Promised Land by Robert B. Parker Read Free Book Online Page B

her pulse. It was nice and strong and her chest heaved and fell steadily. ”She’s okay,“ I said. ”Probably better than I am.“
    At the far end of the hall was a raised panel door that had been painted black. It opened and Pam Shepard came through it. There were tears running down her face. ”It’s me,“ she said. ”It’s my fault, they were just trying to protect me. If you’ve hurt her it’s my fault.“
    Jane opened her eyes and stared up blankly at us. She moved her head. Rose Alexander said, ”Jane?“
    I said, ”She’s going to be all right, Mrs. Shepard. You didn’t make her kick me in the groin.“
    She too got down on the floor beside Jane. I got out of the way and leaned on the door jamb with my arms folded, trying to get the sick feeling to go away, and trying not to show it. People did not seem to be warming to me down here. I hoped Jane and Eddie never got together.
    Jane was on her feet, Pam Shepard holding one arm and Rose Alexander the other. They went down the hall toward the black door. I followed along. Through the door was a big kitchen. A big old curvy-legged gas stove on one wall, a big oilcloth-covered table in the middle of the room, a couch with a brown corduroy spread along another wall. There was a pantry at the right rear and the walls were wainscoted narrow deal boards that reminded me of my grandmother’s house. They sat Jane down in a black leather upholstered rocker. Rose went to the pantry and returned with a wet cloth. She washed Jane’s face while Pam Shepard squeezed Jane’s hand. ”I’m all right,“ Jane said and pushed the wet cloth away. ”How the hell did you do that,“ she said to me. ”That kick was supposed to finish you right there.“
    ”I am a professional thug,“ I said.
    ”It shouldn’t matter,“ she said, frowning in puzzlement. ”A kick in the groin is a kick in the groin.“
    ”Ever do it for real before?“
    ”I’ve put in hours on the mat.“
    ”No, not instruction. Fighting. For real.“
    ”No,“ she said. ”But I wasn’t scared. I did it right.“
    ”Yeah, you did, but you got the wrong guy. One of the things that a kick in the groin will do is scare the kickee. Aside from the pain and all, it’s not something he’s used to and he cares about the area and he tends to double over and freeze. But I’ve been kicked before and I know that it hurts, but it’s not fatal. Not even to my sex life. And so I can force myself through the pain.“
    ”But…“ She shook her head.
    ”I know,“ I said. ”You thought you had a weapon that made you impregnable. That would keep people from shoving you around and the first time you use it you get cold-cocked. It is a ninety-five, I can bench-press three hundred pounds. I used to be a fighter. And I scuffle for a living. The karate will still work for you. But you gotta remember it’s not a sport in the street.“
    ”You think, goddamn you, you think it’s because you’re a man…“
    ”Nope. It’s because a good big person will beat a good small person every time. Most men aren’t as good as I am. A lot of them aren’t as good as you are.“
    They were all looking at me and I felt isolated, unwelcome and uneasy. I wished there were another guy there. I said to Pam Shepard, ”Can we talk?“
    Rose Alexander said, ”You don’t have to say a word to him, Pam.“
    Jane said, ”There’s no point in it, Pam. You know how you feel.“
    I looked at Pam Shepard. She had sucked in both lips so they were not visible, and her mouth was a thin line. She looked back at me and we held the pose for about thirty seconds.
    ”Twenty-two years,“ I said. ”And you knew him before you got married. More than twenty-two years you’ve known Harvey Shepard. Doesn’t that earn him five minutes of talk. Even if you don’t like him? Even simple duration eventually obliges you.“
    She nodded her head, to herself, I think, more than to me.
    ”Tell him about obligation, I’ve known him since nineteen