the ground for her to appear, moving, even twitching. One little breath or twitch and he’ll pounce on her and save her, he swears it, he doesn’t know how but he will. Give him a chance. Give him this chance. Give her, give her, he means, just one, only one, and he also swears by everything he’s Yours. He opens his eyes on the tree. Nothing there and he’s not that surprised: too high for her to climb. Slowly moves his eyes downward to the walk on which they ran her in. “You should come inside with me,” the doctor says. Nothing’s where she was; place has been emptied and cleaned, even the stuff that must have fallen out of his car when they grabbed her away from him to put her on that cart. Few people around anywhere, even; thing’s over, other duties, next emergency or just to get the cart cleaned and equipment they used on Julie ready for one. “Margo and you both. There’s a bit of business to do, I’m afraid, which only you can take care of, or your daughter’s mother if she were here. Some signing, identification, nothing you’ll like. What kind of coverage you have, for instance. I only want to prepare you. After you see her she’ll be taken to the county medical examiner’s office, which by the nature of the crime she’s required to. After that you’ll have to arrange for a funeral home to pick her up from there, of whatever kind you want. But I’ll try to make everything as easy as can be for you here. We won’t be asking for organs or parts. We’re not that kind of facility for most of them and the ones we’re usually interested in were mostly lost and it’d be too big a strain on you and also our facilities for her to be brought back here. Incidentally, I’ve been told to tell you there are several state troopers and other police people who want to speak to you some more. They’re in the lobby and I’m sure by now are getting impatient and want to see you and inspect your car.” “Where is it? It’s not here and I don’t ever want to see it again, so good. But could you promise me, as one of the things you can do, to get rid of it for me? Sell it if you want, I’ll hand over my registration, and use the money for the hospital.” He sticks his hand into his back pants pocket for his wallet. “We can talk about that later, Mr. Frey.” “Margo, was there anything you wanted in the car before we give it away?” “I’d have to see.” “It’s possible they’re already looking at it,” the doctor says, “but someplace else so they wouldn’t have to do it in front of you and maybe they just needed better light. Judging from previous incidents here, they want to help and time’s of the essence if they’re to get your assailant. But give them only as much time as you wish. They understand what’s occurred and the effect on you both.” “Me? What’s to say? Two men, one drove, the other shot. I don’t know their faces anymore. It’s funny because that’s what I was just telling myself before. Blurs. In a car, I don’t know what kind and I’m not even sure if it wasn’t one of those small wagon-trucks, a pickup that you always see on the road, sometimes driven by guys in ties. One of them had a red one, and wide.” “It was a regular car,” Margo says, “no wagon, new and white.” “That’s right and I think what I already told them, no wagon and white, but you’re sure new?” “I don’t know.” “To me it looked recently washed and waxed. But what make and how many doors? These particulars are essential, dear, they’ll need to know for sure. Windows, though, one to stick a gun out of, the right one, if you’re standing behind the car and facing front, all the way rolled down. I told you I’m no good,” to the doctor. “I can tell you what his hands looked like — Mr. Killer. The fingernails were bitten down — but not the face, though he had big teeth, or at least that’s what it seemed. I might be imagining that part of the horror. I see my youngest daughter’s not around the area any longer, just like my car, any reason for that? Everything’s getting lost. Today’s minute is not tomorrow’s, and so on.” “Excuse me, sir?” “May I please see her? This is important. I want to see her before she completely deteriorates.” Glances at Margo, no reaction to what he just said, she’s staring at her arm and pulling up the shirtsleeve. “Daddy, there’s a bad bloodstain here. Lots of them, little and big, and some on my pants. I don’t want to wear them.” “I know, it’s okay, we’ll wash them out later and change soon as we can.” “There’s clothes in the suitcase.” “It’s in the car; we can’t get it now. Please, dear.” “But if we wash out these clothes, they’ll be wet. I can’t wear wet clothes.” “Please, dear.” And to the doctor: “If there is something you can use of hers — Julie — sure, go on, take, why not? I’m talking about parts. I even like the idea that something of hers is walking around on or in someone else, and not clothes. Oh, that’s an old thought, thousands must have had it. You look in someone’s eyes — I’m being extreme now — and see your wife’s corneas, when of course you couldn’t. But what would you do — what would I if it was Julie’s and I somehow knew — swoon? Ask that person to come home with us and put her up in Julie’s room? Would I tell bedtime stories to just that person’s eyes? The person could say, to make this possibility more plausible, that she got them from such and such hospital on such a day, today, and even give the donor’s name. I in fact could first say, after meeting this person at a party, for example, what beautiful or more likely just clear eyes she has for someone her age, and that’s when she could say ‘Well, some of it isn’t mine.’ But the hospital probably covers up records like that for insurance purposes or something else — to avoid the lunatic reactions I just gave, taking that person home for her eyes — and corneas don’t have to be immediately transplanted to someone else, but you know what I mean.” Hears Margo crying, he went too far, and puts his arms around her head and presses her into him and says “I’m sorry, dear, so sorry. Is it still the bloodstains?” “No.” “So, I’m getting carried away, I know, forgive me, but what can we expect? This is what happens. If it happens to you, let it — shriek, crazy, cry — it’s probably good. To us both, I don’t know, let them straitjacket us. No, I’ll come down, you go ahead, and I’ll take care of you, I swear. But something else,” to the doctor. “I’d like a phone and a private room to call from, if you have one.” “For Mommy?” Margo says. “Oh, I don’t know if I really want one. And we have time, dear, don’t we?” to Margo. “Why rush her? She may just be sitting down now for dinner. Wouldn’t that be nice if all were right. But we have to think about this hard. You and I and our brains and some advisors, like this doctor and maybe the police. They’ve been in situations like this or close to it and will know what to do and how to, what’s the best time and so on. But I don’t know if she has to know, ever. Really. No, that can’t be. But why go so fast and how could we do it? Not when she just goes to sleep, not when she just gets up, and she’ll call tonight if we don’t, so we’ll have to tell her then if we don’t before and we’re home, and think up what and how and words and then words after we tell her if they’re needed. Can’t just be on the phone, can we? Better she see it on our faces first, faces only, and then together we can all just die. But then how do we get there, and by the time we do you’ll be asleep and she might be too, which could be good, and we’re not going to wake her up, or I won’t, because you’ll be asleep. No, nothing will work and I’m in no shape to speak or help and don’t know when I’ll ever be and I don’t want anyone else doing it for me but me. She’ll need someone there when she hears. She has your grandparents but someone like me, I think, around, when we tell her, when we do. Or just I will, of course, but you beside me, if you don’t mind.” “I don’t.” “You don’t mind, dear — you’d do it?” “It’s not what I want but I will if you want me and it helps and to stay near you.” “Good, what a doll you are. But here I am, still doing nothing much good for you, isn’t that true? It’s awful,” and kisses her hand and heads inside holding it. “I’m going the right way, aren’t I?” to the doctor as the first automatic door opens. “Though I don’t know for what. My stomach’s shriveling. Am I going in here to see her? She’s in here, just wasn’t a guess, right?” and the doctor nods, looks at her watch, says “If you could give us twenty minutes more, sir, I’ll take you to her. Meanwhile, I’ve asked for the priest, who usually makes his rounds about now, to come down here, and also the resident psychiatrist, just in case you need them.” “Religion, the mind, what about a general?” “I don’t understand.” “I’m not sure myself. What did I say? Something about war. Alluding to it, though I don’t see where. Law of the jungle? Maybe I just meant law, and instead of a general I meant a judge. No, that can’t be: mind, religion, law or war.” “Daddy, please stop it. You’re making things worse.” “But why can’t I go right now to see my younger one, Julie?” he says to the doctor. “What’re you doing to her?” “Don’t you want to continue, Mr. Frey?” for they’ve stopped in the entryway between the doors. “I only want to just touch her when she’s not — you know…” “It’s your privilege, I’m talking about seeing her, if you want to do that now.” “I do. And whatever you want to do, Margo.” “No, sir, I don’t think it’s a good idea for the girl,” the doctor says, “at least not now.” “Then I won’t,” Margo says. “If you don’t,” he says to her, “maybe then I shouldn’t too. I don’t know what to do. And there’s so much to. I think I should stay with you, for your sake and mine.” “Give us the twenty minutes or even a bit more,” the doctor says. “Then maybe decision-making will come a little easier, and there are the police who want to see you right away.” “I don’t know. What am I going to do about my wife? That’s something I’ll never be able to know, though I know I’ll have to do something.” “As you said before, you have time to think about it and decide, and I and several other people on the staff will be more than glad to assist you.”