AT ONE POINT during the long night, he woke and turned and found Eve awake. She was staring up at the ceiling. Her small body, so close to him, radiated warmth. He watched her as she breathed, her eyes glistening. She seemed unaware he was watching her.

And there was Merrill’s teardrop rhinestone, dangling on its gold chain. It had settled on the pillow in the hollow above her shoulder. Keegan reached out to touch it, but Eve started. She rolled away from him, as if protecting herself. She lay with her back to him in the darkness until sleep pulled him down again.

CHAPTER NINE

Tuesday, August 21, 1962

KEEGAN WOKE WITH a start. He sat up, not sure where he was. The sun glowered from behind the drawn blinds in his apartment’s bedroom window. The night before came flooding back to him. Eve was gone.

He propped himself on one elbow and looked at the empty space beside him. The counterpane was smooth, like she had tugged the wrinkles out of it, careful to erase every trace of evidence that she had been there. Was it possible she had even plumped the hollow out of the pillow next to him too? He rolled over and breathed in the pillowcase. It confided only the faintest hint of lavender.

He got up and quietly slid the window open a few inches, but the air outside seemed no cooler than it was inside. He lay back down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling, feeling oddly bereft to be here alone—though, since he’d moved here years ago, no one had ever shared his bed.

He thought of Nora, truly abandoned up in the cottage. He’d slip out quietly and head on up there to feed her and let her out in the yard. He’d shower when he got to the cottage, so Mr. Soto wouldn’t hear the water running. But first he’d see if he could just eke out a few more minutes of sleep before the temperature stole every possibility of rest.

NORA’S FRENZY AT seeing him come through the door only heightened Keegan’s sense of guilt for leaving her alone all night. But, for her part, all seemed forgiven the moment he bent down and patted her on the head. She jumped up on him and tugged at his trouser cuffs and bolted around the coffee table, as if he might be willing to chase her—a writhing bundle of joy and energy barely contained by fur. At least some aspects of life could be uncomplicated. He let her out into the yard and fed her and refreshed the water in her kitchen bowl. Then he showered and put on clean clothes.