Goodbye Sister Disco by James Patrick Hunt Read Free Book Online

something they never quite gave a name to. A long-term affair or a courtship or simply seeing each other. Being fairly wise people in this modern age, neither of them tried to define the relationship. Hastings was recently divorced and, in his way, relatively inexperienced at this sort of thing. He had hardly been monastic before he married Eileen, but things had been different then. Before his marriage, there had been no complications with children.
    He had been involved with Carol McGuire for only a few months. They were around the same age and they appeared normal, as far as couples can appear normal. They were similar and different. In some ways they acknowledged their differences, and in some ways they did not. Hastings was, like most cops, of a fairly right-wing sensibility, while Carol could not contemplate ever voting Republican and had trouble understanding why anyone would. But they both had a healthy interest in sex and their conversation was rarely uncomfortable or forced. Carol McGuire was also divorced. She had no children. So far, she had not said much about having children.
    *   *   *
    A delivery truck rolled by on the cobblestoned road, a small noise of hammering wheels and stretching springs. Then it was gone and they could hear the murmur of people chatting while they stood in line to order their morning lattes. The coffee shop was on a corner in the Central West End, near Carol’s apartment.
    Carol was dressed conservatively in a blue skirt and jacket and white blouse. Hastings imagined she had court today. She was not a sexy dresser, not a glamour dresser. But Hastings realized, with some comfort at this age, that that didn’t matter much to him. She was undoubtedly feminine and the garments beneath the business attire were more often than not lace. This morning, her hair was pulled back and she was wearing her glasses.
    Hastings did not want to discuss the murder of Tom Myers or the abduction of Cordelia Penmark with her this morning. Not now. And without giving it much thought, he told her about his frustration with matters pertaining to his home life. In particular, his frustration with Eileen. He did not stop to ask himself if Carol wanted to hear about it. He did not think about that. It was with him and he needed to let it out.
    Carol said, “Well, are you really surprised?”
    â€œNo, I suppose not.”
    â€œThis is not the first time you’ve told me something like this.”
    â€œI know.” Hastings looked up, aware of her now. “I’m sorry. Is it getting old?”
    â€œWell, yeah, a little.”
    â€œI’m sorry.”
    â€œYou keep saying you’re sorry. But…”
    â€œWell, what do you want me to do? She’s the mother of my daughter.”
    â€œDivorce her.”
    â€œI did divorce her.”
    â€œI mean, divorce yourself from her.”
    Hastings sighed. “Not this again,” he said.
    Carol gave him a balanced smile. “I’m not accusing you, okay? I’m not accusing you of carrying a torch for Eileen. But it seems like every couple of weeks, I have to hear a bad Eileen story. Can you understand that I would be—well, I’m not going to say jealous, but, well, tired of it.”
    â€œYou have nothing to be jealous about. You know that.”
    â€œI do know that. I know she’s not your lover. I do, George. But there’s an intimacy there.”
    â€œNo—”
    â€œThere’s—”
    â€œNo. There’s not.”
    â€œThere’s something there, George. A connection.”
    â€œYes, there is a connection. Her name is Amy. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œShe’s our daughter. We have to—”
    â€œOkay.”
    Carol leaned back in her seat. A silence between them. Before it could stretch, she said, “You’ll work it out.”
    â€œI know,” Hastings said. He took comfort in the