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his teammate at Greenwich High. In the afternoon he just sat
around and watched the Giants and the Cowboys duke it out
on TV, downed a beer or two, wondering whether he should
have picked up the phone and gone up to his sister s in Massa-
chusetts. His thoughts went to the case. To what Vern had said.
Bothers me just fine! And how frustrated he was not to be able
to make a connection between Sanger and Kramer.
He turned back to the game. For Christ s sake, it s Thanks-
giving, Ty.
Around three, the phone rang again. This time, Jessie. She
seemed sad to find him at home.
I should be there with you, Daddy. I shouldn t have let you
be alone.
No, you re doing the right thing, hon. Your mom was right.
You could come down here. Scott s parents are here. Every-
one s in the family room playing Scrabble with the twins and
looking through old albums. It s Grandparent Central here.
Sounds about what Thanksgiving is supposed to be, Jess.
So how come you didn t go up to Uncle Warren s?
We re all gonna be together Christmas. We ll go up and
there and see your cousins. That s a promise, okay?
You re being a grouch, aren t you?
I m not being a grouch, Hauck said. It just didn t work
out.
214 Andrew Gross
You miss Karen, don t you, Dad?
Yeah. A little, baby doll.
I love you, Daddy.
I love you too, Jess. Thanks for calling. Chin up for the old
folks. You be sure and say hi to everyone for me.
Bye.
Hauck leaned back on the couch thinking just how much he
loved her and how maybe she was right, just a little. He watched
the game until close to seven and the Giants had pulled off a
pretty good fourth-quarter comeback, and a restlessness started
to rise in him. About Karen (how no matter how she tried to
hide it in her tone, what they had was definitely gone between
them, in the past); about how his case had stalled not stalled,
more like vaporized. Then to how all the people in the world he
felt most connected to were so far away.
You gotta get outta here, Ty, before you explode . . .
He went into the bathroom and shaved. Threw on a nice
shirt over cords and a tweed jacket. He didn t know where he
was heading, just out. Maybe drive up to Warren s. Knock on
the door. Imagining the look of total shock. Hey, Ty, what are
you doing here?
Or up to Munoz s. Everyone s gotta have themselves some
turkey on Thanksgiving, right?
As he went out the door and headed down the stairs, it oc-
curred to him he had no idea where he was heading, feeling
alternately foolish and frustrated, his own words coming back
to haunt him.
I ll figure something out.
CHAPTER FI FTY- SI X
The answer hit him as he drove along Elm, heading toward the
thruway.
He passed the familiar sign and spun a U-ey into the park-
ing lot. There were a couple of cars there. He turned off the
engine and asked himself if he wanted to do this, giving him-
self a chance to back out. The little voice, the one that always
got him in trouble, answered, Why the hell not?
Everyone s gotta have turkey on Thanksgiving!
Hauck hadn t heard from her since his last time here. He
knew his warning to Vega had worked.
He pulled open the wood door and stepped inside Annie s
restaurant.
A vase of hydrangeas in a vase brightened the entrance.
Hauck caught sight of her through the open kitchen. She
was wearing a white chef s jacket, her hair tied up in a blue ker-
chief. She was dotting a plate of pie with a flourish. She looked
up and did a double take as she saw him.
He waved.
A waiter in a white apron came up to him apologetically.
I m sorry, but we just finished for the night.
216 Andrew Gross
That s okay, Hauck said. He looked toward the kitchen.
I just came by to say hi.
Annie smiled back through the window, shrugging widely
as if to say, What s going on . . . ?
The waiter, seeing they knew each other, said, Sure.
There were only a couple of tables filled. Each looked like
they were finishing up. Hauck took a seat at the bar.
A short while later Annie came around, removed her ker-
chief, and shook out her short black hair. So you ve finally
come by to give me that protection, Lieutenant . . .
Happy Thanksgiving, Hauck said.
Happy Thanksgiving to you. I don t have to be worried, do
I? She feigned a look of concern. You re not expecting some
kind of holiday attack here, are you?
He shook his head and laughed. No.
Whew. You don t look like you re exactly dressed for duty,
so okay, I ll bite. What does bring you in?
Hauck shrugged. How about some turkey?
Annie screwed up her brow. Turkey?
I don t have it wrong . . . It is Thanksgiving, isn t it?
Annie laughed. You may not believe this, Lieutenant, but
you may have picked the one restaurant in America that doesn t
actually serve turkey on Thanksgiving.
You re joking. Hauck shifted around and glanced at the
sparsely filled restaurant. You, um, may want to rethink that
plan next year.
Annie arched her brows. And I see you ve brought your
stand-up routine too. Tell me, you think anyone really looking
for a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving would end up coming
here?
I did. Hauck shrugged foolishly.
Annie looked at him. Don t you have a family to go to or
Don t Look Twice 217
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