The Price of Malice Page 27

  Joe thought of the remnants of the tattered Putnam family, and considered Lyn’s words in the light of his never having seen or met a single one of the many fathers responsible for Karen Putnam’s various children.

  “Godlike to some kids,” he said, “maybe just absent to others.”

  He turned to her then and asked, “Are you angry at your dad?”

  She pursed her lips, not looking at him. “I was. It looked like he chose José over Steve and me, and threw us all away as a result.” She sighed. “But now . . .”

  The image of two driven, desperate kids in a trailer, armed with a knife but otherwise clueless, floated up in Joe’s mind.

  “Maybe we do the best we can with what we’ve got available—fitting it into the big picture later is what drives us crazy.”

  She finally took her eyes off the water and looked at him. “It’s that shallow? That random?”

  He kissed her cheek. “Damned if I know. I just do what I can to pick up the pieces.”