“—Tony for a second. Okay?”
“Sure. You okay?”
She smiled, a bright open smile that obviously relieved herco-worker. “I’m fine. Tony just surprised me.”
When she turned back to Tony, that smile was firmly in place.
“I’m sorry,” Tony apologized. “I didn’t know how elseto find you.”
She stepped up and took him by the arm. “No problem,” she assured him. “Why don’t we go on to the backroom? That way you can have that beer you really want.”
Tony went with her. “You have a smart daughter.”
She rolled her eyes. “Please. Don’t encourage her.”
“Don’t worry. I have one, too.”
“Then, Mr. Riordan, you have my deepest apologies.”
“I thought you’d still be a nurse.”
They were seated in a small office at the back that reminded Tony of a too-full suitcase. The same classy look asout front, the same precise order. But the neatly stackedpiles were threatening to topple, the file drawers barely ableto close. Papers and contracts and menus filled her desk,cookbooks and health codes and local history books theshelves. There was a corkboard over her desk with calendars and fabric swatches and a nest of snapshots of Claire and her daughter and a teenage boy who looked like themand like somebody else, and a brace of chairs that held rollsof blueprints and one very overweight tabby. Tony got the cat’s chair, and the cat escaped to the top of the cabinet.
Claire had been as good as her word about the beer. Tonytook his first full gulp and settled back into the armchairthat was obviously the most comfortable piece of furniturein the place, considering the look he was getting from thecat.
“I am still a nurse,” Claire admitted, curling up into theother armchair with a cup of tea in her hand. “Part-time,anyway. I just decided it was about time to start working formyself.”
Tony nodded and took another long drink. “It’s a niceplace.”
“Thank you.” She sipped at her tea as if they were at astate function. “It’ll be a lot better when we finish settlingin. For one, my office will be clean. And we’re going to offer bed and breakfast. How did you find me?”
He’d prepared a thousand different answers for this one,and ended up giving her the truth. “I cheated.”
She was tucked into her chair like a girl in a Victoriannovel. Even so, she was on alert. Tony could smell it.
So he shrugged. “You were tough to track down. You’re not in any of the regular vet sources. Fortunately I have afriend in the FBI. He got me this address. You live here,too?”
He wasn’t sure whether he was helping or hurting hiscause. It was tough to get past the polite smile in those eyes.
“Out back in the old carriage house,” she admitted.“With my two children and Peaches, who is—”
“The ex-con from Raiford. Yeah, I get the message. Youdon’t have to worry about me. I just wanted to meet you andgo home. I promise. Nothing weird.”
“Why didn’t you just call?”
There had been phone calls. Dozens of them, every onedisconnected before he’d heard that first ring. He shouldhave warned her. Should have asked if it was okay to see her.In the end, he couldn’t take the chance that what he wantedto say wouldn’t be said in person. It was too important tohim.
“I needed to see you,” he finally said. “I never did whenI came in.”
She shrugged, seemingly bemused. “But why?”
“You’ve been to The Wall?” he asked.
She nodded and sipped at her tea.
He nodded back. “I was there last Memorial Day, and Idecided that I needed to put some things to rest. I looked upthe guys in my old unit, said goodbye to the ones who didn’tcome home and promised myself that I’d find you.”
“Why?”
