“ ’Course I remember you, babe. Been wondering if you was gonna say hello.”
Jim spoke with a wide boy London accent. Cocky. He was still as handsome as ever, maybe more so. Dressed in a Ralph Lauren cardigan, slacks, and moccasins, he looked ready for a yacht. All he was missing was a pipe.
“You could’ve said hello first.”
“Didn’t want you getting a bad rep. Hanging around with the likes of me.”
Deep-voiced and broad-shouldered, Jim had an easy charm. The confidence of a man who was used to being the strongest person in the room. The ladies who hovered around him looked, to Carol, like groupies. Sometimes she got the sense that rather a lot of sex was being had at Sheldon Oaks and that Jim was having most of it. She certainly hadn’t had a use for the complimentary condoms she’d found in her bedside drawer.
The gentle breeze sent his fragrance her way. “That’s a nice perfume, Jim,” said Carol.
“It’s Antonio Banderas. He’s an actor but he makes perfumes on the side. You’ve to have a backup in that trade. You gonna join us for a game of croquet? I can teach you the rules, if you like.”
“I think I’ll watch if that’s all right,” said Carol. “We can catch up when you’re finished.”
—
Giles jogged throughthe entrance, presumably returning from a run on the Heath, mud all over his calves. Carol felt like she saw him running every day. Always either running or on edge, stressing about something. Those were the only two things that those sorts of men ever did: jog and stress.
She closed her eyes. The gentle knocking sound of mallets hitting balls was oddly tranquilizing. That’s what had been missing. Noise. It was so quiet here. Prison was a noisy place. Creaking pipes, slamming doors, the constant yells of inmates.
Something occurred to her, and her eyes snapped open. Her eyesight wasn’t what it used to be, but, from where she was, she could just about see that Tyler was hammering with his right hand.
“I thought you’d retired.” Jim sat next to her on the bench. He waved goodbye to his friends. “See you tomorrow.”
“I have,” said Carol. “Did you win?”
“It’s not really a winning game the way we play it. Just knocking some balls about.” He touched her knee with his. “Everyone thinks you did Crisp.”
“I don’t kill anymore. Do you?”
“Not in aloooongtime, babes. I like croquet now.”
Carol thought back to the first time they’d met, in Epping Forest. “Did I ever thank you?”
“Didn’t need to. I was only doing what any gentleman who was raised right would do. Can’t let a lady dig a hole on her own. I never asked you. Why d’you kill that bloke?”
“He kicked a dog.”
Jim looked straight ahead and nodded his approval. “Too right.”
“What about yours?” asked Carol.
“What,thatbody? On that day? Don’t remember.”
“Do you miss it?” asked Carol.
“What? Murder? No. See, that’s why you and me was different. It was only ever a part of the job for me. I’d’ve never killed anyone if I didn’t have to. You do it for the love.”
“Didit.”
Jim smiled. “If you say so. And if you did do Des, I don’t care. This place is full of busies. I’m not getting involved.”
“You might have to be.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Or maybe you already are.”
