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"That’s great," I said, and finallyup

So they were alive, all three of the at Fireside There was a ot back Red Man, it said, and there was a nuured out that it was Dennis Redured Monday for the autopsy results," he said, "but either they’ve got a light load over there or Stilln of blunt force trauoes"

"So it looks like he did it himself"

"It always did," he said "Of course so his in his system, no blood alcohol"

So he’d died sober

"In fact," he said, "all the physical evidence supports a verdict of suicide Strangulation’s the cause of death There ought to be a law"

"Against suicide? I think there already is"

"Against belts," he said "Where do they get off ht as well be putting a loaded gun in the hands of a child"

"How else are people going to keep their pants up?"

"What the hell’s wrong with suspenders? Or you could do like they do with fishing line A certain a chance Why not do the saht of more than a hundred pounds and it breaks Think of the lives that would be saved"

"And what about children?"

"Never thought of it," he said "But you’re right, it’d just trigger an epideuess there’s only one answer"

"And that would be?"

"Warning labels Works with cigarettes Matt, I just thought you’d want to know Your friend killed hih I don’t suppose it makes you happy to hear that"

"No," I said "How could it? But at least it saves ure out what to do next"

I atching television when the phone rang ESPN was showing a Gaelic football game, or a match, whatever they call it, and I sat there while a lot of young y doing so and passing and kicking involved, and the score kept changing, in what struck me as a wholly arbitrary way

I hit the Mute button and picked up the phone, and it was Jan She said, "I think we should talk"

XXXIV

TIFFANY’S IS THE FAMOUS Fifth Avenue jewelry store, and if I’d told a friend I was off to irlfriend at Tiffany’s, he’d probably assus But Tiffany’s is also the name of a coffee shop on Sheridan Square, open twenty-four hours a day, and Jan had picked it as a hborhood andto the subway, but even so I had to wait for her, and she showed up with a companion, a sharp-featured woly black hair They ca, and Jan introduced the woman as Mary Elizabeth We nodded at each other, and I motioned for them to sit down, and Jan looked at Mary Elizabeth, who shook her head

"We won’t stay," Jan said She put her shopping bag on the table, and Mary Elizabeth placed hers alongside it "I think this is everything," Jan said

I nodded, lost in thought, and then when nobody ned role in the proceedings I reached intoof keys I put them on the table, and they just sat there for a beat, and then Jan reached for thehed them in her hand, put theo, and Mary Elizabeth turned with her, and then Jan turned back to face ain All in a rush she said, "I really hate this, and what I hate ht before your anniversary"

"In a couple of days"

"Tuesday, isn’t it?"

"I guess so"

"I was going to wait until afterward," she said, "but I thought o," I said

"I just--"

"Let it go"

She looked on the point of tears Mary Elizabeth said, "Jan," and she turned and walked after her, to the door and out

I stayed where I was Two shopping bags shared the top of my table with the cup of coffee I’d ordered but so far hadn’t touched One shopping bag was from a department store, the other from a company that sold art supplies Each was a little ed both of them herself Mary Elizabeth, I decided, was there for moral support

I went to St Paul’s for the eveningAfterward I followed the crowd to the Flame and sat there until everybody went home I walked down Ninth to Fifty-seventh, then walked on past ton Avenue I turned on Lexington and walked down to Thirtieth Street and got there just in ti

There were a few familiar faces in the room but nobody I really knew They didn’t have a speaker, and the chairperson asked me if I had ninety days clean and sober I said I’d spoken recently, and didn’t feel up to it She found somebody else They can always find somebody