Bad Guys (38 page)

“Sure,” Sarah said. “That’s why it’s totally out of the question. It’s just something to talk about, that’s all.”

“That’s right,” I said. “Just something to talk about.”

“Yeah,” said Sarah, a bit dreamily. “Just something to talk about.”

Another car went by. A couple of kids rode by on bicycles, laughing.

“I’ll bet, though,” Sarah said, “and I’m just thinking out loud here, but I’ll bet if you made an appointment to see Harley, told him you needed something to calm you down, I’ll bet you he could give you something.”

She kept her head down, focused on her notepad, afraid to look at me.

I got up from the chair. “I’m gonna go see if we have any Scotch,” I said, and went into the house.

Some people need to be thanked.

The folks at Bantam Dell have been, and continue to be, a joy to work with, particularly Irwyn Applebaum, Nita Taublib, Bill Massey, and my superb editor, Micahlyn Whitt. Thanks for your confidence, attention to detail, and kindness. Andie Nicolay deserves a special mention for her encouragement and commitment.

And I am grateful, as always, to my wonderful agent, Helen Heller.

LINWOOD BARCLAY is the author of
Bad Move
. He is a columnist for the
Toronto Star
and lives with his family near Toronto.