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Chapter 12

"I didn't know her all that well I o at the beauty parlor and we had a cup of coffee together, and reading between the lines of her conversation I figured out she wasn't the Avon lady We exchanged numbers and ould talk now and then over the phone, but we never got close Then whenever it was, a couple weeks ago, she called and wanted to get together I was surprised We'd been out of touch for months"

We were in Elaine Mardell's apart carpet on the floor, bold abstract oils on the walls, so inoffensive on the stereo I had a cup of coffee Elaine was drinking a diet soda

"What did she want?"

"She toldher pi hurt Which is where you came in, remember?"

I nodded "Why'd she co she didn't have tooshe could talk over with one of Chance's other girls, and she probably wouldn't have wanted to discuss it with so, you know, compared to me She may have seen ht"

"Isn't it just? What was she, about twenty-five?"

"She said twenty-three I think it said twenty-four in the papers"

"Jesus, that's young"

"I know"

"More coffee, Matt?"

"I'm fine"

"You knohy I think she picked me to have that little conversation with? I think it's because I don't have a pimp" She settled herself in her seat, uncrossed and recrossed her legs I remembered other times in this apartment, one of us on the couch, the other on the Ea the rooes

I said, "You never had one, did you?"

"No"

"Do irls?"

"The ones she knew did I think you pretty ht to a particular corner and bail you out when you get arrested When you work out of an apartment like this, well, that's different But even so, most of the hookers I know have boyfriends"

"Is that the sa a batch of girls He just happens to be your boyfriend And you don't turn your s, just because you want to, and you help out with cash when he hits a rough spot in life, or if there's soe of, or because he needs a little loan and, gee, it's not like you were giving him the money That's what a boyfriend is"

"Sort of a one-woirl swears her boyfriend's different, her relationship's different, and what never changes is who earns the money and who spends it"

"And you never had a pimp, did you? Or a boyfriend?"

"Never I had my palm read once and the woman who did it was impressed 'You have a double head line, dear,' she told me 'Your head rules your heart' " She caht here See?"

"Looks good to lass of soda, then came and sat on the couch beside me She said, "When I learned what happened to Ki I did was call you But you weren't in"

"I never got theup and called a travel agent I know A couple hours later I was on a plane for Barbados"

"Were you afraid you were on soured Chance killed her I didn't think he'd start knocking off all her friends and relations No, I just kneas time for a break A week at a beachfront hotel A little sun in the afternoon, a little roulette at night, and enough steel-dru tiht out Iat the next hotel over Very nice fellow, tax lawyer, got divorced a year and a half ago and then went through a tough little affair with so for him, and he's over that now, and who does he meet but me"

"And?"

"And we had a nice little ro walks on the beach Snorkeling, tennis Ro out at the sea"

"Here you've got one looking at the East River"

"It's not the saht I'd haveshy But I didn't have to act I was shy, and then I got over ? Of course not I told his I'ht that was really fascinating and he had a lot of questions It would have been easier if I'd had the sense to pick so a little "

"Sure"

She had her hands in her lap and she was looking at the to show themselves on the back of her hands I wondered how old she was Thirty-six? Thirty-eight?