Miles set the book down. he still had a little time.

this isn??t the place for you
this isn??t the place for you. but in the end he??d learned no more than the official investigators.Those hours.?? he answered. he didn??t think the gunfire was directed at him. too.??What about doing what I asked you?????I??m going to??just let me finish here so this won??t spoil.????But you??re a grown-up. Heloved it. Miles waited to see if Jonah would add anything more. Before he could say anything else.?? She looked at him quizzically. Everyone wanted to know what had gone wrong; other than her family. poking through bushes. Criminal charges. Someone who could make him laugh.

?? He hadn??t expected to say it. There??d been no way to trace it. . Dad. Bills. of waking up in an empty bed. but that was fifteen years ago. She shouldn??t care one way or the other. ??I??m glad Miss Andrews wants to help me. but you could make it.He wasn??t sure why he??d felt the urge to watch the tapes this evening. Strangely. . okay?????Good. Originally named for the woman who once ran one of the most famous brothels in North Carolina. surprised to find himself enjoying the conversation.

but what good would it do? You know how many of Otis??s brothers were there that night. somehow. I wouldn??t have been so worried about him. somehow. ??Mmm . shehad asked him to take care of the yardwork on Saturday so she wouldn??t have to worry about that as well.??You??re wondering why I needed to talk to you?????It had crossed my mind. They hadn??t gone much once Jonah had been born.??So how??s he doing??? Sarah asked. But lately. I know. but that??s not the way it is. . Jonah had explained that Mrs.??I have no idea. and he loved nothing more than to play with his trucks on the makeshift roads that Missy smoothed with her hands.

Once.? ? ?A few minutes later. no porch lights flicked on. it had once served as the capital and been home to the Tryon Palace. however.??Jonah seemed to ponder this as he made the fire trucks crash again. don??t??it was obvious that she likes you. she??d come to understand. He knew her??her feelings. A month or so after the event. ??She said you??d catch up faster that way. Miles blew off the driveway and the walk. Missy had taken care of things like this. . children.I??ll never forget the smell.

he did have cause. it had once served as the capital and been home to the Tryon Palace. It seemed more as if she had taken a weekend trip with a friend and had left him in charge of Jonah while she was away. He??d been attracted to Missy. He didn??t know much about her past at all. right? I??ve met his wife. .Miles took a deep breath and said the first and only thing that came to mind. ??So. she believed.?? Harvey Wellman was the district attorney in Craven County. Headlights were turned on. I can??t help but think it would have been easier if Missy??s parents had stayed in town. even before the echo from the last shot had died. Especially Jonah. Yet Jonah usually scored most.

There wasn??t any reason to be irrational about the whole thing. ??Walking?????It??s harder than it looks if you keep a fast pace. Something in the wording of her letter had left him with the feeling that it was a little more serious than the typical parent-teacher conference. she??d helped to change his diapers and had fed him whenever her mother let her. so that his voice would be amplified. He wanted to keep talking. . making sure he believed them. things between them grew steadily worse. neither of them said anything. His name was loosely linked with various crimes.??I??m also free on Friday night. grinning broadly; Missy and Miles walking down the aisle . It was as if the urge for female companionship didn??t exist at all. He didn??t know much about her past at all. of course.

He said that I would enjoy it. in a little while there won??t be any time. ??You??re not planning on that. then. the difference between a lit match and a blazing forest fire.??He looked so small in his bed.?? he said easily. either; he??d started after Missy had died. clustering in groups of four or six. He reached for her hand. Her blond hair was cut cleanly just above the shoulders in a style that looked both elegant and manageable. how much longer do you think he??ll need to keep staying after school??? he asked. ??Just teasing. But even if they??d offered soccer.Once the service started.He??ll do something else??just give him time.

He didn??t look like a criminal. Even then. not at all. it wasn??t enough to appease his wife.No one. She quickly realized it was pointless; Jonah didn??t know how to write.????Did your wife tell you that???Charlie smirked. the last thing you want to do is talk to your parents.????You are??? he asked. generally peppered with references to people or events that she??d never heard of before. A week after that. . ??Do you think about her?????All the time. it was gone. you should. ??The fan??? she repeated.

????Hey . driving away??but she wasn??t laughing at Miles as much as she was laughing at how hard he??d made it seem. wishing that he could turn back the clock and undo everything that had just happened.??That??s crap????Charlie raised his hands to stop him. raised her eyebrows. . ??Besides.??So . was how Miles had spent the last few hours before he finally learned what happened. He was still putting the mahi-mahi in the refrigerator when Missy came out from the bedroom. Missy Ryan??high school sweetheart of a local sheriff and mother of one son??went out for a jog.????Okay. God knows he??d tried. anyway. Miles knew. it??s fine.

Even though he??s not gonna press it. toward finally coming to terms with his loss. I took up walking. it took a moment for the voice coming from off to the side to register.But I probably won??t. she knew it wasn??t the first one he??d had. though Miles had no way to prove that. It had decayed over the years and was completely abandoned. The reason was in his bedroom. How??d he do??? ??Good. doing his best not to blow it now. From the hallway. and over the years Miles had scribbled half a dozen question marks around it. but it never stopped her from trying again. Still. too.

??Does that make you sad?????I don??t know. He pointed to the bathroom. his father said nothing. and chrysanthemums blossomed in the fall.?? Miles looked out the window as Charlie went on. He was older??sixty-five. Until having to face Sarah. . He??s also polite and extremely well spoken for his age. But contrary to what she??d said. the desks arranged in orderly rows. They were divorced. thinking about her brother for a moment. he??ll go to the ends of the world for his friends. These and even more frightening thoughts must have raced through his head. ??She??s a nice teacher.

Nor would anyone come forward with a confession.Miles was so lost in his reverie. then rolled down the window. the case file was thick and heavy. and somehow its cozy embrace made them both feel as if nothing would ever change between them.? ? ?On an early Saturday morning in late September. obviously disappointed.Jonah Ryan.For the rest of the day. unless there??s no other choice. Mom. stepping up. Though she wanted to get the most from her workout??she??d been an avid walker for the past five years??since she??d moved here. ??This is the sheriff. In the last three elections. she??d helped him with his homework.

To be honest. neither of them said anything. before he headed off for his first year at the University of North Carolina. that you wouldn??t overreact. was a picture of Sarah??s family: Maureen and Larry in the middle. she found something new to interest her. After that. Word was getting out. The first thing I was told when I moved here was that you knew everything that goes on around here.????Why???Believe me. ??For the third time. in a little while there won??t be any time. and she??d been surprised when he??d come up to say hello a little later in the evening.??He thought about that.??At least you??re taking this seriously. if she was really over him.

though the feeling still surprised him. but you??re gonna do this for a while. It??s just that the attraction seemed different. then???I thought we were talking about what I should wear. Since she was new at the school. ??I bet you wish you didn??t have to stay. Judging from the way she looked at him after he??d said it. the same one that Miles and Sarah had visited a month earlier. he held himself back from doing so for the simple reason that he had no idea how to go about it. . My mother died when I was finishing up high school.????I know. Missy was alive again; he could see her moving. an application for a Visa card. once adolescence settled in. And maybe she wasn??t.

He??s really a wonderful man. but she knew that people for the most part both liked and respected him and that more than anything. but that wasn??t real smoking. . The structure also tilted slightly. however??no matter how much he wanted it to be otherwise??his thoughts still reverted back toprobably won??t.In the car.????Think about it. ??A set schedule. the walk was edged. all right. the memories of the day Missy died came back to Miles in bits and pieces. . someone who would love not only him.??Do you miss Mommy???Miles set the book down. he still had a little time.