She played him and took advantage of an opportunity for good cover. She and that Karen are two of a kind—takers.”
“Karen,” Jessie said flatly, “is worse. She’s a piranha. She grabs whatever she can get, blames everything that goes against her on someone else, and thinks the world owes her.”
“She certainly has getting what she wants down to a science—most of the time, at least. Makes you wonder what background made her the way she is, doesn’t it?”
Jessie reached down to scratch Tank’s ears and croon endearments to him for a minute or two. Then she leaned back on her elbows and watched the clouds rolling slowly in over the eastern hills for a minute or two.
“I think,” she said finally, “that actually she was afraid of just about everything.”
“Hmm-m—that could be true, I guess.”
“I think she couldn’t stand what she thought of herself, so she blamed other people for it.”
He nodded and puffed a small amount of smoke into a ring that drifted off into the night.
“I’ve been afraid of things I should have let go of a long time ago too,” she said presently.
“Oh, you aren’t afraid of much. I think you proved that again today.”
“Not much maybe, but of some things that shouldn’t matter anymore.”
“Like?”
As it grew dark enough, the light in the tower suddenly came on automatically and began to revolve, casting the circle of its warning light out over Frederick Sound.
“Like that.” Jessie lifted a hand toward it. “Its constant purpose is preventing disaster, whether there’s anyone at risk or not. It’s the only way for a lighthouse to function, of course. There’s no way for it to detect whether or not there is anyone in need of warning, so it’s built to operate whenever it’s dark, just in case.
“I’ve been like that. Concerned with preventing possible disaster, whether there’s a real risk or not—just in case. I’ve been like that with our relationship, haven’t I, Alex.”
“So you think we might be headed for disaster?” he teased, chuckling at the comparison.
She aimed a fist at his shoulder. “No, you idiot! I mean that I don’t think we
are,
and it’s time to stop circling with warnings and waiting to see if we might be.”
are,
and it’s time to stop circling with warnings and waiting to see if we might be.”
He caught the fist before it landed and used it to pull her into the shelter of his arms, where she leaned against his shoulder and settled contentedly to listen as he answered.
“If you’re circling, then it’s not up to me to convince you it’s unnecessary. You’ll figure that out when you’re ready. I’m just here now, to stay—and not in any danger, that I know, of running onto the rocks.”
He puffed on the pipe, then spoke again softly.
“And you do make a
lovely
light.”
lovely
light.”
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