Free Summer Cool - A Jack Paine Mystery (Jack Paine Mysteries) by Al Sarrantonio

you."
    "Sorry, Philly."
    The humor crept back into the corners of his eyes; the slight smile came back. "No harm in asking, Paine."
    "No," Paine said. "Thanks, Philly."
    At front and center, the uncles and cousins had managed to get Mrs. Hermano to sit down. The priest had come down off the altar, and was slowly circling the coffin, sprinkling it with holy water. He went back to the altar, returned with an incense burner; raising it up high with one hand, he began to circle the coffin again, swinging the burner, sending puffs of incense toward the ceiling.
    Paine got up to leave. As he reached the back of the church the scent of incense reached his nostrils. He turned to see that almost everything was as it should be. The three agents for the South Americans were still regarding the ceremony with interest. A small cloud of incense had reached up beyond the low lights to mingle with the painted clouds and cherubs on the ceiling. And Philly sat quiet, impeccably dressed, in his far corner in the shadows. Only now he had taken out what appeared to be a silk handkerchief, and was silently wiping at the corners of his eyes with it.

14
     
    P aine saw Terry get out of her car as he entered his building, and he held the elevator until she came in. "How long have you been waiting?" he asked.
    Her eyes didn't look at him. "A couple of hours. I tried you at home after the bus took the girls this morning, and then I left a message on your machine."
    "I was at a funeral."
    "Oh. "
    "It was Roberto Hermano, the guy Bobby was working with on that drug case."
    Now she looked at him. "Did—"
    "I don't know what to think. There were things I wanted to tell you yesterday, but you wouldn't let me."
    The elevator stopped, and they walked the hail to Paine's office door. Inside, the phone was ringing. Paine got out his keys, but by the time he got the door open the phone had stopped.
    "Come on in," he said to Terry.
    There was more mail on the floor, and Paine picked it up and threw it on the desk. It was hot and stuffy in the room. Paine threw his jacket on the couch, sat behind the desk, went quickly through the mail.
    "I was going to call you yesterday, right after you left," Terry said. She was standing on the other side of the desk, looking down at him. "Last night I almost did. I had a few drinks and went to bed, but I couldn't sleep. I almost called you at two in the morning."
    "You should have," Paine said.
    Terry paused, and then said, "I'm sorry, Jack."
    Paine put on a smile. "For what?"
    She didn't smile. "I was serious about what I said yesterday. But I shouldn't have done that to you."
    "Did the garbage men come?"
    A flush of anger or embarrassment came and faded. "Yes. And they'll come next week for the rest."
    "My point was, don't you think you're being a bit hasty?"
    "In getting on with my life? When people die, you put their things away and go on."
    "Bobby's not dead."
    Now her eyes were focused straight on him. "To me he is."
    Paine looked at her, and she sat down and put her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry, Jack, but that's the way it is. He's gone now. I know he's not coming back I have a life to get on with."
    "Terry, I'm going to find him, whether you want me to or not."
    She stood, still clutching her hands, and turned away from the desk. "I know you will. But I don't want to know anything about it."
    He saw her beginning to sob, and he rose and walked around the desk.
    She turned, crying, and fell into his arms. Her hands moved up to her face, trying to stop the tears, but then she let them come and put her arms around Paine and held him close to her.
    "Oh, Jack, I don't know what the hell to do. . ."
    He held her tight, and suddenly she stopped crying and he looked down and her face was there, and she was looking at him with a hard straight look. She looked almost fierce. Tears had flushed her face, and she reached up and held Paine's neck and pulled his mouth down to hers.
    Paine tried to stop her, but she held his neck and