After the gawkers arrived to see what had happened, eager for the sight of blood, and then the squad cars came and the ambulance and then the crime lab van, Jill went over and sat in Mitch's car.
She wanted to be happy. On their way over to the garage, Peter had explained how Evelyn had set up Eric's murder so that Jill would be blamed. Doris learned of the plot afterward and would testify about it to the police.
Jill was free again.
And should right now be feeling very good about things.
Mitch got in the car, smelling of the cold night against the warm air of the heater.
'Hey,' he said. 'You're crying.'
'Yes, I guess I am.'
'You going to get mad if I ask you why?'
She smiled. 'Uh-huh.'
'OK. How come you're crying?'
She started to say something and then realized there was nothing she could saynothing at all.
He took her to him, held her with great gentle strength. A few gawkers, temporarily distracted from the juicy spectacle of a man ripped apart by a dog, watched them.
'How about if I say I love you?' he said. 'Would that make you feel any better?'
She laughed. 'Well, you could try, I guess.'
'I love you. There, did that work?'
'Well, it certainly didn't hurt anyway.'
'Then I'll do it every five minutes until we start to see some definite improvement.' He set his wristwatch. 'Got one of those teeny-tiny alarms, Every five minutes it'll remind me to tell you I love you.'
'Could we leave now?' She wanted to respond to his playfulnessshe knew how hard he was working to make her feel betterbut she couldn't.
'I was thinking the same thing. About leaving.'
The alley was so crowded with cars and sightseers that it took awhile to get to the street.
They rode a long time in silence.
Jill stared out the window at the night but really didn't say anything.
'How you doing?' he said.
'Pretty good.'
'You look beautiful.'
She smiled. 'Yeah, I'll bet.'
Then his alarm went off.
'Well, guess what time it is?'
'Why don't I say it this time?' She was getting in the spirit of his little game and it felt good. 'We'll alternate. Every other five minutes, I'll tell you that I love you.'
'Hey, that's not a bad idea.'
'All right,' she said. 'I love you.'
When they reached a red stoplight, she leaned over and gave him a long and passionate kiss.
'Hey,' he said, 'this is just like being a teenager again.'
Later that night, in bed, they both decided they were too tired to do anything so they tried to sleep but couldn't. Then they decided they might as well do something because there wasn't anything else to do anyway.
So they did something and they had a great time doing it and then they finally got to sleep there in the dawning light, wrapped round each other in true, tender and groggy love.
There was a Christmas Eve party at Jill's a month later. kate was there, and Mitch of course, and March (having recuperated from the terrible cold she'd caught from being tied up naked in the basement all those hours) and Doris, too, looking drawn and pale but seeming determined to have a good time for herself. She said her plans were to sell the mansion and move to the family ranch in Montana.
They mentioned only briefly the events of the past few weeksthe suicide of Arthur K. Halliwell, for instance, and the indictment of the three prominent citizens who had helped Peter fake his execution.
They exchanged gifts, and Marcy got pleasantly potted on the rhubarb wine she was drinking (Kate had picked her up because they lived in the same neighborhood) and Doris sang some medieval Christmas carols, Jill not having exaggerated how well Doris sang and played the guitar.
And after it was all over, after the guests were gone, after Mitch had helped with the dishes and Jill helped Mitch get the cherry cobbler stain out of his best white shirt… after that, they went to bed and held each other fast, feeling a dizzying assortment of thingslove and lust and friendship and admiration among them.
And then Jill said, 'Just a minute.'
And went out and put on her very favorite record, her
Perry Como Christmas Album record, the one she'd loved since she was six years old.
And with Christmas music filling the entire house, they made long and wonderful love.