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It was only a reprieve but he would takeit.
Their father’s voice grew louder as they opened the door that opened onto thekitchen.
“… that back window that’s been sticking for the past six months…” His voice trailed off as Ronan and Julia stepped into thekitchen.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” his father said, looking him up and down. His gaze shifted to Julia as he got off the stool at the island and walked toward them. “You must beJulia.”
She smiled and held out her hand. “It’s nice to meetyou.”
Ronan tried not to think about how their father knew Julia’s name, about what had been said between Nick and their father — Declan was nowhere to be found — before Ronan and Julia showedup.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Ronan’s dad said. His voice was genial, but Ronan could feel his cop’s brain turning, could feel him compiling impressions about Julia to review later. “I might have met you earlier if my son didn’t like to pretend he was anorphan.”
Julia shifted uncomfortably on her feet. “Oh, I’m sure it’s not that. He’s been sobusy…”
“Dad, stop,” Ronansaid.
His dad shrugged and returned to the island where a beer was sweating on the granite countertop. Chief was sitting next to his stool, her tail wagging like a windshield wiper on the floor. She’d always been fond of Ronan’sdad.
Nick handed Ronan a beer without comment, for which Ronan wasgrateful.
“You want?” Nick asked Julia, tipping his head at thebeer.
“I think I’ll go change,” shesaid.
Ronan looked at her. “Stay.”
“Yousure?”
She obviously didn’t know what to make of the visit from Thomas Murphy, and Ronan had no way of telling her that the tension in the air had nothing to do with her and everything to do with the stories that had been written in the Murphy history book long before she arrived on the scene. That it had to do with the death of Erin and even their mother, that it had to do with the fact that their sister, Nora, hardly ever came home anymore, that Thomas Murphy’s sons had declined to follow in his footsteps as servants of the law and had instead formed a company whose sole purpose was to subvertit.
“I’m sure,” Ronansaid.
“You want to rethink that beer?” Nick’s shit-eating grin spoke loud and clear: welcome to ournightmare.
“Um, sure. Okay.” She slid onto a stool across from Ronan’sdad.
Nick pulled another beer from the fridge, uncapped it, and handed it toher.
“How have you been, Pops?” Ronan studied his father’s face, relieved to see that he looked healthy, his broad face tan from the time he spent on his boat in the bay, his silver hair still thick andfull.
“Right as rain,” his dad said. His shoulders were still broad under a navy windbreaker, although a slight paunch had grown in hismidsection.
“What have you been up to?” Ronan asked, trying to keep the conversation in trouble-freeterritory.
“Oh, you know, this and that.” His dad took a swig of the beer. “That old house always needs something. Between that and the boat and the guys, I keep busyenough.”
The guyswere his dad’s friends from BPD, most of them retired likehim.
“Glad to hear it,” Ronan said. “You lookgood.”
His dad scowled. “Why wouldn’t I look good. I’m only sixty-eight, for god’ssake.”
Ronan shrugged. “I’m just saying. It’s acompliment.”
He stifled a sigh. It had been like this with his dad for as long as he could remember, the two of them tiptoeing around each other until something stupid set one of themoff.
Had it started after Ronan’s mother died? He’d been close to his mother before her death, preferring her easy company to the bristle and expectations of his dad. It was true that Ronan had met those expectations in spades before starting MIS. Quarterback of the football team, captain of Debate Club, Honors Student,Soldier.
