Rescue

time. Wouldn’t you like a real meal?“
    “What I’d like is a real talk.“
    “I’m not going to be able to finesse this, huh?“
    “No, you’re not.“
    From a pay phone, I called Pizzeria Uno on Boylston Street The deep-dish would be ready by the time we got there.
    We walked south on Tremont, not talking with the crush of other people around us at commuter time. Once we hit the Boston Common and passed the Park Street Station, we lost most of the crowd. Continuing through the Common, people stretched out from natural gait far enough that we were basically walking by ourselves.
    Nancy took my right hand in hers, and I jumped when she pressed it.
    Letting go immediately, she said, “What’s the matter?“
    “Nothing. I got burned a little.“
    She looked down, then stopped and held my hand up by placing hers under my palm. “John, that’s pretty nasty. What happened?“
    “Just a burn, Nance.“
    “Like just a ‘paper cut’?“
    Our talk about the scars. I started walking again. “Come on. I’ll tell you over dinner.“
    Nancy stood her ground. “I won’t be able to eat dinner unless you tell me what happened, why I couldn’t reach you last night.“
    I stopped. “All right.“
    She came up to me, and we fell back into step.
    I said, “That case—or incident, I guess—from the tire
    changing.“
    “The woman in the Fort Point Channel.“
    “Yes.“
    “They’re still not calling it homicide, John.“
    “I’m not surprised. But I traced the plates, and I have some glasses that might have her prints on them.“
    “Meaning you can identify her?“
    “Only by a first name. We’d know the dead girl was a runaway named Melinda.“
    “Which is something you were already pretty sure of.“
    “Yes.“
    “Go on.“
    “Well, making a long story short, tracing the plates also led me to the little boy’s family, who seem to be happy he’s gone—“
    “No.“
    “Yes. And I ended up with a guy who...“
    Nancy took my arm, gingerly.
    I said, “Don’t worry. No damage other than... Well, other than a little burn on the left hand, too.“
    John....“ A shake of the head. “No, tell it your way.“
    “As long as I tell it?“
    She hugged my arm this time.
    “I broke into the trailer of a guy named Severn, because it looked as though he was the only one who could steer me toward the little boy.“
    “Eddie.“
    “Eddie, right. Well, Severn caught me at it, knocked me out, and took me to a place for some... directed conversation.“
    Nancy’s voice quavered a bit. “He... tortured you?“
    “Yes.“
    “Oh, John. Have you seen a doctor?“
    “No.“
    “Why—“
    “Nance, I ended up having to kill the guy.“
    The hug on my arm got tighter. “I... I don’t want to sound stupid about this, but... I could tell that.“
    “Tell it from what?“
    “From the way you looked at me inside the door when you picked me up.“
    “How did I look?“
    “Like you wanted to... spare me something. Like you wanted to put on a happy face and joke around like we do.“
    “Nothing wrong with that.“
    “Unless it’s not sincere, and you don’t deceive all that well, John.“
    “I hope only where you’re concerned.“
    Nancy changed her tone. “Would it help for you to give me some details?“
    “Severn was going to torture me till I told him something he wanted to hear, then he was going to kill me. When I broke free, he had a gun, and I had to take him.“
    “I know.“
    “You know?“
    “That you had to take him, that you wouldn’t have killed him otherwise.“
    “I wish I hadn’t. And not just because of taking his life. Severn didn’t get to tell me much about Eddie.“
    No response at first, then, “Do you think Eddie’s still alive?“
    “From something the guy let slip, yes. But all I have to go on is some stuff I found in his trailer, which leads me toward the Florida Keys.“
    “Florida.“
    “Yes.“
    Nancy didn’t say anything else until we crossed Charles Street and entered the Public Garden. “You said before, you didn’t go to a hospital.“
    “Right.“
    “Because that might have tipped the police about Severn being... gone?“
    “Or at least have tied me to some violence when the chief up there knew I was trying to see the guy.“
    “Then the authorities don’t know about what you had to do.“
    “I couldn’t see how my explanation would cover it and still let me go after Eddie.“
    “And a promise is a promise.“
    “My only virtue.“
    Nancy