"Death in Paradise" - читать интересную книгу автора (Parker Robert B.)

Chapter Five

The dog was sleeping behind Jesse's desk.

When Jenn came into Jesse's office at twenty minutes past five, the dog raised his head and growled at her. Jenn stopped short.

"I know you've gone out with some dogs since we broke up," Jenn said, "but right in the office?"

"His name's Deputy," Jesse said.

"His?"

"We're just friends," Jesse said.

"Well, can you leave your friend long enough to go to dinner with me?"

"I feel like I ought to bring him," Jesse said.

"For God's sake," Jenn said. "Don't you have a dog officer in this town?"

"Yeah. Bob Valenti. Part-time guy."

"Well, call him up, have him take the dog to the kennel or the pound or whatever you call it."

"He howls when I leave him," Jesse said.

Jenn squatted in front of the dog. Given how tight Jenn wore her pants, Jesse thought it was no small thing. But she did it easily, though it made her pants pull tighter over the curve of her butt.

"Does he bite?"

"I don't know," Jesse said. "He's only been here a couple of hours."

Jenn put her hand out. Women, Jesse thought, squat much more gracefully than men.

"Clench your fist," Jesse said. "It makes it harder for him to bite your hand."

"Jesus," Jenn said and jerked her hand back.

The dog kept his head up, looking at her. She made a fist and put it toward the dog's nose very carefully. The dog sniffed at her fist carefully, and thumped the floor with his tail a couple of times.

"I think he likes me," Jenn said.

"Probably," Jesse said.

"If we take him with us, won't he howl when we leave him in the car?"

"We could eat in the car," Jesse said.

Jenn stared at him.

Finally she said, "Jesse, haven't you killed several people?"

Jesse nodded.

"And yet you can't leave a stray dog to have dinner with your ex-wife who, I guess, still loves you, and whom I believe you still love, for fear that the dog will be unhappy?"

Jesse nodded.

"What would we eat in the car?" Jenn said.

"Pizza?"

"Split three ways?" Jenn said.

"I guess."

"And maybe a six-pack?"

"Sure," Jesse said.

"Glad I dressed up," Jenn said.

Jesse stood. The dog stood as soon as Jesse did.

"We're glad, too," Jesse said.

In Jesse's car, the dog sat in the backseat. And in the parking lot of Paradise Pizza, the dog rested his head on the back of Jenn's seat while Jesse and Jenn ate a pizza with green peppers and mushrooms and drank beer from the can.

"Can I give him my pizza crust?" Jenn said.

"I think he likes those," Jesse said.

Jenn offered a crust to the dog. He ate it and swallowed and waited. Jesse opened a second can of beer. This is the last one. For God's sake don't get drunk in front of her.

"How are you?" Jesse said.

"I'm fine, Jesse."

"I watch you do the weather almost every night."

"Good."

"Do you actually know what a low-pressure system is?" Jesse said.

Jenn smiled. She gave the dog another crust.

"No, but I'm getting very good at pretending I'm pointing at a real weather map."

"Behind the scenes," Jesse said, "show biz just isn't pretty."

"No."

"You still dating the anchorman?"

Jenn smiled. "No. I hate to date people cuter than I am."

Jesse sipped a little beer. Easy, he thought. Easy does it. He spoke as casually as he could.

"So who you dating these days?"

"You, for one," Jenn said.

"And?"

"Others," Jenn said.

"Like who?"

"Like guys," Jenn said. "Why do you need to ask? What's the point?"

"I don't know."

"It's just the kind of question that pushes me away," Jenn said.

He thought of saying that it was, probably, however distorted, a form of love. But he didn't. It would only make them argue.

"It's the kind of possessive question that drove me away in the first place," Jenn said.

"When we were married it was probably more appropriate," Jesse said.

Jenn was silent. Then he could see a little of the tension go out of her shoulders.

"Yes," she said. "It probably was."

His beer was gone. Jesse didn't even recall drinking it. He felt swollen with sadness and desire. He opened a third can. Jenn patted his right thigh.

"We're still here," Jenn said.

From the backseat the dog nosed the back of Jenn's neck, looking for another crust.

"We are," Jesse said.