‘Are you forgetting Duval? He’s got to be back in Chicago.’
‘That’s not what his release form says. You left it on the kitchen table. Anyway,’ she declared, looking over his shoulder, and her face broke into a grin, ‘let’s ask the man himself.’
For Duval had come out of the house. He smiled at Anna, then hesitated at the sight of Sophie.
Anna called out. ‘Hello, Duval. Sophie, say hello to Mr Morgan.’
Robert waited to see how she would react. An only child, she was easy with adults – too easy, Robert sometimes feared – though occasionally a childlike shyness would assert itself.
Duval bowed down, almost doubled over, and extended a hand, and Sophie extended a limper version. ‘How dee do?’ he said almost lyrically.
Sophie giggled, and looked at Anna. ‘How dee do?’ she asked, and giggled again. She pumped Duval’s hand in return.
Anna said, ‘Is there any reason you can’t stay here tonight with us, Duval?’
He didn’t look to Robert before answering. ‘No, ma’am. I’m good until tomorrow.’
‘Well, that’s settled then.’ She handed the overnight bag to Robert. ‘I’ll get Sophie’s bag out of the car.’
He was glad they had aired the guest flat above the garage, since Robert made sure that’s where Duval would be sleeping. He went up with Anna and helped make the bed, leaving Duval to watch baseball on the big television in the coach house living room. He said sharply, ‘You should have called and told me what you had in mind.’
‘I did. You must have been outside with Duval.’
‘What are you playing at?’ he asked angrily, but saw nothing but surprise on her face. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just I think we should be a little careful with this guy.’
‘We’re only putting him up for the night so Sophie can see the fireworks. You grew up with him – you don’t really think he’s dangerous, do you?’
Did he? It was the 64,000-dollar question. And the honest answer was no, he didn’t. Robert was not naïve about the potential violence in people – he knew he had the potential himself – but he found it hard to see any physical threat coming from Duval. There was something too shy and quiet about him. Doubtless prison had changed him, but not that much.
They ate early, with Sophie, since the fireworks would start as soon as it was dark. They sat at the kitchen table and Anna served them from a big bowl of spaghetti with a Bolognese sauce. Duval hesitated before starting to eat, and Robert suddenly guessed why.
‘Do you usually say grace, Duval?’
He nodded. ‘Ella is pretty strict that way.’ Jermaine’s wife.
‘Why don’t you say it now for us then?’
Sophie looked questioningly at Robert, and Robert put his finger to his lips and gave a little nod. When Duval bowed his head, Sophie imitated him, shutting her eyes as he said, ‘For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful.’
‘Amen.’
Duval ate quickly, with his fingers wrapped around the fork handle as if it were a hammer. Sophie watched him, open-eyed. ‘Gosh, you’re hungry, Duval.’ He stopped with his fork in mid-air, looking self-conscious.
‘Sophie,’ said Anna reprovingly.
‘The food’s real good,’ said Duval shyly, as he put his fork down.
‘Sophie still eats like a little English girl,’ said Robert, trying to put Duval at ease. ‘They put their fork in their left hand, their knife in the right.’ He demonstrated.
‘You eat that way too, Daddy,’ Sophie said accusingly.
‘Shhh. I don’t want Duval to think I went native over there.’
‘Daddy says you two knew each other when you were little,’ Sophie said to Duval.
‘That’s right.’
‘Did he get in trouble lots of times?’ she asked. A recurring motif – when Robert would tuck her in at night, she’d ask for stories about his childhood escapades.
‘Oh, not too much,’ said Duval, casting a sideways look at Anna. ‘I was the rascal.’
‘Really? What did you do?’
‘Nothing too terrible,’ Robert interjected, trying not to think of Lily’s panties or the Playboy magazine.
After dinner they walked down to the beach, and stood on the top of the small dunes in the lowering dark, waiting for the firework display to begin down the beach, where the Poindexters and their even wealthier neighbours were gathered in a small group which Robert could just make out. In front of them, the lake stretched like an infinite placid pool in the moonless, windless night.
The first rocket suddenly fizzed into the air, culminating in such a deafening