“You’re teasing me.” I take a sip of my coffee.
“I guess maybe I am.”
“It feels good. Helps me forget what’s happened to me today.”
“Until you mentioned it just then.”
“What about Walter?”
“I’m only interested in a relationship with you, not the sheriff.”
“I mean we have a corrupt sheriff here. Won’t that cause problems for you?”
“It’s perfect. He won’t cause me any problems. You obey the Don, that’s what you do.”
“Do I have to obey you?”
“Depends what you want to happen. What do you want to happen, Chloe?”
“To finish my coffee and then take a bath.”
“And after that?”
“I’m not thinking any further ahead than that. Make yourself at home. I may be a while.”
41
CHLOE
* * *
When Maisie comes in, she finds me and Enzo on the couch, watching the news. The FBI has issued a statement about Tom Blizzard being taken into custody and charged with multiple murders.
She looks at me. Then she looks at him, taking in the dirt all over his suit. She looks at the TV. “You saw,” she says, placing Spock’s basket down on the floor and undoing the door. “Everyone was talking about it at work. Multiple murders. I knew he was dodgy. I just knew it.”
Spock takes one disparaging look at me and promptly jumps into Enzo’s lap.
“Look at that,” Maisie adds. “Likes the new guy.”
“Everything all right?” I ask her.
“Is everything all right, she asks? Is everything all right? You’re sitting there with a human mountain, no offense.”
“None taken,” Enzo replies, stroking Spock who responds by purring under his chin.
Maisie continues. “Are you all right, Chloe? I’ve been worried about you.”
“I’ll give you guys some time,” Enzo says, starting to shift.
I push his shoulder back down. “You won’t move. You’ll disturb Spock.” I point at Maisie. “We’ll go sit outside and talk.”
I take Maisie out the back and we sit together on a couple of folding chairs. “Is he my new Daddy?” Maisie asks. “Is that what’s going on here?”
“That was Enzo and you could say we are taking the first tentative steps into a relationship.”
“Eeek!” She slaps me on the shoulder. “Go you. I knew you’d get you some yummy cock sooner or later.”
“Don’t call it that.” I get a vision of Blizzard standing in the open grave.