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"Matt, he wanted to seeeach other it was love, nothing like that, but there was this sense that we o somewhere, and he wanted to follow it up and see where it led He lives in Merrick You knohere that is?"

"Sure, out on the Island It's not that far from where I used to live"

"Is it nice out there?"

"Parts of it are very nice"

"I gave him a phony number He knows my name but the phone here is unlisted I haven't heard from him and I don't expect to I wanted a week in the sun and a nice little romance, and that's what I had, but once in a while I think I could call hi number I could lie my way out of that one"

"Probably"

"But for what? I could even lieAnd I could give up this apartment and drop my john book in the incinerator But for what?" She looked at ood life I save my money I always saved my money"

"And invested it," I remembered "Real estate, isn't it? Apartment houses in Queens?"

"Not just Queens I could retire now if I had to and I'd get by all right But ould I want to retire and what do I need with a boyfriend?"

"Why did Kim Dakkinen want to retire?"

"Is that what she wanted?"

"I don't know Why did she want to leave Chance?"

She thought it over, shook her head "I never asked"

"Neither did I"

"I've never been able to understand why a girl would have a pimp in the first place, so I don't need an explanation when soet rid of one"

"Was she in love with anybody?"

"Kim? Could be She didn'tto leave the city?"

"I didn't get that impression But she wouldn't tell me if she ould she?"

"Hell," I said I put my empty cup on the end table "She was involved someith someone I just wish I kneho"

"Why?"

"Because that's the only way I' to find out who killed her"

"You think that's hoorks?"

"That's usually hoorks"

"Suppose I got killed touess I'd send flowers"

"Seriously"

"Seriously? I'd check tax lawyers from Merrick"

"There's probably a few of them, don't you think?"

"Could be I don't suppose there's too many who spent a week in Barbados this month You said he stayed at the next hotel down the beach from you? I don't think he'd be hard to find, or that I'd havehim to you"

"Would you actually do all that?"

"Why not?"

"No one would be paying you"

I laughed "Well, you and I, we go back a ways, Elaine"

And we did When I was on the force we'd had an arrangement I helped her out when she needed the kind of hand a cop could provide, whether with the laith an unruly john She, in turn, had been available to me when I wanted her What, I wondered suddenly, had that made me? Neither pimp nor boyfriend, but what?

"Matt? Why did Chance hire you?"

"To find out who killed her"

"Why?"

I thought of the reasons he'd given "I don't know," I said

"Why'd you take the job?"

"I can use the money, Elaine"

"You don't care thatfor ot an eye on these apartment houses in Queens"

"Very funny"

"I'll bet you're some landlady I'll bet they love it when you coement firm that takes care of all that I never see my tenants"

"I wish you hadn't told reat fantasy"

"I'll bet"

I said, "Kim took me to bed after I finished the job for her I went over there and she paid me and then afterent to bed"

"And?"

"It was like a tip, al thank you"

"Beats ten dollars at Christmas time"