Night Film

31

Sam stared sullenly back at me. Even though I’d just explained, crouched down on her level with as much drama as I could muster, that her dad had some top-secret business to attend to and needed to run, so she was staying with Mommy — she didn’t say a word.

“Next weekend we’ll be spending four days together,” I said. “Just the two of us, okay?”

Still, the silence. But then, seemingly thinking something quite serious, she reached her right hand way up and patted me on my head. She’d never done that before. Cynthia, her face flushed, shot me a look—Great parenting—but, smiling agreeably for Sam’s sake, she extended the handle of the Toy Story suitcase, handing it off to Sam, who dutifully wheeled it to the door like a tired stewardess learning she had to fly an extra leg to Cincinnati.

“Bye, sweetheart,” I said. “I love you more than—what was it again?”

“The sun plus the moon,” she answered, heading down the hall.

“I’ll make it up to her,” I said to Cynthia.

“Of course.” She swept her hair over her shoulder and smiled, stepping after her. “We’ll put it on your tab.”

I strode to the hall closet, trying to ignore the tsunami of guilt flooding through me.

“Hopper called,” I said to Nora over my shoulder. “We’re meeting him uptown now. He has a lead.” I grabbed my keys, but Nora didn’t move from the living-room doorway. She was staring at me, wide-eyed.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“That was bad.”

“What was bad?”

“That.”

“My ex-wife? Yes, I know. Can you believe that woman used to live to karaoke on a Saturday night? In college, we called her Bangles. You couldn’t pay her to stop singing ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’ in public.”

“She’s not what I’m talking about.”

I was helping Nora into her coat. “Then what are you talking about? And tell me quickly, because we need to get going.”

“You think you’re subtle, but you’re not.”

I was jostling her into the hallway, locking the door. “Subtle about what?”

“That you’re crazy mad in love with her.”

“Hey. No one’s crazy or mad or in love with anyone here.”

She put a hand on my shoulder, a look of evident pity.

“You need to move on with your life. She’s happy.” And with that, she took off merrily down the hall, leaving me staring after her.