Stranger in Paradise

1.

Molly Crane stuck her head in the doorway to Jesse’s office.

“Man here to see you,” she said. “Says his name’s Wilson Cromartie.”

Jesse looked up. His eyes met Molly’s. Neither of them said anything. Then Jesse stood. His gun was in its holster on the file cabinet behind him. He took the gun from the holster and sat back down and put the gun in the top right-hand drawer of his desk and left the drawer open.

“Show him in,” Jesse said.

Molly went and in a moment returned with the man.

Jesse nodded his head.

“Crow,” he said.

“Jesse Stone,” Crow said.

Jesse pointed at a chair. Crow sat. He looked at the file cabinet.

“Empty holster,” he said.

“Gun’s in my desk drawer,” Jesse said.

“And the drawer’s open,” Crow said.

“Uh-huh.”

Crow smiled. He seemed entirely calm. But so much energy had been compressed into his physical self that he seemed ready to explode.

“No need,” Crow said.

“Good to know,” Jesse said.

“But you’re not shutting the drawer,” Crow said.

“No,” Jesse said.

Crow smiled again. It was hard to say exactly what it was, Jesse thought, but there was a vague trace of American Indian in his features, and his speech. Maybe he really was Apache.

“Nothing wrong with cautious,” Crow said.

“Last time I saw you was in a speedboat dashing off with a lot of money,” Jesse said.

“Long time back,” Crow said. “Longer than the statute of limitations.”

“I’d have to check,” Jesse said.

“I did,” Crow said. “Ten years.”

“Not for murder,” Jesse said.

“You got no evidence I had anything to do with murder.”

“Homicide during the commission of a felony,” Jesse said.

“I doubt you could prove that,” Crow said. “All you know is I was with some people, and then I drove away in a speedboat to escape a shoot-out.”

“With a guy who turned up dead, in a boat that turned up empty.”

“Can’t tell you about that,” Crow said. “I got off the boat five miles up the coast.”

“So you didn’t come here to turn yourself in,” Jesse said.

“I got some business in Paradise,” Crow said. “I come here to see that you and I wouldn’t be scraping up against each other while I was here.”

“Two of my cops died when the bridge to Stiles Island got blown,” Jesse said. “Some people on the island.”

“Yeah,” Crow said. “Macklin was a bad guy.”

“And you?” Jesse said.

“Pussycat,” Crow said.

“You gonna be in town long?” Jesse said.

“Awhile,” Crow said.

“Why?” Jesse said.

“I’m looking for someone,” Crow said.

“Why?”

“Guy hired me,” Crow said.

“Why you?”

“I’m good at stuff like that,” Crow said. “The guy trusts me.”

He grinned at Jesse.

“And,” he said, “I know the territory.”

“Me, too,” Jesse said.

“I know,” Crow said. “And if we can’t coexist it’ll make my job a lot harder. That’s why I stopped by.”

“Who you looking for?” Jesse said.

“Don’t have a name,” Crow said.

“Ever seen him?”

Crow shook his head.

“Got a picture?”

“Not a good one,” Crow said.

“Want to show it to me?” Jesse said.

“No.”

“So how you going to find him?’

“I’ll work something out,” Crow said.

“What happens when you find him?”

“I report to my employer,” Crow said.

Jesse nodded slowly. “As long as I have you in town,” he said, “I’m going to do everything I can to put together a case against you.”

“I figured that,” Crow said. “I say you won’t be able to.”

“Limitation is sort of complicated,” Jesse said. “There was bank robbery involved, kidnapping, these fall under federal statutes. I’ll talk to an ADA tomorrow, see what they can tell me.”

“Ten years covers most things,” Crow said.

“We’re going to watch you all the time you’re in town,” Jesse said.

“But you’re not going to harass me.”

“If we can put a case together on you, we’ll arrest you,” Jesse said.

“Until then?” Crow said.

“We’ll wait and watch,” Jesse said.

Crow nodded. The two men sat silently until Crow spoke.

“You know about me,” he said.

“I checked you out,” Jesse said. “When you were here before.”

“What they tell you,” Crow said.

“Be very careful,” Jesse said.

Crow smiled.

“Macklin was good,” Crow said.

Jesse nodded.

“I wasn’t sure anybody could take him,” Crow said.

“Except you?” Jesse said.

“Except me.”

“Now you know,” Jesse said.

Crow nodded. They were quiet again. Both men motionless, looking at each other.

“You let the hostages go,” Jesse said.

Crow nodded.

“They were all women,” he said.

“Yes,” Jesse said.

They looked at each other some more. The room felt charged, Jesse thought, as if a thunderstorm were near. Then Crow rose gracefully to his feet.

“I guess we know where we stand,” Crow said.

“Stop by anytime,” Jesse said.

Crow smiled and went out the door, past Suitcase Simpson, who was leaning on the wall just to the right of Jesse’s door, and past Molly Crane, who was on the other side.

Crow nodded at them both.

“Officers,” he said.

And went on out of the station.