Misplaced (42 page)

Rathe
r
tha
n
mak
e
a
U-tur
n
ont
o
bus
y
Montan
a
Street
,
Mieley
directed
the
v
an
up
the
single-lane
dri
v
e
w
ay
that
emptied
into
th
e
shippin
g
an
d
receivin
g
area
.
A
truc
k
coul
d
jus
t
maneu
v
e
r
in
and
out
of
the
dock
with
a
bit
of
space
lefto
v
er
for
parking
cars,
and
Elias’s
A
udi
w
as
one
of
them.
This
reassured
him,
since
his
efforts
had
been
concentrated
on
the
front
of
the
building.
As
Mieley
began
to
turn
the
v
an,
a
sil
v
er
car
approached
from
the
opposite
direction,
and
the
dri
v
er
honked.
A
woman
of
about
thirt
y
ga
v
e
hi
m
a
n
obligatory
,
i
f
no
t
self-assured
,
smil
e
and
rolled down her window.

“Mind
if
w
e
squeeze
by?”
she
inquired.
Her
tone
suggested
tha
t
sh
e
w
a
s
th
e
sor
t
o
f
perso
n
unaccustome
d
t
o
askin
g
fo
r
anything.

He
y
anked
the
v
an
into
re
v
erse
and
allo
w
ed
them
to
pass.
Somethin
g
abou
t
he
r
fac
e
w
a
s
familiar—
a
memor
y
h
e
could
no
t
place
,
bu
t
on
e
tha
t
mad
e
hi
m
preten
d
t
o
star
e
a
t
a
blank
clipboard as two women exited the
v
ehicle.

Ordinarily
,
h
e
w
a
s
no
t
a
w
atche
r
o
f
women
,
bu
t
th
e
contrast
bet
w
een
these
two
w
as
worthy
of
notice.
The
taller
one
w
as
all
business;
her
long,
steady
strides
spoke
of
a
mission,
and
there
w
as
an
air
of
impatience
about
her.
Her
companion,
her
back
to
him,
w
atched
the
sky,
her
dark
hair
almost
blue
in
the
sun.
Whe
n
sh
e
reache
d
u
p
wit
h
a
slende
r
han
d
t
o
shiel
d
he
r
e
y
es
from its glare, he saw it.

Mother
of
god
.
He
w
as
out
of
the
v
an
in
an
instant,
strolling
to
w
ard
them
in
a
pair
of
worn
co
v
eralls
lefto
v
er
from
his
days
of cleaning floors.

“Excuse
me,
ladies,”
he
called,
knowing
his
smile
w
as
w
eak
a
t
bes
t
an
d
cursin
g
it
,
“d
o
yo
u
kno
w
wh
o
migh
t
accep
t
this
deli
v
ery
?
It’
s
fo
r
th
e
gif
t
shop
.
I
’
l
l
catc
h
hel
l
i
f
I
don’
t
ge
t
a
signature—”

The
taller
woman
responded,
“Try
the
front
entrance.”
She
sounded distracted and kept her e
y
es on the door.

“First day on the job; you know how it is.”

Gradually
,
th
e
othe
r
woma
n
turne
d
he
r
attentio
n
o
n
him.
“
Y
our hand,” she pointed. “It’s bleeding.”

Miele
y
looke
d
down
,
havin
g
note
d
th
e
smokines
s
o
f
her
voic
e
an
d
a
n
accen
t
h
e
coul
d
no
t
quit
e
place
.
Hi
s
fac
e
flushed
.
“I
must
ha
v
e
cut
it
on
a
box.
It’s
nothing,”
he
replied
offhandedly,
forcing himself to look a
w
ay from her wrist.

She
stared
at
his
hands,
and
then
her
gaze
mo
v
ed
serenely
up
w
ard
,
studyin
g
hi
m
wit
h
a
n
expressio
n
Miele
y
foun
d
impossibl
e
t
o
decipher
.
He
r
quie
t
inspectio
n
paralyze
d
him
.
Sh
e
sho
w
e
d
n
o
inclinatio
n
t
o
tur
n
a
w
ay
,
an
d
h
e
immediately
despised
her
for
it.
She
w
as
nothing
more
than
a
wisp
of
a
girl.
Who the fuck
w
as she to study him?

Th
e
soun
d
o
f
th
e
doo
r
rollin
g
u
p
rouse
d
hi
m
fro
m
his
trance.
“Khara,
are
you
coming?”
the
tall
one
asked.
He
’
d
been
right about her being impatient.

Before
turning
to
follow,
the
smaller
one
placed
her
left
arm
across her chest and lo
w
ered her head.

Such
an
odd
gesture;
where
had
he
seen
it
before?
Mieley
could
think
of
no
w
ay
to
respond.
The
bracelet
had
stupefied
him
,
makin
g
hi
m
s
w
allo
w
har
d
an
d
blin
k
a
fe
w
time
s
t
o
b
e
sur
e
hi
s
e
y
e
s
an
d
hungr
y
bell
y
ha
d
no
t
decei
v
e
d
him
.
H
e
resiste
d
the
compulsion
to
w
alk
o
v
er
and
rip
the
bracelet
from
her
skinny,
brown wrist.