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your lights too far. Cows sometimes get out on the highway along here."
"No problem." Even on this moonless, overcast night the highway stretched
in a shining gray ribbon, clearly visible far beyond the edge of the
headlights.
He sighed. Nightsight. Vampires. Lane. What was Mrs. Bieber going to do?
Here it was nearly Thanksgiving and no word yet about whether she was going to
Acapulco or not. Belatedly he realized Maggie had asked him a question.
"What?"
"I said, what are you doing Thursday?"
He bit his lip. Was she going to invite him to Thanksgiving dinner?
"Nothing in particular. Sleep."
"Not going to pollute your body with delicious, fattening carbohydrates and
preservatives and additive-filled plastic side dishes?"
A flood of Thanksgiving memories rose in him, bringing a wave of
homesickness. He could never enjoy another feast like those again. Would he
even see another holidays? A nagging suspicion had haunted his dreams lately
that once he had settled with Lane he would simply cease to exist. "I'm not
going to feast, no."
"Then could I talk you into talking Danzig into letting us trade shifts
just this once, oh golden-tongued one? Dad and I have been invited to Aunt
Ruth's in Victoria and I'd love to be able to spend the whole day there."
Garreth did not know whether to be relieved or disappointed that she was
not inviting him to dinner. "I'll talk to Danzig." Without his glasses on.
"Great!" She leaned over and kissed his cheek. Sitting back, she glanced
out the window and said, "Look, it's starting to snow."
What? He pulled the car over to the side of the road and switched off the
lights. Fat, feathery flakes drifted down around them, and with them the
darkness lightened, as though each snowflake brought a bit of moonlight with
it. Garreth leaned out the window to stare up, fascinated.
Maggie grinned. "I don't suppose you've seen much of this before. The
ground's too warm yet for it to stick, but isn't it pretty?"
"You know what I'd like to do? Run in it. Want to? Just a couple of miles
to that rise over there and back."
"Garreth!" She laughed. "Run? Just a couple of miles? Look at my shoes. I
can't run anywhere in them. Even if I could, we'd break our legs running in
the dark. Let's go on to your place. We can sit out on the deck in the snow
there, if you like, and think of some way to warm up afterward."
Pleasure at the snow faded. He put the car in motion again and sighed
inwardly. Sitting on the deck would be all right, but . . . he wanted to run.
It seemed he and Maggie could date and talk about everyday things. It sounded
like she was inviting him to make love later, too. But they could not talk
about the things deep in him, could not even share some of the physical
activities he had come to take for granted. She could not run through the
magic of falling snow with him. Tonight he would just about sell his soul for
someone who could.
12
Baumen felt like a ghost town. Garreth saw almost no one. Kansas Avenue lay
completely deserted. Which did not disturb him a great deal. With luck nothing
would happen on the shift. Even beneath an overcast sky threatening snow that
might manage to stick in today's near-freezing temperature, and wearing his
trooper glasses, the light still gave him a headache. Somewhere above the
clouds the sun pressed down on him, draining his energy. l hope you appreciate
what I'm doing for you, Maggie. 1 wouldn't take on the sun for just anyone.
He tried not to think about what she was doing at the moment, for fear it
might bring on more memories and homesickness. But those came anyway. Would
calling home after the shift help or just make the pain more unbearable?
"Baumen 407," the radio murmured. "Public service a Mrs. Anna Bieber at
555-7107."
Mrs. Bieber? Garreth drove to the telephone outside the A & W and dialed
the number. Background voices almost drowned out conversation with the woman
who answered. Garreth had to shout to make her understand who he wanted to
talk to.
But finally Mrs. Bieber came on the line. "I tried calling you at home but
Emily Schoning said Helen said you were working. Can you come to the house
after you're off? I have the address of the hotel in Acapulco where I'll be
joining Mada after Christmas."
He sighed. So it was decided. At least he had several weeks to sell the car
and make other arrangements. "It may be eight-thirty before I'm through. Is
that too late for you?"
"I'll be expecting you."
He hung up the phone and leaned against the side of the booth, staring out
at the patrol car. Guilt stabbed him at the thought of walking out on Danzig
and the department. He could give them a story about a critical illness in his
family, but it was still unfair to everyone. Doubt at the correctness of his
chosen course nagged him again. It spread pain from one temple across his
forehead to the other, a headache which not even sunset cured.
At the watch change, Maggie took the car keys from him and said, "You look
terrible. I think you're right about being a night person. Would you like it
if I come over after I get off and show my appreciation for the favor?"
Monday night seemed to have started something. Would she be amused or
insulted if he told her he had a headache? No, headache or not, he wanted her
to come. He needed someone, however wide the gulf between them. "The bed and I
will be waiting."
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