Chapter 34

The morning dew wetted the grass in a way that left his trousers soaked at the hem and his shoes a little messy. Maybe it had rained that night; Teddy was not very sure. He could agree that the past day had been rough and did not go in the best of ways or put him in the best of moods, but somehow, in the midst of all that, Smith had a good sleep, and even he could not deny that.

As he wiped the wetness off his shoe with an old handkerchief he retrieved from his glove compartment, he looked at the calls he had missed that morning and winced a little. He had a date last night and another later that day, but the truth was he was not in the mood for women. As much as he liked to think of himself as a fair, reasonable, and educated man, he still thought of women as a pleasure and nothing more. That pleasure he decided he did not want just yet.

Some emails had reached him the previous night even before he slept. Marlow’s hearing had been decided, and he had every intention to