Chapter 39 Chapter Thirty-eight

Morrow parked the Honda in the steep driveway and put the handbrake in first gear.On such a slope, she couldn't be careless. The living room curtains were drawn and edged with an orange glow, bright and warm on a night like this, and the lights in the foyer were on, her second favorite time of day.She walked towards the house, knowing that Brian was home.Her first favorite moment was climbing into bed and rolling on it. She opened the car door, got out, locked the car, looked around the quiet neighborhood, everything was beautiful, perfect for a family growing up, she smiled to herself, went to the door, put the key in, opened it, put the key in Shout "hey" to the back of the pocket and hang the coat in the closet.

"Hey!" Brian came out to meet her. "How's London?" "It's bleak and Bannerman won't let me take Harris because he sees revolutions everywhere..." "What's that bar like?" "Beautiful woman, ugly man. But today I saw Kay again, and her sons." "Are you ok?" "Yeah, they did really well." He was half in the hall, half in the kitchen, clutching the door frame.It was a strange pose for him, and he looked ghostly and coy, as if trying to get in her way, as if the kitchen was full and he was about to surprise her with a party surprise.

She nodded to him, "What the hell?" Brian hesitated, avoiding confrontation with her.Moreau enjoyed fighting, but not at home.Brian didn't like confrontation of any kind, so he took a deep breath, "Come in." She followed him into the kitchen, expecting a surprise once inside.The kitchen looked the same as usual, with the same table and the same simple configuration, just like the one left by the old couple.The usual kitchen cloth was hanging over the tap to dry, and dinner was waiting for her in the microwave. She smiled, "What happened?" Brian seemed worried, "You sit down first."

She pulled up a chair.He sat next to her, biting his lower lip, "Danny was here today." She looked around, suddenly feeling that Danny might still be here, and when she opened her mouth she found herself whispering, "Here?" "yes." "Have you seen him?" "yes." "when?" "Drinking afternoon tea, around 5:30." "Why didn't you call me?" "I don't want to bother you." Brian was unhurt and didn't even appear to be frightened.Moreau stroked his cheek.Seeing his wife protecting herself like this, Brian laughed.The two sat very close, full of doubts.

"I don't like him coming here." "I know." "I don't want him to know about you." He held her hand, "I'm fine." She squeezed his fingers tightly, "I'm sorry." He also squeezed her tightly, "Don't say that." "Is it about JJ?" "Yes, and Kay Murray." "Kay Murray?" "Someone go to him and ask him to deliver a warning to you: leave the Murray boy alone." "He warned me?" "No, he said someone wanted to warn you." Moreau snorted, "He can't come to my house and tell me what to do."

"Is that what he does?" Moreau shrugged.He's never done anything like this before.She leaned back in her chair and considered the possibilities.Danny may be telling the truth, but that's not his character.If he was lying, she wondered why he lied like that.He asked her to spare the Murray boys, but would not say so directly.Then it occurred to her: Joe was sixteen.Morrow had long lost contact with the two of them, but Danny and Kay were probably still seeing each other at the time.She considered the possibility that Danny was Joe's father, but Joe didn't look like Danny, and he didn't talk or act like Danny at all.She thought about that apartment again, how poor Kay was, and bought four pairs of identical shoes at Costco, just because they were waterproof and lasted through the winter, and she did cleaning and nursing work to support herself and her children.She hadn't gotten anything from Danny, but Kay was so proud that she wouldn't take anything from Danny.

This may be true, and Danny may be warning her that someone, not him, knows they are related and wants her to spare the Murray children.That person could be Kay herself. "She didn't trust us," Moreau said. "Who doesn't trust us?" "Kay Murray. She doesn't trust the police." Morrow shook his head at the table. "Could Danny be Joe's father? Joe's cute." "yes?" "Does he know Joe?" "Sounds like they don't know each other." "Why, what did he say?" Brian shrugged. "The Murray boys, he's always called them the Murray boys, and you're being asked to stay away from them."

Morrow was lost in thought for a moment, until Brian said, "I made a delicious lamb stew, is it hot now?" "Ok." Brian stood up, closed the microwave door, set it for three minutes, and waited, spoon in hand.Morrow's thoughts soared, and she smiled when she thought that Joe might be her nephew. The microwave dinged to a stop, and Brian turned it on, gave the food a stir, then closed the door and let it spin for a few more minutes. He sat down and smiled at Moreau, "Danny looks a lot like you." "yes?" "Yes," he stroked Moreau's lips, "like the chin."

"He can't warn me about anything—" "Alex," Brian leaned forward and put his hands on her stomach, "he's not warning you, he's just calling for a truce." "You don't know him—" "Yeah, I don't know, but I can tell he needs your help and you're saying no."