Page 14 (2/2)

"Why do you say you killed hiun was the only door out of it I boxed him in"

She looked at her watch "Fuck it," she said "I can leave early for a change If Jimmie wants to sue me for half an hour, then the hell with him" She reached behind her neck with both hands to unfasten her apron The movement emphasized the swell of her breasts

She said, "Like to walk me home, Matt?"

We had used each other a few times over the months to keep the lonelies away We liked each other in and out of bed, and both of us had the vital security of knowing it could never lead to anything

"Matt?"

"I couldn't do you ged on the way home"

"You knohat I mean"

"Yeah, Mr Detective, but you don't knohat I er "I wouldn't let you near ht anyway You need a shave" Her face softened into a s a little coffee and company," she said "I think you could use it"

"Maybe I could"

"Plain old coffee and co like that"

"Just coffee and company"

"Uh-huh Now tell me it's the best offer you've had all day"

"It is," I said "But that's not saying a hell of a lot"

SHE ed to come up with a pint of Harper's to flavor it with By the tione from mostly full tothat would e or Huysendahl identifiable, and I didn't spell out Henry Prager's smarh she figured to dope it out for herself if she bothered to read thepapers

When I was finished she sat there for a few minutes, head tilted to one side, eyes half lidded, sth she said she didn't see how I could have done things differently

"Because suppose you ed to let hiot a little ether and went to him You would have exposed him, wouldn't you?"

"One way or another"

"He killed himself because he was afraid of exposure, and that hile he thought you were a black to hand hi?"

"He ht not have had the chance"

"Well,the chance Nobody forced hiht it over "There's still so doesn't fit together the way it should"

"You just have to have soh to show in my face, because she blanched "I'm sorry," she said "Matt, I' cute"

"Many a true word is et cetera" I stood up "It'll look better in the enerally do"

"Don't leave"

"I had the coffee and coet on ho her head "Stay over"

"I told you before, Trina-"

"I know you did I don't particularly want to fuck either, as a matter of fact But I really don't want to sleep alone"

"I don't know if I can sleep"

"Then hold ether and held each other Maybe the bourbon finally got around to working, or maybe I was more exhausted than I'd realized, but I fell asleep like that, holding her

Chapter 14

I woke up withand a liverish taste in the back of my throat A note on her pillow advised me to help myself to breakfast The only breakfast I could face was in the bottle of Harper's, and I helpedwith a couple of aspirins from her medicine cabinet and a cup of lousy coffee froe off the way I felt

The weather was good and the air pollution lighter than usual You could actually see the sky I headed back to the hotel, picking up a paper on the way It was alet that e and Theodore Huysendahl I had to let them know that they were off the hook, that in fact they'd never actually been on it in the first place I wondered what their reactions would be Probably a coulled Well, that would be their probleh of my own

I'd have to see thee it over the phone I didn't look forward to it, but did look forward to having it behind s and I would never have to see either of theain

I stopped at the desk There was no er had called There was a number where I was to call her as soon as possible It was the number I had dialed from the Lion's Head