And he was calling now because someone had just killed the governor of Ohio. Which would have been noteworthy under any circumstances, given that John Tatum Longford, the best OSU running back since Archie Griffin, whod gone to law school after he blew out his knee in his one pro season with the Bengals, was personable and charismatic and the first black governor ever to grace the statehouse in Columbus. But Governor Longford had not been in Columbus when a well-placed bullet blew out more than his knee, had not in fact been anywhere in Ohio. The man was a hot presidential prospect, and Iowa was one of those important early states, and the night before Longford had been in Ames, addressing a group of students and faculty at Iowa State University. From there the governor and his party had driven down to Des Moines, where hed spent the night at Terrace Hill as the guest of the governor of Iowa. At 10:30 the next morning hed appeared onstage at a high school auditorium, and around noon hed shown up to address a Rotary luncheon. Then the gunshot, and the race to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
My guys white, he told Dot. And short and fat, like the photograph.
It was a head shot, wasnt it? I mean the photograph, not what happened just now. So you couldnt really tell that he was short. Or fat, as far as that goes.
He was jowly.
Well.
And you could certainly tell he was white.
No argument there. The man was white as the ace of clouds.
Huh?
Never mind. What are you going to do?
I dont know. I saw my guy just yesterday morning, I was almost close enough to spit on him.
Why would you want to do that?
What Im getting at is that I could have done the job and been home by now. I almost did it, anyway, Dot. With the gun or with my hands. I was supposed to wait but I thought, hell, why wait? Theyd have been pissed but Id have been out of here, and instead Im in the middle of a manhunt for a killer they havent identified yet. Unless theres been something on the news in the last few minutes?
Ive got the set on, she said, and there hasnt. Maybe you should just come home.
I was thinking of that. But when you think what airport security is going to be like around here
No, dont even try. Youve got a rental, right? You could drive to, I dont know, Chicago?
And catch a flight there.
Maybe.
Or just drive all the way. Whatever youre more comfortable with.
You dont think theyll have road blocks set up?
I didnt think of that.
Of course I didnt do anything, but the IDs fake, and just attracting any attention
Is not the greatest idea in the world.
He took a moment, thought about it. You know, he said, the son of a bitch who did this, theyll probably catch him in a matter of hours. My guess is hell be killed resisting arrest.
Which will save somebody the trouble of sending a latter-day Jack Ruby to take him out.
You asked if this was my doing.
I really knew it wasnt.
Of course not, he said, because you know Id never touch anything like this. High-profile stuff, it doesnt matter how much they pay, because you dont live long enough to spend it. If the cops dont kill you your employers will, because its not safe to leave you around. You know what Im going to do?
What?
Sit tight, he said.
And wait for it to blow over.
Or burn itself out, or something. It shouldnt take too long. A few days and either they catch the guy or they know he got away from them, and people stop giving a rats ass about whats happening in Des Moines.
And then you can come home.
I could even do the job, as far as that goes. Or not. Right now it wouldnt bother me to give the money back.
For perhaps the first time in my life, Dot said, I feel that way myself. Still, all things being equal
Whatever that means.
Ive often wondered myself. It does get a sentence started, though. All things being equal, Id just as soon keep the money. And its the last job.
Thats what we said, he said, about the job before this one.
I know.
But then this one came along.
It was a special situation.
I know.
You know, if it really bothered you, you should have said something.
It didnt really bother me until a few minutes ago, he said, when the radio switched from The Girl with Emphysema to This Just In.
Ipanema.
Huh?
The Girl from Ipanema, Keller.
Thats what I said.
You said The Girl with Emphysema.
Are you sure?
Never mind.
Because why would I say that?
Never mind, for Gods sake.
It just doesnt sound like something I would say.
Call it a slip of the ear, Keller, if that makes you happy. Were both a little rattled, and who can blame us? Go back to your room and wait this out.
I will.
And if anything comes up
Ill let you know, he said.
He closed the phone. He was sitting behind the wheel of the rented Nissan, parked at the first strip mall hed come to since leaving McCues place. His new stamps were in an envelope in one pocket, his tongs in another, and his Scott catalog was on the seat beside him. He was still holding the cell phone, and he had no sooner put it in a pocket than he changed his mind and took it out again. He opened it and was looking for the Redial button when it rang. The caller ID screen was blank, but there was only one person it could be.