The heat wave still hadn’t broken, but the news was predicting storms tonight. Sandra hoped that was true. The sky was dusty and hot, and on the southern horizon the clouds were beginning to build their afternoon cathedrals into higher, cooler air.

Bose’s idea of “somewhere a little nicer” to eat lunch turned out to be a chain restaurant off the highway. Sandra ordered a sandwich and ignored the cowboy-motif decor and the aggressively cheerful waitstaff. By the time they were served the noon crowd had come and gone and the warehouse-sized dining room was comfortably quiet. Bose polished off a huge plate of steak and eggs in what Sandra imagined was a kind of postcoital protein binge. Over coffee she said, “I guess we’ll never know. About Orrin’s notebooks, I mean. Where all that stuff came from and what it means to him.”

“There are a lot of things we’ll never know.”

“He’ll go into hiding and we’ll do … whatever it is we do next. Did you check your phone today?”

“‘Turn in your badge and go home.’ Voice and text. They probably would have sent a candygram if they knew how to reach me.”

“You have any plans?”

“Long- or short-term?”

“Long, I guess.”

“I’ve been thinking about Seattle. It’s chilly and it rains a lot.”

“Just pick up and go? Just like that?”

“I don’t know any other way.” He put down his coffee cup. “Come with me.”

She stared at him. “Christ, Bose! You just open up your mouth and say these things…”

“Obviously, I don’t know much about your line of work. But my friends are your friends. Come to Seattle and maybe we can help you find something.”

“That’s just—I can’t—”

“You have any reason to stay in Houston?”

“Of course I do.” But really, did she? No real friends, no prospect of employment. “There’s Kyle, for one.”

“Your brother. Okay, but is it possible he could be transferred to a facility in Washington State?”

“That would involve a lot of paperwork.”

“Oh. Paperwork.”

“I mean, I guess it could be done, but…”

He waved a hand apologetically: “I’m sorry—it was a selfish question. It just seems like we’re in the same boat here. No fault of your own. You were doing all right before I walked into your life.”

No, but he didn’t know that. “Well … I appreciate the thought.” She added almost in spite of herself, “I’ll think about it.” Because now she could think about it. She was unemployed and falling freely. She could risk everything without risking much at all. “Why is this so easy for you? I’m jealous.”

“Maybe I’ve been thinking about it longer than you have.”