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“So when do you want to have dinner? Tonight works for me, and so does Saturday night. I don’t play games. I hate games.”
“Me, too.”
“So tonight or Saturday?”
“I can’t tonight.”I have to find a dead accountant.
“How about Saturday?”
I started to choke, without knowing why. Maybe I wasn’t ready for a future. “I, uh, don’t know if Saturday’s good for me.”
“Next weekend then?”
“I don’t know yet—”
“Tell you what, TJ, your name’s TJ, right? What’s it stand for?”
“Total Jerk,” I answered. It was either funny or messed up, maybe both.
“Look,” Maya said flatly. “You have my number. Call me if you want to go out.”
“I’ll do that.”
Maya snorted. “I’ll hold my breath.”
“No, I’ll call—”
“Yeah, right. Bye.”
“Bye,” I said, but Maya had already hung up.
My heart sank. I hated being The Guy Who Disappointed Women. I talked about it all the time, in my home group and back in rehab. I talked about how I disappointed women, but I never did anything about it.
You never change, my father had said.
I called Maya back.
•••
It took most of the day, but I scanned the cars in the A through F lots and didn’t find a maroon Volvo. I didn’t check remote parking because nobody takes a shuttle to skip town. I left the airport and headed home on I-95 in heavy traffic, deciding to call my brother.My anger at him resurfaced when I saw his thumbnail photo on my phone, but I tried to stuff my resentment while the call connected.
“John,” I said, after he picked up, “did you hear anything from Lemaire? There’s no sign of his car at the airport. I checked the quarry again, but nothing new.”
“No, he hasn’t called.” John sounded tense. “I don’t know if he went to work today.”
“I didn’t see his car, so I assume he didn’t. My guess is he won’t. If he hasn’t skipped town, he’d have to explain the head injury.”
“I thought about calling there, but it would be risky in terms of the record.”
“Agree. He hasn’t posted anything new on his social.”
John groaned. “So he just disappeared?”
“Evidently. You stayed in the office today?”
“Yes, I canceled outside meetings until we know more.”
“Good.”
