Tender Is The Night(29)

"I'm usually an example of what not to do," he said dryly.

"Maybe it's just the way you go about it."

"I'm sure that's true." He turned a corner and tipped his head toward  the grassy area ahead of them on the right. "That's Raymond Park, and  the building next to the small parking lot is the rec center."         

     



 

She straightened as he drove past the entrance to the lot, then made a  U-turn and parked across the street. From their vantage point, they  could see the empty lot and the one-room building. There was a  streetlight in the parking lot and another at the far end of the park,  but the rest of the area was shadowy.

A chill ran down Kate's spine as she looked around the park. There were a  lot of trees, a lot of dark places, and if she were someone looking to  start a fire somewhere, this was a good spot. "This looks like a better  target than the other one. You can access the park from this street or  the one on the other side of the building and maybe to the east, too.  Wish we could be in three places at once."

"No kidding."

"So are we staking the park out?"

"For a while-see if we see anything. We could be completely off base.  The arsonist could be at any number of locations or not even looking to  set a fire tonight. They could be living their normal life."

"You're right. I can't make the mistake of thinking the arsonist is  one-dimensional with only one goal on their to-do list. He could have a  job, be married, have children. He could like dogs, play sports, make  culinary masterpieces in the kitchen, run marathons or be a television  junkie. He could be in bed asleep right now, having sex with someone he  loves, or reading a novel while we're sitting in the cold next to a dark  park wondering if he's going to make his move."

Devin shot her a look. "Do you think that was helpful?"

"Sorry. I was talking more to myself than you. Sometimes I talk too much."

"Sometimes?"

"I'm not that bad."

"You're chatty."

"I only seem that way because you're not very talkative."

"We've been doing nothing but talking, Kate. And I prefer action."

Judging by the look in his eyes, she knew what action he was talking about. "No flirting," she warned.

"How is that flirting?" he protested.

"You know. We're alone in a dark car. It's late. It's night. We need to stay focused."

"I'm focused. You're not?"

She could hear the tease in his voice, and she was actually a little  surprised to hear it. When she'd first arrived, Devin had been all  business all the time, but today she'd seen a more personal side to him;  more humor, more joy. Maybe he was starting to come out of the dark  funk he'd been living in. "Let's talk movies. What have you seen  lately?"

"Nothing. I haven't been to a movie in two years."

"So not a movie person? Or just not lately?"

"I don't spend a lot of time in the theater. I'd rather be outside."

"Me, too," she said. "I get cabin fever when I'm indoors too long. I  used to drive my mom crazy when I was little; I always wanted to have my  sleepovers in a tent in the backyard."

"That sounds fun."

"Unfortunately, a lot of my friends didn't think so. My sleepovers  became less popular when I got to middle school. But Mia was usually  game to pitch a tent with me and tell ghost stories under a flashlight."  She smiled to herself. "I can't believe she's getting married. My twin  sister is going to have a husband. That will be weird."

"Why will it be weird?"

"We've always been so tightly connected. It's strange to think she'll have someone else to tell her secrets to."

"You will, too, at some point."

"I guess. But that's a long ways off, and Mia is getting married next  week. Anyway, getting back to you. While you don't apparently like  movies, I did notice that you have a lot of books in your house. And you  also had an e-reader on your coffee table."

"Very observant."

"I am a highly trained special agent," she said with a laugh. "I also  noticed when I walked by your bedroom earlier that you have an aversion  to hangers."

"Is that a nice way of saying I'm a slob?"

"Not a slob, but clutter doesn't bother you, at least not in your  personal life. In your professional life, you're one of the most  organized agents I've ever worked with. Your files, your descriptions,  your maps are the most detailed things I've seen."

"My job takes time. Who has time to hang up clothes? I'd like to see where you live, Kate. Are you a neat freak?"

"God, no. I definitely do not waste a lot of time on cleaning. And I  share your aversion to hangers. I worked in a retail store at the mall  when I was sixteen. I hated when they put me in the dressing room, and  my entire job was turning clothes right side out, hanging them up and  fastening the buttons and zipping the zips. I thought I might pull my  hair out."

"How long did you last?"

"Two weeks. I quit after I got my first paycheck and also realized how little I was getting paid to do work I hated."         

     



 

"What did you do next?"

"Lots of different stuff. I've made coffee, scooped ice cream, babysat,  walked dogs, led nature hikes, and did some boring office stuff.  Callaways are expected to work from a young age. Everyone has to pull  their weight. My mom and dad are super hard workers."

"Did your mom work outside the house?"

"Yes, she's a nurse. She loves it. My dad is retired, but he doesn't  really know the meaning of the word retired. He still does construction  for my uncle, who employs a lot of the firefighters on their off days. I  don't know why my dad wants to climb on ladders and hammer up drywall,  but somehow he does. He does manage to get in some golf, though. And, of  course, during baseball season, he makes a lot of ballgames. Now, he's  thinking about going on this crazy long bike ride. He has a lot of  ideas."

"Like his daughter," he said with a grin. "There's nothing wrong with keeping busy. He'd probably be bored otherwise."

"Probably. He has always had a lot of energy and of course he loves the adrenaline rush."

"You take after him."

"I do in some ways, but I have to say that between my two parents, it's  my mom's voice that is in my head. She's the wise one, the person who  always seems to have the right advice at the right time. She's very  smart and analytical, but she also is nurturing. She likes to remind me  that the most important things in life are love and family and taking  time to be happy."

"You sound happy when you talk about your family," he commented, the odd  note in his voice telling her he didn't think of his family in the same  way.

"I love them. They can be frustrating and exhausting and just too much  at times, but that never changes the love. It's always there."

"You're lucky."

"I am lucky. Maybe when this case is over, you should visit your mom and sister-reconnect with your family."

He shook his head. "Don't try to fix that relationship, Kate."

"I couldn't do that; only you could."

"There's nothing to fix."

"You just implied there was."

"We're all fine. No one is unhappy with the way things are."

"I don't think that's true."

"I grew up and out of needing a family a long time ago," he said sharply.

"Did you? Then why did you spend so many holidays with the Parkers? Why  did they think of you as their son? Why are you on the mantel of their  family home?" When he didn't respond right away, she said, "I think you  adopted them, and they adopted you, which means you might like family  more than you think."

"Well, I like their family. Sam's mom is a good cook, and I enjoy eating."

"That's not why you spent so much time there."

"They are nice people," he added. "But while they might think of me as a  son, to me they were always Sam's parents. They were hers, not mine."

"Fine, whatever," she said with a sigh. "You're a tough guy; you don't need anyone."

"Finally, we're on the same page."

"You like to win too much, Devin."

"I think it's just the right amount. You're mad because you're trying to  win right now by changing my mind, and I'm not going along with you."

He had a point. "I hate to see people sad and in pain when there's a solution-if they just wouldn't be too stubborn to see it."

"I'm fine, Kate-at least when it comes to family. That old wound scarred over a long time ago."

"Well, one day you'll have your own family. Maybe that will change  things, or maybe not … " An odd look flashed through his eyes. "What? You  don't want kids?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought much about it."

"You've never thought about marriage and family? It's not like you're getting any younger."